AUSTIN – On Tuesday, long-serving Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) announced that he is not seeking reelection for another term in the state legislature's upper chamber.
In a statement, Nichols said he will continue to serve the people and communities of Senate District 3 until his current term ends, on Jan. 12, 2027.
Nichols, a Republican, has served in his position since 2007, and throughout his tenure he has served on many committees, including a current appointment as chair of the Senate Transportation committee.
I feel truly blessed to have had the honor to represent the people of East and Southeast Texas in the Legislature,” he said.
Nichols noted that at the end of his term, he will have served 20 years in the state legislature, plus an additional eight and a half years as a transportation commissioner, having served under both governors George W. Bush and Rick Perry. “I appreciate their trust in me,” he said.
After Nichols’s announcement, Rep. Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin), who currently serves in the House of Representatives, serving the six-county House District 9, which includes Tyler and Polk counties, and falls within the boundaries of Senate District 3, announced his candidacy for that seat.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve you in the Texas House. Now I’m stepping up to fight for our rural values in the Texas Senate. I’m running to protect our East Texas way of life, defend our conservative principles, and ensure our voice is heard loud and clear in Austin,” he said.
Ashby added that for those nearly two decades that Nichols has served in the Senate, he has been “a steady and respected voice for East and Southeast Texas.”
“Throughout his time in office, he has exemplified what it means to be a public servant – leading with humility, integrity, and deep commitment to the people he represents. His legacy is one of quiet strength and principled service, and the people of Senate District 3 owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for his years of faithful service.”
Another Republican, Rhonda Ward, of Nacogdoches, has also announced her candidacy for the Senate seat.
Nichols, who has worked during his time in the legislature to author bills addressing landowners’ rights and to reduce Medicaid fraud and increase educational opportunities in the region, has been designated as one of the Top 10 Best Legislators list in Texas Monthly and feted by a variety of organizations, including the Texas Association of Business and Raise Your Hand Texas.
He has also consistently voted against the school choice issue in the past two legislative sessions, going against the grain of Senate Republicans, and against the priority of Gov. Greg Abbott on that bill.
Nichols, who worked his way up from selling fireworks and ironing clothes for fellow students, to work through college, and into the manufacturing sector, served on the Jacksonville City Council, and was eventually elected mayor before serving as a transportation commissioner for the state, and later running for the Senate. As a businessman, he built four plastics manufacturing facilities and created more than 900 jobs for East Texan families through his business.
“It has been a real honor to have served with an incredibly dedicated and quality staff at the state capitol as well as our three district offices. These men and women have been truly committed to the people and communities we have served. They have given extra effort to help those we represent. I will forever be thankful for their work,” he said.
Nichols also thanked his wife Donna for her unwavering support, and their three children, who have also been supportive of his career in politics.
“It had always been my goal to make things better, to stop bad things, to do it in a way I thought was right, never forgetting who I represented and to work at it long enough, but not too long,” he said.
