Texas congressional races 2026: Who is running and what to know about key U.S. House seats

When legislative Republicans pursued a rare mid-decade redistricting in 2025, the goal was to change the composition of the Texas congressional delegation — which then stood at 25 Republicans and 13 Democrats — to be more GOP dominant.

Republicans significantly redrew five blue seats with the goal of making them winnable for their party. But the fast-moving politics of South Texas and falling approval rates for President Donald Trump among Texas Latinos — among other demographic blocs — have given Democrats a better chance than expected to blunt the GOP gerrymander.

All six of the districts highlighted in this voter guide have a majority-Hispanic population of eligible voters, or citizens who are old enough to vote. Four of them touch the U.S.-Mexico border. And four were redrawn with the explicit purpose of electing Republicans.

The stakes for these U.S. House races extend beyond Texas. Republicans’ continued control of the lower chamber, where they’re defending a wafer-thin majority, likely depends on the GOP both holding its existing seats in Texas and flipping the redrawn districts. 

For Democrats, thwarting GOP gains in Texas — or even picking some seats up themselves — would put the party in a strong position to flip the U.S. House, as well as indicating a significant shift in the Latino vote just two years after Trump reached a high-water mark with Latino voters.

Here’s a look at the main districts in play in the Lone Star State, including who is running and where they stand on key issues.

9th Congressional District

Texas’ 9th Congressional District was among the seats that got a makeover in the state’s mid-decade redistricting, shifting from one of Texas’ bluest districts to one that significantly favors Republicans. The redrawn 9th — anchored in east Harris County and the petrochemical corridor along the Houston Ship Channel — is majority Hispanic, and it covers almost entirely new ground, with fewer than 3% of its voters coming over from the old 9th District.

The change led to the ouster of Rep. Al Green, the longtime progressive Democratic incumbent, who ran instead in the nearby 18th District and lost the Democratic primary.

In the new 9th District, Republican Alex Mealer, an Army veteran and former Houston oil and gas investment banker who narrowly lost the 2022 race for Harris County judge, is the heavy favorite in November. She won the May runoff over state Rep. Briscoe Cain by nearly 40 points after President Donald Trump endorsed her.

She faces Democrat Leticia Gutierrez, an environmental advocate from Houston’s East End who won the six-way March primary with 54% of the vote. Gutierrez is running a shoestring, neighborhood-level campaign, raising about $55,000 to Mealer’s $2 million, and is hoping that deep local roots and anger over the district’s redrawing can bridge the gap to overcome Mealer’s financial and partisan advantages.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the seat “Likely Republican.”

• Population race/ethnicity: 62% Hispanic, 25% white, 10% Black, 2% Asian
• 2024 presidential results in district: Trump + 20
• Counties in district: Harris, Liberty
• Cities in district: Houston (including the East End), Pasadena, Baytown, Deer Park, La Porte, Cleveland, among others

Campaign site

Alex Mealer

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $2.1 million
• Total spent: $1.7 million
• Cash on hand: $362,000

💰 Notable donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• More than $4.8 million in support from outside groups, nearly all during the primary
• Club for Growth Action, a super PAC: $1.1 million
• Veterans Duty Fund, a super PAC: $750,000
• Defending Our Values PAC, a super PAC: $636,000
• Win It Back PAC, a super pac: $616,000

Experience:

• Former U.S. Army captain
• West Point and Harvard MBA/JD graduate
• 2022 Republican nominee for Harris County judge
• Former public safety chair for Harris County METRO

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer
• U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville
• National Border Patrol Council and the Texas Municipal Police Association
• Briscoe Cain, Mealer’s primary opponent

Policy stances:

• Protect the Houston Ship Channel and Port Houston
• Strengthen border security and back law enforcement
• Secure federal funding for Lake Houston-area flood mitigation
• Ensure the U.S., “not China,” sets the rules for artificial intelligence
• Authoring election integrity legislation

In the news:

• After the Houston ICE shooting, Sylvia Garcia demanded answers. Alex Mealer urges patience.
• Texas could send a record four GOP women to Congress — if they make it through November
• Alex Mealer wins GOP nomination for new Houston congressional district, defeating state Rep. Briscoe Cain

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

Alex Mealer for Congress

P.O. Box 1007

Pasadena, TX 77501

Campaign site

Leticia Gutierrez

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $55,000
• Total spent: $37,000
• Cash on hand: $19,000

💰Notable donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• Funded almost entirely by small individual donations through ActBlue
• Attorney and former Texas state representative Domingo Garcia: $3,500

— Samanta Habashy

15th Congressional District

Texas’ 15th Congressional District was very Trump-friendly before last summer’s redistricting, and it remains so under the new map. The former president won the Rio Grande Valley-based seat by 18 points in both the former and current iteration of the district.

But much of the district, represented by Edinburg Republican Monica De La Cruz since 2023, is new territory for the former insurance agent. Still anchored in Hidalgo County, the district has taken on the southeastern portion of the county, trading in parts of McAllen for cities like Donna and Weslaco.

And instead of running up to Floresville and Seguin, the district now incorporates parts of the Coastal Bend, including Beeville, and stretches to rural areas between San Antonio and Houston. 

De La Cruz is running against Tejano musician Bobby Pulido, a moderate Democrat and Latin Grammy Award winner. Despite the heavily pro-Trump result in 2024, Democrats believe a combination of their candidate’s star power and crossover appeal, and an expected leftward shift by Latino voters, makes the seat flippable.

Campaign site

Monica De La Cruz

Republican, incumbent

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $5.27 million
• Total spent: $3.42 million
• Cash on hand: $2.46 million

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Congressional Leadership Fund
• Choose Freedom Inc.
• American Action Network
• Americans for Prosperity

Experience:

• U.S. Congresswoman since 2023
• Former insurance agent
• Owned an insurance agency

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• Speaker of the House Mike Johnson

Policy stances:

• Complete infrastructure along the southern border and reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy for migrants
• Support oil and natural gas jobs, cut regulations that increase the cost of energy and support the safe use of nuclear energy
• Protect Medicare and Social Security

In the news:

• With costs up, healthcare a defining issue in South Texas’ battleground House races
• After Monica De La Cruz helps migrant teen in ICE custody, Texas man seeks similar aid for fiancee
• Texas GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz joins Democrats in vote to pass three-year ACA subsidy extension

How to contact or learn more:

877-469-1210

[email protected]

Monica De La Cruz for Congress

P.O. Box 4603

McAllen, TX 78502

Campaign site

Bobby Pulido

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $ 2.96 million
• Total spent: $1.8 million
• Cash on hand: $1.16 million

💰 Major donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• House Majority PAC
• Unrig Our Economy

Experience:

• Tejano musician and actor

Endorsements:

• Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico
• Blue Dog PAC
• Latino Victory Fund

Policy stances:

• Take on corporations that have raised prices and cut red tape for small businesses
• Secure the border through attacking the drug trade and expanding vetting hubs in Central America, while creating a reasonable path to legalization for people who want to contribute to the U.S.
• Hold Mexico accountable for water treaty obligations

In the news:

• South Texas Republican builders warn of voter backlash in November if aggressive ICE tactics continue
• As Democrats eye South Texas upset, Bobby Pulido faces scrutiny over ex-bandmate’s child sex offense
• In South Texas, quinceanera dig becomes campaign fuel for Tejano musician Bobby Pulido

How to contact or learn more:

Bobby Pulido for Texas

PO Box 1604, Edinburg, TX 78540

[email protected]

— Gabby Birenbaum

23rd Congressional District

With the tumultuous fall from grace of former Rep. Tony Gonzales, Texas’ 23rd Congressional District became the state’s sole vacant seat. Now, a tight race is in store between a Democratic hopeful and Gonzales’ two-time primary challenger. 

Gonzales resigned from the U.S. House in April after revealing he had an affair with an aide who later died by suicide. But public outcry over the tragic saga wasn’t the only thing threatening an end to his five-year congressional career. Gun rights activist and YouTuber Brandon Herrera came just 400 votes shy of ousting Gonzales in the 2024 primary runoff. This year, he finished ahead of the incumbent in the March Republican primary by less than 1,000 votes, and Gonzales dropped his reelection bid days later before the runoff could take place. 

But Democrats hope the nomination of Herrera, a candidate much further to the right with controversies of his own, like edgy jokes about the Holocaust and derogatory comments about women, will come back to bite the GOP.

This November, Herrera will face San Antonio attorney and former teacher Katy Padilla Stout, a first-time candidate who triumphed in the Democratic primary with a majority of votes against three contenders. The district voted for President Donald Trump by a 15-point margin in 2024, and it was largely unchanged by the state’s redistricting the following year. Democrats have set their sights on flipping the seat in lieu of Herrera’s history and Hispanic voters’ apparent leftward shift since Trump began his second term. 

Polls show Herrera just two points ahead of Padilla Stout. The two candidates will offer District 23 Texans the choice between two starkly different platforms, diverging especially on gun control, immigration and abortion rights.

Population race/ethnicity: 60% Hispanic, 30.5% white, 6% Black, 4% Asian

2024 presidential results in district: Trump +15 (56.8% Trump, 42.0% Harris)

Counties in district: Bexar, Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Edwards, El Paso, Frio, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Loving, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Ward, Winkler, Zavala

Cities in district: San Antonio, El Paso, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Horizon City, Uvalde, Pecos, among others

Campaign site

Brandon Herrera

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $1.96 million
• Total spent: $1.64 million
• Cash on hand: $309,000

💰 Major donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• Herrera loaned his own committee $420,000
• No Going Back PAC, Trump-affiliated super PAC that registered with the FEC Sept. 1 – $46,000
• Freedom Caucus Fund, a hybrid PAC – $39,724 (in outside spending, separate $5,000 individual contribution also made)
• Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz – $19,000

Experience:

• Runs a YouTube channel about guns, internet memes and politics
• Owns a small arms manufacturing company near San Antonio
• Worked with President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer. Also Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Pat Harrigan, Eli Crane, Lauren Boebert, Mary Miller and Chip Roy
• Texas State Reps. Brooks Landgraf, Brent Money, Mitch Little, Matt Morgan, Valoree Swanson, Carrie Isaac, Keresa Richardson, Ben Bumgarner, Helen Kerwin, Joanne Shofner, Wes Virdell
• The Freedom Caucus Fund, Gun Owners of America, Texas College Republicans

Policy stances:

• Strengthen border security by opposing spending bills that reduce funding for Border Patrol and immigration enforcement. Would seek to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy and limit asylum opportunities
• Cut taxes, spending and regulation. Herrera signed on to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, created by the group Americans for Tax Reform during the Ronald Reagan administration with the former president’s support in 1985
• Defend gun rights, especially national concealed carry reciprocity, which is the policy of recognizing individuals’ permits from other states. Would oppose new firearms restrictions and red flag laws that allow a judge to order the temporary removal of firearms from individuals deemed dangerous
• Protect unborn life by opposing government funding for abortion access. Upon being sworn in, would sponsor a bill requiring medical practitioners to provide life-saving care to babies who survived abortion attempts
• Enact term limits. Plans to co-sponsor a constitutional amendment limiting members of the House to three terms and members of the Senate to two
• Protect homeschooling rights and distribute funding to students at parochial and private, as well as public schools
• Oppose spending on foreign wars. Would vote to return troops from Syria, Iraq and other places where the U.S. is militarily involved
• Protect Social Security and Medicare by opposing cuts and supporting the expansion of investment options for younger workers

In the news:

• Brandon Herrera gets Trump endorsement for 23rd Congressional District
• U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales forced into runoff by Brandon Herrera amid affair scandal
• Gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera to challenge U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales again in GOP primary

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

Brandon Herrera for Congress

11844 Bandera Road

Box 499

Helotes, TX 78023

Campaign site

Katy Padilla Stout

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $485,000
• Total spent: $314,000 
• Cash on hand: $171,400

💰 Major donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• American Bridge 21st Century, also known as AB PAC – $268,000 against Herrera
• Emily’s List, a PAC supporting pro-choice, Democratic women – $16,000
• Fair Shot PAC, affiliated with House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Massachusetts – $9,500
• Rory Gates, prolific political donor and middle child of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates

Experience:

• Former teacher who taught elementary school students at Northside ISD
• Became an attorney and built a practice focused on child welfare and education law. Currently works at her family firm in Carrizo Springs
• Member since 2017 of the Bexar County Child Welfare Board, which aims to strengthen protections for vulnerable children

Endorsements:

• Texas U.S. Reps. Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro, and former Reps. Beto O’Rourke and Sylvestre Reyes
• Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. secretary of transportation under President Joe Biden
• Texas State Teachers Association and Texas American Federation of Teachers
• Texas AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union Texas

Policy stances:

• Oppose building the Big Bend border wall to preserve the natural beauty of the region and demand transparency from the Department of Homeland Security
• Reduce cost of living by implementing a tax code that empowers the middle class, reduces poverty and doesn’t cut taxes on billionaires
• Expand Medicare to all Americans, strengthen the Affordable Care Act and invest in federal community health centers to improve access for rural and urban families
• Create universal pre-Kindergarten education and support families by raising the minimum wage and requiring paid parental leave
• Fight climate change by rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and centering policies on established climate science
• Restore and expand the Voting Rights Act and create measures to promote voter registration and accessibility. Encourage regulation on voter intimidation and last-minute changes to voting procedures
• Provide reasonable pathways to citizenship and establish humane and fair vetting practices for immigrants
• Curb gun violence by establishing universal background checks, banning bump stocks and implementing red flag laws
• Protect reproductive rights and limit government intervention in women’s health and medical procedures

In the news:

• National Democrats add former GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales’ district to Texas congressional target list
• Pete Buttigieg endorses Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in race to fill former Rep. Tony Gonzales’ seat
• National gun safety group dives into San Antonio’s gun-centric congressional race

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

Katy Padilla Stout for Congress

24165 IH-10 West

Ste. 217-509

San Antonio, TX 78257

— Will Hammann

28th Congressional District

Democrat Henry Cuellar has represented the 28th Congressional District, anchored in his hometown of Laredo, for over 20 years, from its days as a blue stronghold where Republicans sometimes failed to field a candidate to its recent conversion to a swing seat that both Donald Trump and Cuellar won in 2024.

Such are the politics at the southern border, where political coalitions are changing quickly and voters’ politics remain fluid. Cuellar held on to his seat in 2024, winning the district by a 6-point margin even as Trump carried it by 7 percentage points. But Republicans redrew it to incorporate more of the McAllen area and drop the San Antonio area, which brought in more Trump voters — but, Cuellar says, also slightly increased the percentage of voters who cast a ballot for a House Democrat in 2024.

Cuellar has worked this territory for decades, and believes his style of retail politics and Trump’s falling approval rating among Latino voters will keep the district in Democratic hands. But Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, a former Democrat who switched parties after the 2024 election, believes voters in all parties are ready for change, especially given Cuellar’s 2024 federal indictment for bribery and money laundering. Cuellar has denied the allegations against him, and his legal case was resolved when Trump granted him a pardon last year. 

The election pits two longtime elected officials — well known to people in Webb County — with lengthy records against one another in a district Republicans are eager to flip.

Population race/ethnicity: 91% Hispanic, 7% white, 1% Black, 1% Asian

2024 presidential results in district: Trump +10 (Trump 54.8%, Harris 44.4%)

Counties in district: Atascosa, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Starr, Webb, Zapata

Cities in district: Laredo, Mission, McAllen, Pharr, Palmview, Rio Grande City, Roma, among others

Campaign site

Henry Cuellar

Democrat, incumbent

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $2.23 million
• Total spent: $1.15 million
• Cash on hand: $1.13 million

💰 Major donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• House Majority PAC
• Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC

Experience:

• U.S. congressman since 2005
• Former Texas secretary of state and Texas state representative

Endorsements:

• Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
• LUPE Votes (“Endorsed with conditions”)

Policy stances:

• Issue direct refund payments to individuals to offset tariff-induced inflation and tax burden
• Secure the border and deport violent criminals without spending billions on detention facilities and detaining children and longtime residents with families
• Eliminate provisions and loopholes that reduce individuals’ Social Security benefits

In the news:

• Cuellar and Tijerina spar over who delivers for a South Texas district redrawn to favor the GOP
• Cuellar and progressives form tenuous alliance amid Trump’s immigration crackdown
• After Trump pardon, Rep. Henry Cuellar restored to homeland security funding post

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

P.O. Box 6147

Laredo, TX 78042

Campaign site

Tano Tijerina

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $1.28 million
• Total spent: $510,000
• Cash on hand: $765,000

💰 MajNational Republican Congressional Committee

Congressional Leadership Fund

American Action Networkor donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• National Republican Congressional Committee
• Congressional Leadership Fund
• American Action Network

Experience:

• Webb County judge (county executive) since 2015

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• House Speaker Mike Johnson
• Sen. Ted Cruz
• Gov. Greg Abbott

Policy stances:

• Securing the border by stopping illegal crossings and supporting law enforcement, while pursuing bipartisan immigration reform
• Lower taxes for families and small businesses and cut regulations
• Position South Texas as a leader for AI and technology while protecting water, land and rural communities

In the news:

• Cuellar and Tijerina spar over who delivers for a South Texas district redrawn to favor the GOP
• Flores, Tijerina go hard on border politics at convention
• Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina launches run for Congress, seeking to flip South Texas district red

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

P.O. Box 450170

Laredo, TX 78045

— Gabby Birenbaum

34th Congressional District

The GOP is again eyeing the seat of Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, this time after Republicans redrew his district to be more GOP-friendly. South Texas lawyer Eric Flores has his party’s full support to take it.

The district has been highly contested since the resignation of former Rep. Filemon Vela in March 2022. After the seat was briefly flipped in a special election that summer, Gonzalez won it back in November and narrowly held on the following cycle. He’ll have to work harder yet this year, as the 2025 redistricting dyed Texas’ 34th Congressional District redder by trading Democratic-leaning areas near McAllen for Republican turf around Corpus Christi.

In the Democratic primary, Gonzalez stood firm against a democratic socialist challenger in Etienne Rosas, besting him by 25 points. Gonzalez, who served three terms out of the 15th District before switching to the 34th, has established himself as a staunch moderate, and explicitly distanced himself from democratic socialists who’ve made notable electoral gains in congressional primaries this cycle, especially in New York. 

Eric Flores, formerly an assistant U.S. attorney in the region, came out strong in his first election with a landslide win in the GOP primary against Gonzalez’s rival from the last two cycles, former Rep. Mayra Flores (no relation), who briefly held office after winning the 2022 special election. Republicans see favorable odds for Eric Flores heading into November against Gonzalez in a district that, based on its new borders, voted for President Donald Trump by 10 points in 2024. 

Flores also has the full support of his party. He’s endorsed by Trump, top GOP House leaders like Speaker Mike Johnson, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The two South Texas candidates have proven to be robust fundraisers in what is expected to be a tight race.

Population race/ethnicity: 77% Hispanic, 19% White, 2.5% Black, 2% Asian

2024 presidential results in district: Trump +10 (54.6% Trump, 44.5% Harris)

Counties in district: Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, Wallacy, Nueces

Cities in district: Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Harlingen, San Benito, Kingsville, among others

Campaign site

Vicente Gonzalez

Democrat, incumbent

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $3.8 million
• Total spent: $2.34 million ($925,000 of which was used to repay himself for loans to his previous campaigns)
• Cash on hand: $2.53 million

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC — $55,850 against Flores
• Billionaire financiers Steve Mandel, Joshua Bekenstein and Louis Bacon
• Roger Altman, former United States deputy secretary of the treasury

Experience:

• Earned his GED after dropping out of high school, and went on to eventually receive his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law
• Served as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C., while in law school
• Founded his own law firm where he carries out litigation against corporate abuse

Endorsements:

• Former Rep. Filemon Vela
• LUPE Votes (“Endorsed with conditions”)
• Texas AFL-CIO 
• Texas AFT, the National Education Association
• Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND

Policy stances:

• Safeguard senior benefits and programs providing financial security and healthcare access 
• Defend women’s rights by improving workplace protections, healthcare access and equal opportunity initiatives
• Invest in education by supporting educators and expanding access to resources for students
• Protect veterans’ access to benefits, healthcare and other resources
• Strengthen rural and urban access to healthcare, including prevention, mental health services and long-term care
• Spur job growth by investing in growing industries, protecting local businesses and supporting workforce development initiatives

In the news:

• This South Texas Democrat won big in the primary. But November is going to be a lot tougher.
• “Somebody needs to get fired”: Vicente Gonzalez blasts Dem strategy on abortion, trans issues
• Vicente Gonzalez defeats Mayra Flores to hold onto South Texas congressional district

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

Vicente Gonzalez for Congress

PO Box 6270

Brownsville, TX 78523

Campaign site

Eric Flores

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $2.75 million
• Total spent: $2.07 million
• Cash on hand: $683,000

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Flores loaned $576,500 to his campaign
• No Going Back PAC, Trump-affiliated super PAC that registered with the FEC Sept. 1 – $273,785 against Gonzalez
• Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC – $273,785 against Gonzalez
• Americans for Prosperity Action – $276,308 for Flores, $53,362 against Gonzalez
• Billionaire and prolific GOP donor Paul Singer

Experience:

• Former Texas Army National Guard infantry captain who took part in logistical operations supporting border patrol
• Served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, McAllen Criminal Division
• Currently a partner of a statewide law firm leading litigation for Texas municipalities and school districts

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• Gov. Greg Abbott
• Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both R-Louisiana, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota
• U.S. Reps. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, and Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie

Policy stances:

• Support energy, agriculture and shipping developments in South Texas and the Coastal Bend by opposing federal regulations that slow projects and by drawing federal funds to the region
• Lower the cost of living. Would limit federal spending to curb inflation and support affordable housing development
• Improve infrastructure by securing federal funding for roads, bridges, ports and broadband in rural communities
• Defend water resources by seeking federal investments in South Texas water infrastructure and pushing for long-term regional water planning
• Advocate for veterans by reducing Veterans’ Affairs wait times, expanding access to medical and mental healthcare and supporting funding for veterans’ benefits and disability claims
• Safeguard seniors’ benefits. Would oppose taxing or cutting benefits and would support expanding access to prescription drugs and protections against financial exploitation
• Protect South Texas farmers and ranchers. Would push for crop insurance and disaster relief and oppose trade policy that hurts agricultural markets
• Invest in small businesses by seeking tax relief, cutting regulation and supporting workforce development

In the news:

• Flores vs. Flores: GOP primary for South Texas congressional seat hinges on who can beat the Democrats
• Eric Flores trounces Mayra Flores in District 34 Republican primary
• GOP Army veteran announces challenge to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in South Texas congressional district

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

Eric Flores for Congress

PO Box 84

San Benito, TX 78586

— Will Hammann

35th Congressional District

When Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map last year to carve out more seats for the GOP, they turned the San Antonio-based 35th Congressional District from a safe Democratic seat, which U.S. Rep. Greg Casar currently represents, into one Trump would have carried by 10 points in 2024. Democrats have decided to fight for it anyway, with hopes to turn the House blue, making the new 35th one of the most closely watched midterm races in the state this fall.

With no incumbent on the scene — Casar is running in the 37th District — the race will yield a new voice in the Texas delegation. Republican Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran, San Antonio gym owner and brother of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, faces Democrat Johnny Garcia, a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy and self-described old-school moderate. De La Cruz won his May runoff over state Rep. John Lujan by 15 points after Trump endorsed him; Garcia, backed by the Blue Dog Coalition, cruised past educator Maureen Galindo by nearly a 28-point margin.

The race, which the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates as “Lean Republican,” is a bellwether for the durability of Trump’s 2024 gains with Hispanic voters — who make up a majority of the district — in a midterm without him on the ballot. Leaders from both parties are watching intently from Washington: National Democrats are bullish on Garcia, while House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned for De La Cruz in the district in late August and called the seat “the whole enchilada.”

Population race/ethnicity: 57% Hispanic, 31% white, 9% Black, 3% Asian

2024 presidential results in district: Trump +10 (Trump 54.6%, Harris 44.2%)

Counties in district: Bexar, Guadalupe, Karnes, Wilson

Cities in district: San Antonio, Cibolo, Converse, New Braunfels, Schertz, Seguin, Universal City, among others

Campaign site

Carlos De La Cruz

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $1.05 million
• Total spent: $776,000
• Cash on hand: $272,000

💰 Notable donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• Defending Our Values PAC, a super PAC: 1.5 million
• Defend American Jobs, a super PAC: $572,000
• Strong PAC, funded by Club for Growth Action: $486,000
• Ross Perot Jr.
• Roger Penske

Experience:

• Served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and conducted drug-interdiction/counter-narcotics operations against cartels at the Texas-Mexico border
• Operates a San Antonio kickboxing gym with his wife

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Whip Tom Emmer
• Sister and U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, along with other GOP members from Texas: Lance Gooden, Michael McCaul, Brandon Gill, August Pfluger
• National Border Patrol Council

Policy stances:

• Secure the border by giving Border Patrol “the tools, manpower, and support they deserve,” while at the same time welcoming legal immigration
• Ban members of Congress from trading stocks while they legislate
• Protect Social Security and Medicare for seniors by opposing wasteful spending cuts to the programs
• Expand U.S. energy production by rolling back “radical green regulations” to boost oil and gas output, framing it as a path to lower prices, energy independence and job growth
• Support agriculture workers by pressing Mexico to meet water-treaty obligations to agricultural communities and cutting regulations he says let foreign competitors undercut U.S. producers
• Use Texas energy to power AI growth by tapping into Texas’s oil, gas and power production

In the news:

• Democrat Johnny Garcia to face Republican Carlos De La Cruz for redrawn Texas district
• San Antonio Democrat outraises Trump-backed opponent in red-leaning district
• ​​Republican Carlos De La Cruz announces run for redrawn 35th Congressional District

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

Carlos De La Cruz for Congress

Attn: Legal Counsel

P.O. Box 2072

Universal City, TX 78148

Campaign site

Johnny Garcia

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $932,000
• Total spent: $609,000
• Cash on hand: $323,000

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Project 218, a super PAC affiliated with the progressive American Bridge 21st Century: $1.4 million
• BDA PAC, a super PAC aligned with the moderate Blue Dog Coalition: $775,000 supporting Garcia and $475,000 opposing primary foe Galindo
• SD 2026, the super PAC behind Save Democracy 2026: $270,000 supporting Garcia, $210,000 opposing Galindo
• Longtime Texas state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo
• Texas personal injury attorney Adam Loewy

Experience:

• Bexar County Sheriff’s Office public information officer
• Nearly two decades at BCSO, with positions including jail guard, patrol deputy and hostage negotiator on the SWAT crisis negotiation team
• Led the Inmate Worker Program, a second-chance initiative for rehabilitation, as a corrections officer

Endorsements:

• Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
• U.S. Reps. Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett
• Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico
• Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg

Policy stances:

• Lower costs by ending the “Trump tariffs,” which he ties to grocery and gas prices and says are threatening San Antonio manufacturing jobs at Toyota and other plants
• Strengthen the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid in Texas
• Expand apprenticeships and workforce training that “pay while you learn” for skilled trades, nursing and manufacturing
• Boost local law enforcement funding, drug treatment and mental health resources, and support gun violence prevention legislation
• Ban congressional stock trading

In the news:

• Outside spending blitz defined the close of Texas’ District 35 Democratic runoff
• How Johnny Garcia rose from sheriff’s deputy to a high-profile congressional candidate
• ‘The whole enchilada’: House Speaker Mike Johnson says all eyes are on San Antonio’s new congressional district

How to contact or learn more:

[email protected]

P.O. Box 14117

San Antonio, TX 78214

— Samanta Habashy

Disclosure: Adam Loewy, Domingo Garcia, Shelby & Brooks Landgraf, Texas AFT and Texas State Teachers Association have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.