Chris Bell (Texas)

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Chris Bell

Democratic Party

Candidate, Governor of Texas

Prior offices:

U.S. House Texas District 25

Successor: Lloyd Doggett

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Next election

March 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas, Austin

Law

South Texas College of Law

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Personal LinkedIn

Chris Bell (Democratic Party) is running for election for Governor of Texas. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.^[source]

Bell was a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas' 25th Congressional District.

Biography

Bell was born in Abilene, Texas, and grew up in Dallas. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law. While attending law school, Bell worked as a journalist and tv and radio reporter. His professional experience includes working as an attorney in private firms. He became a partner at Berg Feldman Johnson Bell, LLP in 2014.

Bell's political experience includes serving on the Houston City Council, following his election in 1997. He was elected to Congress in 2002 and served one term. He ran for Governor of Texas in 2006, winning the Democratic primary and losing the general election to Governor Rick Perry.

Elections

2026

See also: Texas gubernatorial election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for Governor of Texas

Jenn Mack Raphoon (Independent) is running in the general election for Governor of Texas on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Jenn Mack Raphoon (Independent)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Governor of Texas

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Texas on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Patricia Abrego
		Chris Bell
		Bobby Cole
	Submit photo	Carlton Hart
		Gina Hinojosa
	Submit photo	Jose Navarro Balbuena
	Submit photo	Faizan Syed
		Meagan Tehseldar
		Zach Vance
		Angela Villescaz
		Andrew White

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Nick Pappas (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for Governor of Texas

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for Governor of Texas on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Greg Abbott
	Submit photo	R.F. Achgill
		Evelyn Brooks
		Pete Chambers
	Submit photo	Charles Crouch
	Submit photo	Arturo Espinosa
		Mark Goloby
		Kenneth Hyde
		Stephen Samuelson
		Ronnie Tullos
	Submit photo	Nathaniel Welch

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2020

See also: United States Senate election in Texas, 2020

United States Senate election in Texas, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

United States Senate election in Texas, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Texas

Incumbent John Cornyn defeated Mary Jennings Hegar, Kerry McKennon, David B. Collins, and Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Cornyn (R)	53.5	5,962,983
		Mary Jennings Hegar (D)	43.9	4,888,764
		Kerry McKennon (L)	1.9	209,722
		David B. Collins (G)	0.7	81,893
		Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	678

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,144,040
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Arjun Srinivasan (Independent)
• Cedric Jefferson (People Over Politics Party)
• James Brumley (The Human Rights Party)
• Tim Smith (Independent)

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas

Mary Jennings Hegar defeated Royce West in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Jennings Hegar	52.2	502,516
		Royce West	47.8	459,457

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 961,973 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Jennings Hegar	22.3	417,160
✔		Royce West	14.7	274,074
		Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez	13.2	246,659
		Annie Garcia	10.3	191,900
		Amanda Edwards	10.1	189,624
		Chris Bell	8.5	159,751
		Sema Hernandez	7.4	137,892
		Michael Cooper	4.9	92,463
		Victor Harris	3.2	59,710
		Adrian Ocegueda	2.2	41,566
		Jack Daniel Foster Jr.	1.7	31,718
		D.R. Hunter	1.4	26,902

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,869,419
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Love III (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas

Incumbent John Cornyn defeated Dwayne Stovall, Mark Yancey, John Castro, and Virgil Bierschwale in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Cornyn	76.0	1,470,669
		Dwayne Stovall	11.9	231,104
		Mark Yancey	6.5	124,864
		John Castro	4.5	86,916
		Virgil Bierschwale	1.1	20,494

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,934,047
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Green convention

Green convention for U.S. Senate Texas

David B. Collins advanced from the Green convention for U.S. Senate Texas on April 18, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		David B. Collins (G)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas

Kerry McKennon advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas on August 3, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Kerry McKennon (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Wes Benedict (L)
• Rhett Rosenquest Smith (L)

2015

See also: Houston, Texas municipal elections, 2015

The city of Houston, Texas, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 24, 2015. In the mayoral race, the candidates were former Congressman Chris Bell, Houston Councilman Stephen C. Costello, Joe Ferreira, Adrian Garcia, Ben Hall, Bill King, Victoria Lane, Marty McVey, Rafael Muñoz Jr., Nguyen Thai Hoc, Demetria Smith, Dale Steffes and Representative Sylvester Turner. Sylvester Turner and Bill King advanced from the general.

Sylvester Turner defeated Bill King in the runoff election.

Mayor of Houston, Runoff election, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sylvester Turner	50.2%	104,639
Bill King	49.8%	103,961
Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting)		208,600
Source: Harris County, Texas, "Runoff Election Results," December 12, 2015

Mayor of Houston, General election, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sylvester Turner	31.3%	81,735
Bill King	25.3%	65,968
Adrian Garcia	17.1%	44,758
Ben Hall	9.5%	24,805
Chris Bell	7.4%	19,345
Stephen C. Costello	6.7%	17,546
Nguyen Thai Hoc	0.9%	2,325
Marty McVey	0.5%	1,378
Demetria Smith	0.5%	1,234
Victoria Lane	0.3%	908
Rafael Muñoz Jr.	0.2%	515
Dale Steffes	0.1%	302
Joe Ferreira	0.1%	240
Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting)		261,059
Source: Harris County Texas, "Official general election results," accessed November 16, 2015

2006

Bell ran for governor of Texas in 2006. He was defeated in the general election by incumbent Rick Perry (R).

Governor of Texas, General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Rick Perry Incumbent	39%	1,716,792
	Democratic	Chris Bell	29.8%	1,310,337
	Independent	Carole Strayhorn	18.1%	796,851
	Independent	Richard Friedman	12.4%	547,674
	Libertarian	James Werner	0.6%	26,749
	Write-in	James Dillon	0%	713
Total Votes				4,399,116

Governor of Texas, Democratic Primary, 2006
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Chris Bell	63.9%	324,869
Bob Gammage	28.5%	145,081
Rashad Jafer	7.6%	38,652
Total Votes		508,602

2004

Bell ran for re-election to the U.S. House in 2004. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by Al Green.

U.S. House, Texas District 9 Democratic Primary, 2004
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Al Green	66.5%	18,034
Chris Bell Incumbent	31.3%	8,492
Beverly Spencer	2.2%	607
Total Votes		27,133

2002

On November 5, 2002, Chris Bell won election to the United States House. He defeated Tom Reiser (R), George Reiter (G) and Guy McLendon (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Texas District 25 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Chris Bell	54.8%	63,590
	Republican	Tom Reiser	43.1%	50,041
	Green	George Reiter	1.2%	1,399
	Libertarian	Guy McLendon	0.9%	1,096
Total Votes				116,126

Bell advanced past the Democratic primary with 36.1% of the vote. He defeated Carroll Robinson in the primary runoff with 54.3% of the vote.

2001

Bell ran for mayor of Houston in 2001. He was defeated in the general election on November 6, 2001. Lee Brown won the race in a general election runoff.

Mayor of Houston, General Election, 2001
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Lee Brown	42.5%	120,108
	Nonpartisan	Orlando Sanchez	40.9%	115,526
	Nonpartisan	Chris Bell	16.1%	45,575
	Nonpartisan	Luis Ullrich Jr.	0.2%	570
	Nonpartisan	Larry DeVoy	0.2%	484
	Nonpartisan	Anthony Dutrow	0.1%	233
Total Votes				282,496

1999

In 1999, Bell won re-election to the position 4 seat on the Houston City Council.

1997

In 1997, Bell won election to the position 4 seat on the Houston City Council. The general election was held on November 4, 1997, and the general election runoff took place on December 6, 1997.

Houston City Council, At-Large Position 4 General Election Runoff, 1997
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Chris Bell	63.1%	154,039
	Nonpartisan	Richard Johnson	36.9%	90,128
Total Votes				244,167

Houston City Council, At-Large Position 4 General Election, 1997
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Chris Bell	49%	109,973
	Nonpartisan	Richard Johnson	29.3%	65,717
	Nonpartisan	Bill Wiener	21.8%	48,940
Total Votes				224,630

1995

Bell was a candidate for Houston City Council in 1995.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Chris Bell has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Chris Bell, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 24,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

Help improve Ballotpedia - send us candidate contact info.

2020

Chris Bell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2015

Bell's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Streets and transportation

• Excerpt: "We need to take a modern approach to fixing our infrastructure. That's why I'll create a new Streets and Traffic Management department to cut the bureaucracy at City Hall and make fixing our streets and sidewalks a real priority. We need a new, efficient system using new technology in innovative ways to synchronize our lights, fix our streets and share information with all Houstonians."

Public safety

• Excerpt: "I'm committed to using the most advanced techniques to keep our citizens safe. Everything from computerized tracking of crime, to body cameras on police, and CCTV in high crime areas. Technology can be our biggest weapon."

Education

• Excerpt: "We need an innovative approach, and one possibility is to put the unused space in our public libraries to work hosting pre-kindergarten programs. Pre-K for all children who want it is not just a political bandwagon. It can be the key toward a child's long-term success in the classroom."

Mobility

• Excerpt: "In addition to the light rail, I will work with METRO to consider the feasibility of a new modern system, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) for areas not covered by rail."
• Excerpt: "BRT uses state of the art electric buses that run on dedicated lanes, and BRT systems are considerably less expensive than light rail and have the added advantage of being able to be built in a fraction of the time. BRT is working well in Cleveland, Las Vegas, and many cities around the world. Federal money may be available, and I will work with my former colleagues in Congress to make it happen."

Finances and city pensions

• Excerpt: "Advances in technology, especially as they are used in financial management, can make government more efficient and as cost-effective as possible."
• Excerpt: "My administration will conduct audits throughout the city in every department to reduce costs and create a new, modern government. If government is closer to you, with more interaction through technology, we create efficiencies and improve accountability. I recognize our pension challenges will not be solved overnight, but I'll bring all parties to the table and work toward a system based on the fiscal realities we face."

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Chris Bell campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2020	U.S. Senate Texas	Lost primary	$399,245	$396,923
Grand total			$399,245	$396,923
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bell and his wife, Alison Ayres Bell, have two sons. The family lives in the Meyerland neighborhood and attends Christ Church Cathedral Episcopal Church.

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Governor of Texas

Website

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

2026 state executive official elections

Governor

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • U.S. Virgin Islands • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Lieutenant Governor

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • New York • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • U.S. Virgin Islands • Vermont • Wisconsin

Attorney General

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • New York • North Dakota • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Vermont • Wisconsin

Secretary of State

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • North Dakota • Ohio • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Treasurer

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Massachusetts • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • Ohio • Oklahoma • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Auditor

Alabama • Arkansas • Delaware • Iowa • Massachusetts • Minnesota • Missouri • Nebraska • New Mexico • Ohio • Oklahoma • South Dakota • Vermont • Wyoming

Comptroller

California • Connecticut • Idaho • Illinois • Maryland • Nevada • New York • South Carolina • Texas

Education officials

Alabama (board of education) • Arizona (superintendent) • California (superintendent) • Colorado (board of education) • Colorado (board of regent) • District of Columbia (board of education) • Georgia (superintendent) • Guam (education board) • Idaho (superintendent) • Kansas (board of education) • Michigan (board of education) • Michigan (board of regent) • Michigan (board of trustees) • Michigan (board of governors) • Nebraska (board of education) • Nebraska (board of regents) • Nevada (board of regents) • New Mexico (board of education) • North Dakota (superintendent) • Northern Mariana Islands (board of education) • Ohio (board of education) • Oklahoma (superintendent) • South Carolina (superintendent) • Texas (board of education) • U.S. Virgin Islands (board of education) • Utah (board of education) • Wyoming (superintendent)

Commissioners

Alabama (agriculture) • Alabama (public service) • Arizona (corporation) • Arizona (mine inspector) • Arkansas (public lands) • California (board of equalization) • California (insurance) • Florida (agriculture) • Georgia (agriculture) • Georgia (labor) • Georgia (insurance) • Georgia (public service) • Guam (utilities) • Hawaii (Hawaiian affairs) • Iowa (agriculture) • Kansas (insurance) • Louisiana (public service) • Massachusetts (governor's council) • Montana (public service) • Nebraska (public service) • New Hampshire (executive council) • New Mexico (public lands) • North Dakota (agriculture) • North Dakota (public service) • North Dakota (tax) • Oklahoma (corporation) • Oklahoma (insurance) • Oklahoma (labor) • Oregon (labor) • South Carolina (agriculture) • South Dakota (public lands) • South Dakota (public utilities) • Texas (agriculture) • Texas (public lands) • Texas (railroad) • U.S. Virgin Islands (board of elections)