Of those five members, three are retiring from Congress. One is running for the U.S. Senate, and the other is running for a different seat because of redistricting. All of it adds up to a lot of change in January 2027.
Nehls said he made the decision to focus on family. Rice University Political Science Professor Mark Jones said he believes Nehls would've won reelection, but he said if Republicans lose control of the U.S. House, Nehls may not have wanted to go back to D.C.
"When you're in the majority in the U.S. House, you can have an impact and get things done," Jones explained. "When you're in the minority, you pretty much are a bystander and all you can do is sit and complain and occasionally block things."
Nehls endorsed his twin brother, Trever Nehls. Over the weekend, Nehls announced he would run.
On Monday, he made it official by announcing he filed for the race. He's not the only one.
Rebecca Clark told ABC13 she planned to file on Monday. The current precinct chair said she was planning to do so anyways because she wanted to challenge Nehls in the primary.
"I just felt like the time was right for a fresh face," Clark said. "Someone who's not looking for a persona. I don't want to be a persona. I never had political aspirations to run for office, but I saw the need."
The Democratic candidate running in the 22nd Congressional District weighed in. Marquette Greene-Scott shared a video shortly after Nehls' announcement.
"This further proves that he was not in it for public service," Greene-Scott said in the video. "He refused to hold town halls. He refused to meet with the constituents."
It's unclear if others will get in the race. Jones said there may not be enough time.
"Anyone who starts, other than Nehls, is going to have very little name ID," Jones explained. "In fact, close to zero name ID and operating under the clout of they're not entirely sure what district they'll be competing in. That of the old map or that of the new map."
Of the 10 congressional districts in Southeast Texas, six will have new representation after the 2026 midterms. They include four currently represented by Republicans: 8, 10, 22, and 38, and two historically Democratic districts redrawn during redistricting this summer. They are District 9, which is now majority Republican, and District 18, which is currently vacant.
Other Republicans not running include 10-term member Michael McCaul, Wesley Hunt, who is running for the U.S. Senate, and Morgan Luttrell.
On the Democratic side, Al Green has long served the 9th district, but with lines redrawn in redistricting, his home is now in the 18th. That's where he'll run if the Supreme Court upholds the new map drawn this past summer.
"With a lot of the Republican incumbents, they're stepping away by choice. And some of that may be due to the political environment, the political violence, the disruption of people's personal lives," Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston and a longtime follower of Houston-area politics, said.
The trend is not just in Southeast Texas. It seems to be something spreading nationwide.
Ben Siegel, the deputy political director for ABC News, says a blue wave and the House flipping to Democrat control might play into these decisions.
"Even if the wave doesn't crest high, quite high enough to unseat some of these Republicans, it's gonna be... it's gonna be bumpy sailing for them, and that's maybe one of the reasons why they're all deciding not to run for the House again," Siegel said.
There are also two incumbents who face potentially strong challenges in their primaries: Dan Crenshaw on the Republican side and Democrat Sylvia Garcia. So, no matter what, there will be a lot of new faces representing southeast Texas a little more than a year from now.