--- title: Rep. Ralph Hall, Washington's Oldest Congressman, Loses Texas Runoff description: Ralph Hall was first elected in 1980 and was the only World War II veteran in Congress seeking reelection canonical: https://time.com/122688/ralph-hall-oldest-congressman-runoff/ author: Nolan Feeney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-28T11:53:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:04:34.434Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rep. Ralph Hall, Washington's Oldest Congressman, Loses Texas Runoff og:description: Ralph Hall was first elected in 1980 and was the only World War II veteran in Congress seeking reelection og:url: https://time.com/122688/ralph-hall-oldest-congressman-runoff/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f64e225975f08c7/6986910c55a8598090a80fae/ralph-hall.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Congressman Ralph Hall smiles during a tour of his home in Rockwall, Tx, May 27, 2014. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rep. Ralph Hall, Washington's Oldest Congressman, Loses Texas Runoff twitter:description: Ralph Hall was first elected in 1980 and was the only World War II veteran in Congress seeking reelection twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f64e225975f08c7/6986910c55a8598090a80fae/ralph-hall.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Washington's Oldest Congressman Loses Runoff Election > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney May 28, 2014 11:53 AM UTC  Congressman Ralph Hall smiles during a tour of his home in Rockwall, Texas, May 27, 2014. Congressman Ralph Hall smiles during a tour of his home in Rockwall, Texas, May 27, 2014. LM Otero—AP  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney May 28, 2014 11:53 AM UTC The oldest elected politician in Washington [lost a runoff election](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/oldest-ever-congressman-facing-tough-primary-test) in a Republican primary Tuesday night. Texas Rep. Ralph Hall, 91, was ousted by 48-year-old John Ratcliffe, who emphasized the importance of new leadership after Hall’s 34 years in office, the Associated Press report. Ratcliffe, a former U.S. attorney backed by several national conservative organizations, won the election in the Texas’ 4th Congressional District, which is in the northeastern region of the state, [CNN reports](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/27/oldest-member-of-congress-loses-in-texas-runoff/). No Democratic candidate is running in the district, which means Ratcliffe’s primary victory will send him to Washington. Hall won his first congressional seat during Jimmy Carter’s presidency in 1980\. He was a member of the Democratic Party until 2004, when he switched to the GOP. He is the only World War II veteran in Congress who was seeking re-election. During the party’s March primary, Hall claimed 45 percent of the vote while Ratcliffe finished second with 28 percent, leading to the run-off. Hall had said that his 18th term would have been his last, had he been elected. \[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/oldest-ever-congressman-facing-tough-primary-test)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/122688/ralph-hall-oldest-congressman-runoff/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/122688/ralph-hall-oldest-congressman-runoff/"},"headline":"Washington's Oldest Congressman Loses Runoff Election","datePublished":"2014-05-28T11:53:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:04:34.434Z","description":"Texas Rep. 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