Introduction to the Texas Legislature
The 2026 Texas primary elections are officially less than six months away. This means that lawmakers in the Texas Legislature will soon begin campaigning. Some state lawmakers running for reelection have been serving in the Texas Capitol since before Google was founded (which was 1998). The Dallas Morning News decided to compile a list of the five longest-serving lawmakers in the Texas House and Senate.
The Longest-Serving Members in the Texas Senate
The Texas Senate has several lawmakers who have been serving for many years. Here are a few of the longest-serving members:
Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, was elected to the Senate in 1986 and has been there ever since. She became the first Mexican American woman to serve in the chamber and in 2023 she became the first woman to serve as dean of the Senate. Zaffirini is known for her perfect attendance and cast her 75,000th consecutive vote in the Senate in May. She is up for reelection in 2026.
Texas Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, the author of Senate Bill 31, a statewide ban on texting while driving, she makes a point during the Senate State Affairs Committee hearing in Chambers, Monday, March 13, 2017, in Austin, Texas.
Ralph Barrera / AP
Royce West, D-Dallas, was elected to the Senate in 1992. West, who is an attorney from Dallas, led the effort to create the University of North Texas-Dallas, located in South Dallas. West has also spearheaded bills related to law enforcement and public safety. In 2015, West authored Senate Bill 158, which created a statewide policy on the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers. West won reelection in 2024 and is not up for reelection until 2028.
Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, was elected to the Senate in 2003. Before being elected to the Texas Senate, Hinojosa served in the Texas House for eight terms. He has been in the Senate since 2003. Among some of the most recent bills he has carried is Senate Bill 338, which became law in 2023, and was a bipartisan bill banning information gleaned during a hypnosis session from being used against a criminal defendant in court.
Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, was elected to the Senate in 2007. Nichols is the most senior Republican in the Senate but he announced he would not seek reelection when his term ends in January 2027. In recent legislative sessions, he was known to break with other GOP senators when it came to voting on legislation pushed by Republicans.
Joan Huffman, R-Houston, was elected to the Senate in 2008. Huffman is the second-most senior Republican in the Senate but she announced she is running for Texas attorney general as Ken Paxton seeks to unseat U.S. John Cornyn. She does not have to give up her senate seat to run, so if she loses the March primary she could be back in the Senate in 2027.
The Longest-Serving Members in the Texas House
The Texas House also has several lawmakers who have been serving for many years. Here are a few of the longest-serving members:
Tom Craddick, R-Midland, is the longest-serving lawmaker in the history of the Texas Legislature, having served 56 straight years. He announced he is seeking reelection in 2026, and if he wins, he could reach 60 years in office by the end of that term.
Rep. Tom Craddick (bottom) has been in office close to 60 years and is the longest-serving lawmaker in Texas history.
Ricardo B. Brazziell – Statesman
Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, is the longest-serving woman and Black member in the Legislature, serving more than 52 years in office. One of the key bills she authored was the James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act, named after a Black man who was murdered by three white men — two who were white supremacists — in 1998.
Harold Dutton, D-Houston, was elected to the House in 1984. Dutton is known to break with his party and vote with Republicans in recent years. He voted with Republicans in 2023 to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
John Smithee, R-Amarillo, was elected to the House in 1984. Smithee threw his hat in the ring to be the Texas House Speaker for the 2025 legislative session as the House Republican conference had deep disagreements over who should preside over the House.
Yvonne Davis, D-Dallas, was elected to the House in 1992. Davis served on the Land & Resource Management committee and State Affairs committee in
