Pat Fallon – Flip Flops on Re-Election Bid
In a surprising turn of events, Texas U.S. House Representative Pat Fallon has announced that he will reverse his decision to retire from Congress and instead seek reelection for his House seat in 2024. This decision comes just a day after initial reports suggested that Fallon was planning to leave Congress to run for the Texas Senate District 30 seat. Fallon, a former resident of Prosper and current resident of Sherman, initially indicated his intention to pursue a seat in the Texas Senate after his current term. However, he has now reversed that decision and will once again seek to represent the Texas 4th in Washington.
Fallon’s communications director, Peter Vicenzi, confirmed the change in plans, stating that Fallon will indeed run for a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Texas Tribune had reported earlier that Fallon planned to vacate his 4th District House seat to pursue a return to the Texas Senate, following the retirement of incumbent Republican Drew Springer.
The decision appears to have been a result of mixed feelings within Fallon’s family, as reported by various Texas news organizations. Fallon had prepared filing materials for both the Texas Senate and the U.S. House, indicating uncertainty about his political future. According to The Dallas Morning News, Fallon’s oldest son played a pivotal role in convincing him to stay in Congress, along with support from constituents in his home district.
Pat Fallon, who represents the Texas 4th congressional district, succeeded fellow Republican John Ratcliffe in 2020. Ratcliffe had left the House of Representatives to become the Director of National Intelligence for President Donald Trump.
The Texas 4th congressional district has undergone changes over the years, no longer including most of Northeast Texas. The district now follows the Red River from Bowie County to Grayson County, encompassing Fannin, Lamar, Delta, Hopkins, Rains, and Rockwall counties, as well as far southern Hunt County.
Pat Fallon’s unexpected decision to run for reelection adds an intriguing dimension to the political landscape in Texas, leaving political observers and constituents eager to see how this development will shape the upcoming 2024 elections. Furthermore, with Fallon’s initial plans to vie for the Texas Senate District 30 now abandoned, the race for his old state legislative seat becomes an unknown factor, adding an element of uncertainty as to who will replace the outgoing Senator Drew Springer.