Early in the morning of Oct. 28, patrons filled the small dining room of Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop on East 7th Street, creating a buzz that could be heard from the restaurant’s parking lot.

Opened in 1962, the family-owned hot spot known for its carne guisada and enchiladas is a favorite of Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, who has served Texans in the U.S. House of Representatives for the past 30 years. He’s been going to Joe’s for decades, and this particular morning, he couldn’t go more than 10 minutes without a constituent greeting him at the table.

After more than 50 years in public office, Doggett’s tenure appears to be coming to an end after Texas’ mid-decade redistricting efforts shook up central Texas districts. He announced his plans to retire, should courts uphold the new maps, on Aug. 21.

Doggett grew up a lifelong Longhorn, beginning his journey on the Forty Acres as an assistant washing lab equipment for the botany department in 1960, the summer before he started at Austin High School. A double alumnus of UT, Doggett received his undergraduate degree in business administration from McComb’s School of Business in 1967 and earned his law degree from UT School of Law in 1970.

“I didn’t know there was any other university,” Doggett said.

Doggett said the atmosphere of protest that has arisen today has drawn markedly different reactions from those in positions of power. This time, state legislators have passed bills limiting the ability of faculty to voice dissent in an organized fashion, eradicating the faculty senate that once served as an advisory body to the president.

“I went as student body president a number of times to the Faculty Senate,” Doggett said. “Now, we don’t have one.”

Since graduating, the former UT class president has spent over 50 years in public office positions across the Texas Senate, Texas Supreme Court and U.S. House of Representatives. He’s an Austin political staple, said Brian Peña, a UT alumnus who worked under Doggett as an intern, congressional aide and field representative from January 2023 to May 2024, and now serves as legislative director for State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who recently launched a campaign for governor.

“(Interning for Doggett is) like a rite of passage,” Peña said. “It’s one of those things that, if you interact with the Travis County political scene, it’s a very vast alum of Doggett people. … Countless elected officials, judges, politicos. I mean, you name it, at one point or another, they’ve worked for Doggett.”

Doggett said the restrictions imposed on protests and speech on campus, like those under Senate Bill 2972, are part of a broader damage already done to the University amid increased focus on higher education by state legislators.

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen the situation as far reaching as (it is) right now,” Doggett said. “These are really very troubling developments.”

He said state leaders like Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are to blame, arguing that UT President Jim Davis adheres to the wishes of those in the Capitol.

“I’m concerned about where they’re going in lowering the quality of education and insisting that we have to have some right wing institute at the University to promulgate their views,” Doggett said.

Beyond Austin, Doggett received national attention last year as the first Democratic member of Congress to call on then-President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race for reelection on July 2, 2024, less than a week after the Biden-Trump presidential debate. Immediately after, others followed suit, calling to attention a growing wave of concern from Democrats that led Biden to drop out just over 100 days before the election.

Now, he’s back in the limelight after announcing he likely won’t run for reelection in the wake of the Texas Legislature’s mid-decade redistricting efforts that redrew congressional districts in the state in an attempt to increase the number of Republican seats in the House.

Following the legislature’s efforts, Democratic districts across the state have been disrupted. If Doggett chose to run again in the same seat, he’d likely face a contentious primary battle for the new district against Rep. Greg Casar, D-San Antonio. Casar currently represents a portion of the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio, but under the newly redrawn maps, he would be forced to run in one of two new districts — one comprises much of Doggett’s current Austin district, while the other is a more competitive San Antonio district.

As chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, Kendall Scudder advocates for the party’s priorities and leading strategy for progressive candidates across Texas. He’s been active in the Texas chapter of the party for more than 20 years and is highly familiar with Doggett’s work and political history.

“It’s going to leave a huge gap not having him as a part of the delegation,” Scudder said. “He’s someone who is known for always doing the right thing, even if it’s not always popular, because he understands that sometimes progress isn’t popular.”

It’s not Doggett’s first time facing a difficult redistricting process — he’s run in gerrymandered districts stretching from Travis County to the Rio Grande Valley, and filled seats serving parts of Austin, San Antonio and the edges of Houston. But having to give up a seat representing UT, an area he’s only been reunited with for about three years, is a particularly grueling concession, he said.

“It was a tough decision and not a happy one, and I’m still not happy about it,” Doggett said. “If you had asked me in July, I’d say, unquestionably, yeah, I’m running for reelection. I don’t plan to stay in Washington forever, but I believe that I have a lot to contribute towards saving our country and representing our city.”

Yet, when it became clear how age-centric the race would become, positioning a 35-year-old against a congressman nearing his 80s, Doggett decided he’d heed the calls of those encouraging him to step down.

However, he said the calls against him were ageist to a degree.

“Just as I don’t believe in selecting people based on sex and race, I don’t believe in doing it on age,” Doggett said. “We need to evaluate people based on their performance, which is exactly what I did with Joe Biden.”

The redrawn maps are currently embroiled in legal challenges, and if they’re overturned, Doggett said he’s already made plans to run. Otherwise, he’ll step aside for the next generation to take over.

Looking back at his time in office, he said the moments he’s proudest of include enacting legislation to address climate change, like the 2022 climate law, expanding access to health care through the Affordable Care Act and advocating for easier pathways to citizenship through bills like the American Dream and Promise Act.

With many of these initiatives now under threat, Doggett said he is proud of what he’s been able to accomplish. Yet, looking forward, in his eyes, the work is far from over.

“(I hope the Democratic Party will) look at the shortcomings of my generation and try to find ways to overcome them and to recognize that it’s going to take a great deal of collaboration and cooperation to undo the damage Trump has done,” Doggett said. “We’re not going to repair our relations with the rest of the world in one four-year democratic presidency … it’s going to take a long-term (commitment).”

“I never changed my values,” Doggett said. “I tried to adapt to meet local needs … but sticking with my fundamental values.”