Morgan Luttrell | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's8th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Brady |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Morgan Joe Luttrell (1975-11-07)November 7, 1975 (age 50) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Leslie |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Marcus (twin brother) |
| Education | Sam Houston State University (BS) University of Texas, Dallas (MS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 2000–2014 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | |
Morgan Joe Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is an American politician, businessman, and military veteran serving as theU.S. representative forTexas's 8th congressional district since 2023. He is a member of theRepublican Party.
Born inHouston in 1975, Morgan Joe Luttrell[1] has a twin brother,Marcus. He graduated fromWillis High School.[2] Luttrell earned aBachelor of Science degree inpsychology fromSam Houston State University in 2000 and aMaster of Science in applied cognitionneuroscience from theUniversity of Texas at Dallas in 2016.[3][4] He also has an executive certificate in professional leadership development fromHarvard Business School.[5]
Luttrell is an adjunct professor atSam Houston State University,[5] of which he is an alumnus.[2] He also teaches law enforcement leadership.[5]
In 2019, Luttrell founded Trexxler Energy Solutions.[6] He is also the founder of Stronos Industries, which provides recyclable andbiodegradable campaign signs.[7]
Luttrell served as aUnited States Navy SEAL. He volunteered and received orders forBasic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) atNaval Amphibious Base Coronado in 2001. After months of training, Luttrell graduated from BUD/S class 237. After BUD/S, he completed advanced training courses includingparachute training atBasic Airborne School, cold weathercombat training inKodiak, Alaska, and six months of SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) inCoronado, California. Luttrell received the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 as a Combatant Swimmer (SEAL), entitled to wear theSpecial Warfare Insignia. In 2007, he was commissioned as an Ensign after completingOfficer Candidate School and received the 1130 designator as a Naval Special Warfare Officer.[8][9] He served as a SEAL for 7 years until being medically retired in 2014 for a severetraumatic brain injury andspinal cord injury he sustained in a helicopter crash in 2009.[10][11] Luttrell travelled toRosarito, Mexico to obtainpsychedelic therapy (ibogaine and5-MeO-DMT) for his injuries, including "hyperaggression" in civilian life; he described the treatments as having "profound" results, with "it [being] like 20 years of therapy in three days."[12][13]
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From 2017 to 2019, Luttrell was a senior advisor to SecretaryRick Perry in theUnited States Department of Energy.[14] At the Energy Department, Luttrell worked to keep U.S. energy industry globally competitive through theArtificial Intelligence and Technologies Office.[15]
In 2021, Luttrell filed to run as a Republican forTexas's 8th congressional district in the2022 election to succeed retiring incumbentKevin Brady.[10]
During his campaign, Luttrell was supported by Rick Perry,[16] CongressmanDan Crenshaw (also a former Navy SEAL), House Minority LeaderKevin McCarthy, Texas Lieutenant GovernorDan Patrick,[17] theCongressional Leadership Fund,[18][19] and the American Patriots PAC, which was founded by McCarthy allies.[20] He garnered some name recognition from his brother Marcus, a veteran and the author of the memoirLone Survivor. In total, there were 11 candidates in the Republican primary,[21] but Luttrell and Christian Collins, a conservative activist, were identified as the primary contenders since they both received significant political endorsements.[22] Collins was supported by U.S. SenatorTed Cruz, the House Freedom action fund, and avid Trump supporters such asMarjorie Taylor Greene andMadison Cawthorn.[23][24]The Texas Tribune described the race as "a tense proxy war, with some of the best-known Republicans in Texas—and the country—split between two of the leading candidates."[24][25] Luttrell has expressed support for Trump,[26] but he did request and receive campaign funds from a political PAC run byAdam Kinzinger, a major critic of Trump.[27] Luttrell and Collins ran on similar issues—securing the border,gun rights, and restricting abortion[24]—but Collins attempted to portray himself as the more pro-Trump candidate, accusing Luttrell of "lining up with the establishment".[24][28]Donald Trump did not make an endorsement in the race.[28]
Luttrell won the Republican primary with 52.2% of the vote, avoiding a runoff with Collins, who placed second with 22%.[29][30] The Democratic nominee in the general election was Laura Jones, the former Democratic Party chair ofSan Jacinto County.[28] Luttrell joined a lawsuit with several other congressional Republican candidates to removeLibertarian Party candidates, who are often perceived as threatening to Republican chances in tight elections, from the ballot.[31]FiveThirtyEight rated Luttrell "very likely" to win the election.[32] He was endorsed by the editorial board of theHouston Chronicle.[33] On November 8, 2022, Luttrell defeated Jones in the general election by 68% to 31%.[34]
Luttrell was uncontested in the 2024 Republican primary, and he did again face Democratic nominee Laura Jones in the general election in which he was reelected.[35]
Luttrell assumed office on January 3, 2023[citation needed] and was officially[a] sworn in followingthe election ofKevin McCarthy asSpeaker of the House on January 7.[38] Along withJoaquin Castro andTroy Nehls, Luttrell was one of threetwins from Texas in the118th United States Congress.[39] Luttrell was assigned to theHouse Armed Services Committee, serving on theSubcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems and theSubcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations.[40][41]
Luttrell was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[42] He introduced an amendment, that was passed by the House, to a Department of Defense appropriations bill allocating $15 million to conduct clinical trials regarding the use ofpsychedelic therapy for veterans withtraumatic brain injuries.[12] In December 2023, Luttrell joined 13 of his colleagues in requesting an investigation into an attorney at theOffice of General Counsel for theU.S. Department of Veteran Affairs over their allegedantisemitic comments.[43]
On September 11, 2025, he announced that he was not going to run for reelection.[44]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Luttrell | 34,271 | 52.2 | |
| Republican | Christian Collins | 14,659 | 22.3 | |
| Republican | Jonathan Hullihan | 8,296 | 12.6 | |
| Republican | Dan McKaughan | 1,585 | 2.4 | |
| Republican | Jessica Wellington | 1,550 | 2.4 | |
| Republican | Candice Burrows | 1,519 | 2.3 | |
| Republican | Chuck Montgomery | 1,169 | 1.8 | |
| Republican | Michael Philips | 871 | 1.3 | |
| Republican | Jonathan Mitchell | 791 | 1.2 | |
| Republican | Betsy Bates | 712 | 1.1 | |
| Republican | Taylor Whichard | 295 | 0.5 | |
| Total votes | 65,718 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Luttrell | 152,797 | 68.09 | |
| Democratic | Laura Jones | 68,485 | 30.52 | |
| Libertarian | Roy Eriksen | 3,116 | 1.39 | |
| Total votes | 224,398 | 100 | ||
Luttrell and his wife Leslie have two sons. They live inMagnolia, Texas.[48]Pew Research identified Luttrell as aProtestant, and he has described himself as a "practicingChristian."[24][49]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 8th congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 335th | Succeeded by |