Congratulations belong to Sen. Robert Duncan, for being selected one of the best legislators in Texas, according to Texas Monthly magazine.

TM is usually considered the “gold standard” for measuring legislators’ effectiveness. Legislators like to boast when they make the “Best” list, while kissing off any significance to their place on the “Worst” list. That tells you something about TM’s standing in the political world.

Duncan’s sprawling district includes the eastern half of the Panhandle. So, even though he hangs his hat in Lubbock, the Republican lawmaker is one of ours, given that he has an office in Childress.

TM said this about Duncan: “He’s a walking, breathing argument against term limits. A member of the Legislature since 1996, Duncan brings his accumulated knowledge and wisdom to bear on a colossal agenda of real consequence.” The magazine praised his independence and his “low boiling point,” which TM said “served him — and the Senate — well when he presided over the contentious hearing on the voter ID bill, gently admonishing lawmakers when they began speaking past one another. Having spent so many years in the Senate, he has a stake in preserving the dignity of the institution.”

None of the other members of the Panhandle delegation drew even a nod in either direction from TM. Why, they weren’t even considered “furniture,” which describes the least consequential legislators. We can thank our lucky stars for that, I suppose.

Meanwhile, Bob Duncan continues to shine.