BEAUMONT, Texas — The race for Joe Deshotel's seat as a Democratic member of the Texas House has another person running for the office.
Jefferson County Democratic Party chairman Joseph Trahan has announced he's running for the Texas House's 22nd Legislative District.
Trahan was elected as the youngest countywide officeholder in Jefferson County in March of 2020 when he became the chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party.
He is graduate of Hamshire-Fannett High School and the University of Texas at Austin.
Trahan is a fifth generation Jefferson County resident with deep ties to the community and is the son of Sergeant Howard J. Trahan of the Beaumont Police Department.
Currently Trahan is running against Deshotel's chief of staff Christian Manuel.
Manuel served in that role for 10 years and before that was a district director, an assistant clerk a case worker with Deshotel.
Deshotel announced in mid November that he was retiring after his 11th term in the Texas House of Representatives.
After serving 23 years in the public office, Deshotel said he's ready to spend some time with his family.
"I was recently engaged. My son is having their first child, my first grandson, so it'd be a different personal situation when the next session starts," Deshotel, who is now 69, said.
He told 12News via phone that his career has been "extremely gratifying," and he hopes he has left a lasting impact on generations to come.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
