After more than four decades representing the Texas Panhandle in Austin, longtime Republican State Rep. John Smithee is stepping aside, leaving voters to choose a new voice in the Texas Legislature.
For more than 40 years, one name has been a constant in Texas House District 86: John Smithee.
That is about to change.
For the first time since 1984, voters in the district will elect a state representative who is not Smithee, bringing an end to one of the longest legislative careers in Texas history and opening the door to a new generation of political leadership in the Texas Panhandle.
Smithee, a Republican from Amarillo who first took office in 1985, announced in November 2025 that he would not seek another term. His decision set up an open-seat contest between Republican Holly Jeffreys and Democrat Cullin Knutson in the November 3 general election.
Regardless of which candidate wins, the district will have a new representative when the next Texas Legislature convenes in January.
For residents who have spent their entire adult lives with Smithee representing them in Austin, the change marks a significant moment in Panhandle politics.
Four Decades of Representing the Panhandle
Smithee arrived in the Texas House during a very different political era.
Ronald Reagan was beginning his second term as president, Texas Democrats still controlled much of state government, and the Republican Party had not yet established the dominance it enjoys in Texas politics today.
Through shifting political landscapes, changing governors, legislative battles, and multiple generations of voters, Smithee remained a familiar presence in Austin.
An attorney by profession, Smithee built a reputation for his knowledge of legislative procedure and legal issues. Over the years, he held several influential committee leadership positions, including chairmanships of the House Insurance Committee, Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.
His final legislative session included serving as chairman of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, where he played an important role in advancing changes to Texas bail laws.
Smithee also became a prominent figure during the 2023 impeachment proceedings involving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He was among the minority of House Republicans who voted against impeaching Paxton and publicly criticized the process.
His influence extended into the fight over House leadership. Smithee challenged then-Speaker Dade Phelan for the speakership before later opposing the selection of Speaker Dustin Burrows.
Despite those political disagreements, Burrows appointed Smithee to lead the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee during the 2025 legislative session.
A Legislative Career With Local Impact
While Smithee participated in some of the biggest political debates in Texas, his career also included projects with a lasting impact on the Panhandle.
In announcing his decision not to seek reelection, Smithee highlighted his involvement in bringing 9-1-1 emergency services to Amarillo and the surrounding region.
He also pointed to efforts that helped bring West Texas State University, now West Texas A&M University, into the Texas A&M University System.
Other accomplishments he identified included helping develop electric transmission infrastructure that supported the growth of wind energy in Texas and securing funding for important regional institutions.
Those projects included the new state mental hospital in Amarillo and the Texas Tech University schools of pharmacy and veterinary medicine.
The developments reflect the kind of issues that have long mattered to residents of the Panhandle: access to healthcare, higher education, infrastructure, economic development, and ensuring rural communities receive attention from state government.
Smithee's departure will also mean the loss of decades of legislative experience and institutional knowledge.
For a region geographically distant from the political centers of Austin, Dallas, and Houston, having an experienced lawmaker in the Capitol has carried particular importance.
Holly Jeffreys Wins Republican Nomination
The race to succeed Smithee began taking shape during the March Republican primary.
Holly Jeffreys defeated Jamie Haynes to secure the Republican nomination for House District 86.
Jeffreys, an Amarillo-area nurse practitioner who also volunteers as an emergency medical technician, entered the race with experience in healthcare and education.
She previously served on the Bushland Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Her campaign has emphasized several priorities, including protecting water resources, supporting agriculture, improving healthcare affordability, strengthening parental involvement in education, and reducing property taxes.
Jeffreys has also identified support for law enforcement, opposition to unfunded government mandates, and opposition to abortion as priorities.
One of her most significant political endorsements came from Smithee himself.
Former Republican state Rep. Four Price, another familiar name in Panhandle politics, has also endorsed her campaign.
Those endorsements give Jeffreys the backing of two former legislative colleagues with substantial political experience in the region.
Jeffreys enters the general election as the Republican nominee in a district with a strong history of supporting GOP candidates.
Cullin Knutson Offers Democrats an Opportunity
On the Democratic side, Cullin Knutson is seeking to become the district's next representative.
Knutson, an Amarillo native, has experience working in politics, road construction, and regional planning.
His professional background includes work with the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, an organization involved in addressing issues affecting communities throughout the region.
Knutson's campaign has focused on public education, expanding access to healthcare, Medicaid expansion, rural communities, and issues affecting Texas women.
His candidacy gives Democratic voters an alternative in a district that has long been represented by a Republican.
While the district's political history presents a challenge for Democrats, an open seat creates a different contest than one involving a longtime incumbent.
Instead of running against Smithee and his decades of name recognition, Knutson is competing against another candidate seeking the office for the first time.
The election will determine not only who replaces Smithee but also which political priorities voters want their next representative to pursue in Austin.
Seven Counties, One New Representative
House District 86 covers a large portion of the Texas Panhandle, including Randall, Armstrong, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hartley, Oldham, and Parmer counties.
The district includes communities with different economic needs, but agriculture, water availability, education, transportation, and healthcare remain important regional concerns.
Those issues will not disappear when Smithee leaves office.
Water resources remain especially important in a region where farming, ranching, and community growth depend on reliable supplies.
Rural healthcare presents another continuing challenge, as smaller communities work to maintain access to medical professionals and essential services.
Public school funding, property taxes, and the future of agricultural communities are also likely to remain part of the legislative conversation.
The next representative will inherit those responsibilities while working to establish relationships and influence in a Legislature where seniority and committee assignments can make a difference.
Smithee spent decades building those connections. His successor will begin the process of developing their own.
A Changing Political Landscape in Amarillo
Smithee's departure comes as the Amarillo area continues to experience changes in its legislative representation.
House District 87, which includes Potter County, is represented by Republican Caroline Fairly, who is seeking reelection against Democrat Diana Loya.
Fairly is completing her first term after winning the seat previously held by Four Price.
With Smithee stepping aside, both Texas House districts serving the Amarillo area will have experienced significant turnover within a relatively short period.
That represents a notable change for a region accustomed to having longtime representatives in Austin.
It also creates opportunities for new political relationships, new committee assignments, and potentially different approaches to representing the Panhandle's interests.
The End of a Political Era
When Smithee announced his decision to leave the Legislature, he made clear that he and his wife, Becky, intended to remain involved in their community.
He expressed gratitude to the people of the district and indicated that he hoped to devote more time to his family, church, and law practice.
His decision was not the result of an election defeat. After more than four decades, he chose not to seek another term.
That distinction matters in understanding the transition taking place.
Voters are not deciding whether to keep Smithee. They are deciding who should follow him.
On November 3, Randall County and the surrounding counties of District 86 will make that choice between Jeffreys and Knutson.
The winner will face the challenge of representing a geographically large district with diverse needs while following a lawmaker whose service stretched across more than four decades.
For many Panhandle voters, John Smithee is the only state representative they have ever known.
Beginning in January, that will no longer be the case.
