State Sen. Kel Seliger has announced his retirement from the Texas Senate after nearly two decades of service, setting up an open race for his seat in 2022.

Seliger (R-Amarillo) announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he will not be seeking re-election to the Senate in 2022, saying that after thoughtful consideration, he and his family made the decision that this term will be his last. The announcement came after weeks of Seliger’s claims that redistricting efforts had been made to make his re-election more difficult, despite offering no substantive proof for his claims.

In his last appearance on the ballot, Seliger faced his most difficult re-election campaign yet, narrowly avoiding a runoff in a three-way race that included former Midland mayor Mike Canon and former Muleshoe mayor Victor Leal. Four years earlier, Seliger also faced a narrow re-election against Canon.

During the final years of Seliger’s tenure, he was frequently criticized for his liberal positions on several fiscal issues, voting against bans on taxpayer-funded lobbying and being one of the only Republicans in the Texas Legislature to actively oppose property tax reform. His positions earned him the reputation as the most liberal Republican in the Senate, as well as the criticism of former President Donald Trump, who called Seliger the “Texas version of Mitt Romney.”

With Seliger’s announcement, two candidates are already seeking the Republican nomination for his job in District 31, which stretches from Amarillo to south of the Midland and Odessa region. Midland businessman Kevin Sparks, who has received the endorsement of former President Trump, and Coahoma ISD Trustee Stormy Bradley are running for the seat.

After Seliger’s announcement, Sparks issued a statement to the Texas Scorecard publication, thanking Seliger for his service and saying he is looking forward to the campaign ahead.

“I thank Sen. Seliger for his nearly 20 years of service in the Texas Senate,” Sparks said. “I look forward to the opportunity to meet with and earn the votes of the hardworking families of Senate District 31.”

Candidates who are interested in running for State Senate can begin filing to run for office in November. The Republican primary election for this seat is scheduled for March 1, 2022.