Eddie Espinoza

Eddie Espinoza

Green Party

Candidate, U.S. House Texas District 34

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas–Pan American, 1994

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1989 - 1991

Personal

Birthplace

Dallas, Texas

Profession

Retired teacher

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Eddie Espinoza (Green Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 34th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Eddie Espinoza was born in Dallas, Texas. He served in the U.S. Army from 1989 to 1991. Espinoza earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas–Pan American in 1994. His career experience includes working as a teacher.

Elections

2026

See also: Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2026

General election

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

General election for U.S. House Texas District 34

Eddie Espinoza is running in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 34 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Eddie Espinoza (G)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. and Etienne Rosas are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
		Etienne Rosas

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Keith Allen
	Submit photo	Eric Flores
		Mayra Flores
		Mauro Garza
	Submit photo	Fred Hinojosa
		Gregory Kunkle Jr.
		Bam Morales

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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

2024

See also: Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2024

General election

General election for Texas Railroad Commission

Incumbent Christi Craddick defeated Katherine Culbert, Eddie Espinoza, Hawk Dunlap, and Richard McKibbin in the general election for Texas Railroad Commission on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christi Craddick (R)	55.6	6,100,218
		Katherine Culbert (D)	39.0	4,275,904
		Eddie Espinoza (G)	2.8	301,793
		Hawk Dunlap (L)	2.6	285,544
		Richard McKibbin (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	1,656

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,965,115
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Railroad Commission

Katherine Culbert defeated Bill Burch in the Democratic primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katherine Culbert	67.6	615,965
		Bill Burch	32.4	294,628

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 910,593
= 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.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Railroad Commission

Incumbent Christi Craddick defeated James Matlock, Christie Clark, Corey Howell, and Petra Reyes in the Republican primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christi Craddick	50.4	982,457
		James Matlock	26.6	517,624
		Christie Clark	11.7	228,395
	Submit photo	Corey Howell	6.3	122,802
		Petra Reyes	5.0	97,280

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,948,558
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chris Corner (R)

Green convention

Green convention for Texas Railroad Commission

Eddie Espinoza advanced from the Green convention for Texas Railroad Commission on April 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Eddie Espinoza (G)	100.0	51

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 51
= 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 Texas Railroad Commission

Hawk Dunlap defeated Chris Fuller in the Libertarian convention for Texas Railroad Commission on April 14, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Hawk Dunlap (L)
	Submit photo	Chris Fuller (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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Espinoza in this election.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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2024

Eddie Espinoza completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Espinoza's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Eddie Espinoza is not a politician, he’s a problem solver. At age 19 he enlisted in the US Army and was given the responsibility to drive a Bradley fighting vehicle into battle. He earned a combat infantry badge for his service during Desert Storm. After graduating from college, he taught in Texas Public Schools for 26 years, helping thousands of students develop basic reading and math skills.

His experiences as a teacher inspired him to become an advocate for young people, working class families, and the environment.

You can trust Eddie to represent the people of Texas and advocate for policies that benefit our environment and public health.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Let's protect Texas water sources by plugging, cleaning up, and decommissioning unplugged idle oil and gas wells that are contaminating the environment.
• Let's ban fracking and stop the expansion of new fossil fuels infrastructure and projects, including proposed LNG export terminals along the Gulf coast.
• Decarbonize the Texas economy, and make it more resilient to global warming.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My concern for the future of our climate and planet inspired me to run for Railroad Commissioner. Despite the misleading name, the Texas Railroad Commission regulates the oil and gas industry, and scientists have proven that fossil fuel extraction and burning is responsible for much of the carbon dioxide and methane in our atmosphere, which is causing global warming. Climate Justice is my top public policy concern.

Keeping our Texas water supply clean is another huge concern. As the climate warms and droughts worsen, our water supply is more critical than ever. We must treat water as a precious, irreplaceable resource. Water is life.

Decarbonizing the Texas economy will lead to a cleaner environment and make our economy more resilient to climate change challenges.

Labor rights are another key concern. Workers in the oil and gas industry must have safe working conditions. Regardless of immigration status, there must be a fair living wage for all workers. Fossil fuel industry workers must keep their jobs as the industry transitions from extraction to plugging and cleanup efforts.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The Texas Railroad Commission is an important oil and gas regulator, which has major environmental and climate impacts.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to the members of my family and community who demonstrate the value of hard work, honesty, and integrity.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, and respect for the scientific method are most important for an elected official.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope my legacy will be that I did my best to make the world a better, healthier, and happier place.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Stopping methane from contaminating our air, and stopping toxic spills into our water and soil.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The Railroad Commission flies under the radar in Texas, and many people might not even know what they're responsible for. I propose changing the name to the Texas Energy Commission, for better public transparency.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Team-building, accountability, accessibility, and listening skills would be helpful for members of the Railroad commission.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Green Party of Texas, Green Party of Bexar County, Green Party of Cameron County, Green Party of Denton County, Green Party of Hidalgo County, RGV Greens, Green Party of the US

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Espinoza’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Action Plan 1. Clean Up and Phase Out the Fossil Fuel Industry Cap and clean up abandoned gas wells, pipeline leaks, and other sources of fossil fuels pollution. No fracking, no new fossil fuel projects. Phase out current fossil fuel energy plants. Keep Texas livable, and energy affordable, with a timely transition from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. 2. Protect Water Prioritize the protection of fresh water resources in all commission work and decisions. Ban fracking. Save fresh water for drinking, not drilling! Expand fresh water storage capacity by protecting low lying areas that may act as lakes and ponds. 3. Rename the Railroad Commission The name “Railroad Commission” is misleading. The commission needs a new name that reflects what it does, like “Texas Energy Commission.” As former Commissioner Ryan Sitton once said, changing the commission’s name is “about transparency, good government, and keeping people informed about what we’re doing.” 4. Prioritize Lowering Energy Costs for Texans, Not Oil and Gas Bailouts Broaden the commission’s work to deliver affordable, sustainable, 100% renewable energy to Texans. Empower the commission to help Texas regionalize the energy grid. No more subsidies, handouts or bailouts to the oil and gas industry. 5. Monitoring and Enforcement The Railroad Commission has only 65 inspectors who each cover an average of 7,300 miles of pipeline all over the state. Hire more inspectors! Improve oversight for orphaned and inactive wells, flaring, and oil and gas waste pits. Make sure Texas is in compliance with federal environmental regulations from the EPA. 6. Ethics and Conflicts of Interest Eliminate the commission’s economic and political ties to the oil and gas industry with strict conflict of interest policies. Avoid rushing oil and gas development at the expense of safety, economic vitality, natural resources, and the environment. 7. Public Participation / Open Meetings / Transparency Encourage input from public interest groups like the Sierra Club and Commission Shift Public participation in decision making should be welcomed. All commission meetings should be livestreamed to the public, with no closed sessions. All info related to commission work should be easily accessible on the commission’s website. 8. Campaign Finance Reform Restrict who can donate to Railroad Commissioner candidates, and limit campaign contributions to $5,000, just like statewide judicial races. Limit campaign fundraising periods to an 18-month period surrounding the election, rather than allowing donations throughout the commissioners’ six-year terms. Define “personal or private” interest in Texas statutes, to clarify that elected officials must recuse themselves from decisions that involve a company listed on the Personal Financial Statement they submit to the Texas Ethics Commission.	”
—Eddie Espinoza’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Eddie Espinoza campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas Railroad Commission	Lost general	$5,806	$5,612
Grand total			$5,806	$5,612
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2026 Elections

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Footnotes

[show]

Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nathaniel Moran (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Keith Self (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Morgan Luttrell (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Craig Goldman (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Monica De La Cruz (R)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Vacant

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Brandon Gill (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Jasmine Crockett (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Julie Johnson (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 35

Greg Casar (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 38

Wesley Hunt (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (12)

Vacancies (1)