Political Pre-bituaries

So far, 26 members of the Texas House have said they won't seek reelection — 27 if you count Rep. Fred Brown, R-Bryan, who resigned after the legislative session and is being replaced in a special election runoff next week.

The list could grow by next Thursday, the deadline for filing for the 2012 elections.

The quit list includes seven Democrats and 19 Republicans. Looked at another way, it includes 14 members who are leaving to run for other offices ranging from district attorney to state Senate, to Congress, and to the Railroad Commission. A dozen of the members are leaving with no announced plans for public office.

The House list so far: Jose Aliseda, R-Beeville; Rodney Anderson, R-Grand Prairie; Barbara Mallory Caraway, D-Dallas; Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio; Warren Chisum, R-Pampa; Joe Driver, R-Garland; Pete Gallego, D-Alpine; Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen; Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills; Rick Hardcastle, R-Vernon; Will Hartnett, R-Dallas; Scott Hochberg, D-Houston; Charlie Howard, R-Sugar Land; Jim Jackson, R-Dallas; Lanham Lyne, R-Wichita Falls; Jerry Madden, R-Richardson; Ken Paxton, R-McKinney; Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg; Chente Quintanilla, D-Tornillo; Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown; Mark Shelton, R-Fort Worth; Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton; Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood; Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth; Randy Weber, R-Pearland; and Beverly Woolley, R-Houston.

Four state senators are leaving: Chris Harris, R-Arlington; Mike Jackson, R-La Porte; Steve Ogden, R-Bryan; and Florence Shapiro, R-Plano. Jackson, who's running for Congress, is the only one in that group seeking another office right now.

Two members of the State Board of Education won't be run: Mary Helen Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi; Bob Craig, R-Lubbock; and Marsha Farney, R-Georgetown. Farney is running for an open House seat.

And two members of the congressional delegation are leaving: Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio; and Ron Paul, R-Surfside. Gonzalez is done; Paul is running for president.

There will be more incumbents going home. State Reps. Dan Flynn and Erwin Cain are paired, as are Todd Hunter and Geanie Morrison, James White and Tuffy Hamilton, and Connie Scott and Raul Torres. Only four of those eight Republicans can survive, so the list of House members who won't come back will have a minimum of 30 names on it — 20 percent of the House.