HOUSTON — He previously ran for mayor, but this year, Tony Buzbee is running for Houston City Council.
Buzbee made the announcement on Instagram on Monday.
He said he filed the paperwork to become the "newest candidate for Houston City Council, District G."
"I love our city. I want to improve the quality of life here for all, and want to serve in a capacity where I can be most helpful," Buzbee wrote in the post.
District G runs from the River Oaks area west through the Memorial area. It ends just past Dairy Ashford. Currently, Mary Nan Huffman holds the seat. She was sworn in in February 2022. She was previously a prosecutor for the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. She was also the Republican nominee for Harris County District Attorney in 2020, losing to incumbent Kim Ogg.
In his post, Buzbee said he and his wife, Francis, raised their children in District G. According to the post, one of Buzbee's main priorities will be crime reduction. Another will be to make sure the voices of the residents are heard.
"I raised my kids in District G. This is our home. I am deeply concerned about crime in the city. It is out of control!" Buzbee wrote. "I am familiar with many of the issues we all face in District G, I look forward to spending time in the various neighborhoods that make up the district so I can listen to specific concerns, and learn more."
Buzbee also said he considered running for mayor again but determined that he "wasn't going to set out on a fool's errand." He also said that if he wasn't going to win, he didn't want to be "responsible for helping elect someone who I feel would be severely damaging to our city,"
He said making those two determinations led him to run for the District G seat.
Buzbee lost to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in the 2019 mayoral election.
Nan Huffman responded to Buzbee's announcement with a scathing statement in which she called it a "cheap publicity stunt."
"He doesn’t care about representing the taxpayers of District G for the next four years. He doesn’t even care about representing Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial in September. He only cares about himself and his press clippings," Nan Huffman said in the statement. "I work hard representing this District. I am at the council table and committees each week, and meeting with constituents constantly. I’m not a jet set celebrity plaintiff’s lawyer."
She went on to say that while she takes her job seriously, Buzbee doesn't.