The Republican Party has a problem with diversity – and it’s only getting worse

Politics Explained: The decision of the GOP’s only black congressperson not to seek re-election highlights just how white and male the party is

Texan congressman Will Hurd is the latest in a string of retirement (Reuters)

The announcement from congressman Will Hurd that he will not seek re-election in his Texas district in 2020 has put some members of the Republicans in a spin.

The only black GOP congress member in the House of Representatives, Hurd is the latest in a string of retirements that will make Republican attempts to take back the house from Democrat control next year much harder.

The former CIA officer’s 23rd district is almost in perpetual motion politically and is one of the biggest in the country, spanning from San Antonio to near El Paso and including hundreds of miles of the border with Mexico. It is almost 70 per cent Latino, and Hillary Clinton won it by about 3.5 percentage points in 2016.