Federal Election Commission (FEC) vice chairman Trey Trainor (R) confirmed that he’s resigning from his position on Thursday as he eyes the seat of Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).
Trainor has signalled his interest in running for Congress in previous months. His resignation, first reported by the Washington Examiner, comes after Roy entered the race for Texas Attorney General, leaving open his seat in the House of Representatives.
“It has been an honor to serve in this role since President Trump appointed me in 2020, despite the long confirmation process that began in 2017,” he said after announcing his resignation. His final day will be Oct. 3.
Trainor hasn’t yet committed to running for Roy’s seat but said he was “seriously evaluating that option.”
“In the meantime, I’m excited for a return to more ‘normal’ life — attending rodeos, middle school football games, and spending quality time with my family,” he said.
His resignation leaves only two members on the FEC’s six-person panel, pushing the body responsible for regulating campaign finance further away from quorum.
The FEC has lacked quorum since the departure of commissioner Allen Dickerson in April, which left the panel with only three of the required four members needed to carry out its responsibilities, including acting on campaign finance violations.
After Trainor’s departure, the traditionally bipartisan body will be left with two Democratic commissioners, Shana Broussard and Dara Lindenbaum.
The FEC has previously lost quorum only three times before, according to the political reform nonprofit group Issue One. The first time happened in 2008 under former President George W. Bush’s administration. The second and third times happened during Trump’s first term in 2018 and 2019.
Trainor had previously considered running for Texas Attorney General himself but decided against it to prevent the FEC from becoming a “partisan tool” by Broussard and Lindenbaum.
Officials told the Washington Examiner that the Trump administration is vetting possible FEC candidates.
Source: The Hill - News
