Texas GOP Speaker ends campaign but insists: 'It's a myth you have to be crazy to win a Republican primary'

Republican Speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus announced on Wednesday that he would not seek re-election.

Straus, who is known for blocking extreme GOP legislation like to a bill to ban transgender bathroom rights, said that he hoped to find other ways to serve the state.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Straus was asked how his decision not to run would impact "rational Republicans" seeking office.

"I think that rational Republicans will survive their primaries just as they always have," Straus opined. "It's a myth that you have to be crazy to win a Republican primary for the Texas House."

"A few don't win," he admitted. "But [most of them will] get re-elected."

Straus' remarks come just a day after Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) announced that he would not run for re-election. Flake was widely expected to lose to a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump.

Watch the video of Straus below.