Gregory Kunkle Jr.
Gregory Kunkle Jr. (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 34th Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Biography
Gregory Kunkle Jr. was born in Weslaco, Texas. He earned a high school diploma from Harlingen High School and a bachelor's degree in renewable natural resources from Texas A&M University in 2013. His career experience includes working as a cyber security specialist. He has also worked as an assistant director of operations at the Texas A&M Global Cyber Research Institute, as a program specialist at the Texas A&M University Cyber Security Center, as a program specialist at the Texas A&M University Department of Mechanical Engineering, and as a program assistant at the Texas A&M AgriLife Cameron County Extension Office.[1][2][3]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the March 3, 2026, Republican primary for Texas' 34th Congressional District as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Seven candidates are running in the Republican primary for Texas' 34th Congressional District on March 3, 2026. Two candidates lead in media attention and fundraising: Eric Flores (R) and Mayra Flores (R).
Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D) is running for re-election in the Democratic primary. He was first elected to the district in 2022, defeating incumbent Mayra Flores 53% to 44%. Flores was first elected to the district in the June 2022 special election, receiving 51% of the vote. Flores faced Gonzalez in the 2024 general election, which Gonzalez won 51% to 49%.
Following Texas' 2025 congressional redistricting, Marijke Friedman of The Texas Tribune wrote that the new map "gives Republicans better odds to capture Gonzalez's South Texas district."[4]
Eric Flores (no relation to Mayra Flores) is a lawyer and veteran of the U.S. Army and Texas Army National Guard.[5] He served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.[5] Flores is campaigning on his legal experience, saying he "led landmark prosecutions of cartel-connected and human trafficking operations" and worked on cases "defending municipalities and school districts across Texas."[5] He says he would work to secure the country's borders while supporting legal immigration.[6][7] Highlighting his military experience, Flores says he provided border security for Texas with the National Guard and that he would address veterans' issues.[5][6]
Mayra Flores previously served as the representative for Texas' 34th Congressional District from 2022 to 2023. She is campaigning on her legislative experience "proudly [serving] South Texas on the Homeland Security and Agriculture Committees."[8] She says she would focus on family issues and "put parents back in the driver seat [to] protect kids from those who wish to push their views on our families."[9] Highlighting her experience immigrating to the United States from Mexico, Flores says, "We must secure our border to keep bad individuals out and to encourage legal immigration."[9]
Also running in the primary are Keith Allen (R), Luis Buentello (R), Gregory Kunkle Jr. (R), Bam Morales (R), and Jay Nagy (R).
As of November 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Lean Republican, and Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales rated the general election a Toss-up.
To review how redistricting took place in Texas in 2025, click here. For a list of all states that drew new district lines between 2024 and 2026, click here.
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. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
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  | |
| ||||
| = 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 | |
 | Luis Buentello | |
 | Eric Flores | |
 | Mayra Flores | |
| Fred Hinojosa (Unofficially withdrew) | ||
 | Gregory Kunkle Jr. | |
 | Jay Nagy | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Bam Morales (R)
- Mauro Garza (R)
- Scott Mandel (R)
Green convention
Green convention for U.S. House Texas District 34
Eddie Espinoza is running in the Green convention for U.S. House Texas District 34 on April 11, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Eddie Espinoza (G) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34
Chris Royal is running in the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34 on April 12, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Chris Royal (L) | |
| ||||
| = 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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Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from RealClearPolitics, when available. We will regularly check for polling aggregation for this race and add polls here once available. To notify us of polls available for this race, please email us.
Election campaign finance
Candidate spending
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Allen | Republican Party | $144,884 | $143,085 | $2,744 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Luis Buentello | Republican Party | $20,515 | $19,995 | $520 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Eric Flores | Republican Party | $872,254 | $564,600 | $307,654 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Mayra Flores | Republican Party | $1,240,344 | $1,075,734 | $167,438 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Fred Hinojosa | Republican Party | $36,058 | $36,058 | $0 | As of January 31, 2026 |
| Gregory Kunkle Jr. | Republican Party | $9,155 | $7,854 | $1,301 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Jay Nagy | Republican Party | $15,459 | $15,459 | $0 | As of February 4, 2026 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[10][11][12]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
|---|---|
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2024
See also: Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2024
Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)
Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 34
Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. defeated Mayra Flores in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 34 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D) | 51.3 | 102,780 |
| Mayra Flores (R) | 48.7 | 97,603 | |
| Total votes: 200,383 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brent Lewis (L)
- Chris Royal (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34
Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Vicente Gonzalez Jr. | 100.0 | 27,745 |
| Total votes: 27,745 | |||
| = 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 U.S. House Texas District 34
Mayra Flores defeated Laura Cisneros, Mauro Garza, and Gregory Kunkle Jr. in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mayra Flores | 81.2 | 18,307 |
 | Laura Cisneros | 8.8 | 1,991 | |
 | Mauro Garza | 6.2 | 1,388 | |
| Gregory Kunkle Jr. | 3.8 | 863 | |
| Total votes: 22,549 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ann Marie Torres (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34
Brent Lewis advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 23, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Brent Lewis (L) | |
| ||||
| = 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 Kunkle in this election.
2022
See also: Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 34
Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. defeated incumbent Mayra Flores and Chris Royal in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 34 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D) | 52.7 | 70,896 |
| Mayra Flores (R) | 44.2 | 59,464 | |
| Chris Royal (Independent) | 3.0 | 4,079 | |
| Total votes: 134,439 | |||
| = 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
- Ronald Mills (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Vicente Gonzalez Jr. | 64.8 | 23,531 |
| Laura Cisneros | 23.3 | 8,456 | |
 | Beatriz Reynoso | 3.5 | 1,287 | |
 | William Thompson | 3.0 | 1,085 | |
| Filemon Meza | 2.5 | 920 | ||
 | Diego Zavala | 2.0 | 718 | |
| Osbert Rodriguez Haro III | 0.9 | 331 | ||
| Total votes: 36,328 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Rochelle Garza (D)
- Jaime Rodriguez (D)
- Ryan Trevino (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34
Incumbent Mayra Flores defeated Frank McCaffrey, Gregory Kunkle Jr., and Juana Cantu-Cabrera in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mayra Flores | 60.3 | 9,490 |
| Frank McCaffrey | 21.9 | 3,444 | ||
| Gregory Kunkle Jr. | 10.7 | 1,677 | |
 | Juana Cantu-Cabrera | 7.1 | 1,115 | |
| Total votes: 15,726 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Larry Polsky (R)
- Philip Sotelo (R)
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Gregory Kunkle Jr. has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Gregory Kunkle Jr. asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Gregory Kunkle Jr., click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
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2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 21, 2022 |
Gregory Kunkle Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kunkle's responses.
| Collapse all
I am honored to have been a part of such innovation and growth in Texas Agriculture, Robotics, and Cyber Security all the while the fruits of my labors benefiting Texas and her citizens. The FAMILIES of South Texas have the right to pursue freedom, liberty, and a livelihood with no fear, just as generations before them have over the last 200 years.
I have spent my entire work career serving the State of Texas and offer my resume of public service below:
-Texas A&M Global Cyber Research Institute (GCRI)
-Texas A&M University Cyber Security Center- Defense Cyber Leadership Development Program (DCLDP)
-Texas A&M University Department of Mechanical Engineering - Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM)
-Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Cameron County- Growing and Nourishing Healthy Communities (GNHC)
From all of this, there has never been a more prosperous future for the FAMILIES of TX-34. I have developed a vision of space exploration, educational freedom, border security, business development, infrastructure renewal, and agriculture and natural resource stewardship for all citizens of South Texas. I will employ all of my experience and skills to the utmost for the FAMILIES of South Texas.- FAMILY FIRST! The AMERICAN NUCLEAR family is the cornerstone of this great nation. All policies, votes, and funding I support will work towards putting American Families First! This means specifically an economy that works for families, security that protects families, and education choices that are best for families. There has never been a more prosperous time for America, and it is built on the backs of the middle class families like mine.
- A FAMILY FIRST ECONOMY and BORDER. WE deserve an ECONOMY that works for MIDDLE CLASS FAMALIES. This means lowering taxes, lowering inflation, and CUTTING RED TAPE that puts a strain on new business. Lastly, we must unleash ENERGY PRODUCTION across this great state and nation in all forms. Furthermore, BORDER SECURITY is FAMILY SECURITY. Children are being left alone along the border, inner city children are dying of fentanyl overdoses with American tax payers are footing the bill for all coming across the Rio Grande. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE. Lastly.
- FAMALIES DESERVE EDUCATION CHOICE! There is no other system in this great nation where FAMALIES have such limited choices than the public education system. With taxes and funding at an all time high, the results are not there for our children. FAMALIES deserve the right and support to CHOOSE WHERE THEIR CHILDREN are educated. Public Schools should compete for students with the funding following the student. THIS INCREASES FREEDOM for FAMALIES!
I believe that the Republican Party has a historic function to perform in the winning of the 2024 general election breaking decades-long Democratic control. I will FIGHT for FAMALIES and employ all skills and experience necessary and intend to do my utmost to see that that victory is won.
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.
Note: Kunkle submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on September 11, 2023.
2022
Gregory Kunkle Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kunkle's responses.
| Collapse all
I am honored to have been a part of such innovation and growth in Texas agriculture, robotics, and cyber security all the while the fruits of our labors benefiting Texas and her citizens. The children of South Texas have the right to pursue freedom, liberty, and a livelihood with no fear, just as generations before them have over the last 200 years.
I have spent my entire career serving the State of Texas and offer my resume of public service below:
Texas A&M University Cyber Security Center- Defense Cyber Leadership Development Program (DCLDP)
Texas A&M University Department of Mechanical Engineering - Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute
Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station - Veterans Serving Veterans- Robotics Training for Veterans of the US Army
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Cameron County- Growing and Nourishing Healthy Communities (GNHC)
From all of this, there has never been a more prosperous future for the people of TX-34. I have developed an image of space exploration, border security, business development, infrastructure renewal, with agriculture and natural resource stewardship for all citizens of South Texas and will employ all experience and skills to the utmost.- Pro Border: Over 100,00 Americans died of drug overdoses last year in America. That was a record never before seen in the US. These drugs were manufactured in China, transported across our border, and sold on the black market to men, women, and children. Furthermore, uncounted numbers of illegal-immigrants from across the glob enter our country, freely, bringing disease, violence, and crime to every corner of America. We can and will control this. If we have no border, we have no country.
- Pro Business: It is a fact the lower taxes and regulations will increase economic and business development...and that is exactly what South Texas Needs! SpaceX has chosen South Texas along with our robust business ecosystem, and it is growing at an unprecedented rate. But long term sustainable initiatives are needed for economic security of our posterity. International trade and cross-border shopping will only get us so far. I will work to increase space exploration, robotic manufacturing, bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing, and semiconductor production all forecasted for long terms growth. All the while increasing the Texas agricultural economy as the need for food and textiles and food will not diminish. In South Texas we can have both!
- Pro People: The people of the Laguna Madre district are a special, hard working culture. We have years of tradition, history, and family all in South Texas. We work hard for our children so they can enjoy the beaches of South Padre Island, the palms of the Sabal Palm Sanctuary, the nature trails of Hughes Ramsey, and the water ways of the Arroyo Colorado to the Laguna Madre. We have been blessed as a people and plan to secure, promote, and provide future blessings to the people of Congressional District 34.
The issues I plan to resolve, vote, and work on include immediate continuation of the border wall securing Texas and US soil, less taxes and regulation for business development and economic prosperity, space exploration, manufacturing and robotics, and stewardship of Texas agriculture and natural resources.
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
Kunkle's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Valley Veterans The Rio Grande Valley’s Veterans are the unsung heroes of our home. Ensuring their lively hood, retirement, and health should be of the utmost importance. I will work to alleviate veteran homelessness, training for jobs upon exiting the military, and securing the the health of their family and retirement. Advanced Robotics In South Texas Advanced robotics is the future of manufacturing and South Texas! Public/private initiatives between SpaceX, TSTC, and Texas’s Universities will bring innovation, growth, and prosperity to the Laguna Madre District. PRO-CHOICE EDUCATION The time is now for parents to take back their rights and choose what education is right for their family. There is no such thing as a one size fits all approach to education unless it is the tax-payer funding that is supporting it. The money should follow the child to what ever church, home, or public based school system is desired. Due to the lack of security of our South Texas Border, education systems have never been strained. PRO-TEXAS SOIL AND WATER The future and security of Texas relies upon the future and security of our soil, air, and waters. The Texas Gulf Coast is unique in that we have not only a border to our South bounded by the Rio Grande River, we also have a border to our East in the Gulf of Mexico. Here, countless families and business rely upon the health and growth of this ecosystem all starting upstream. We support producers knowing that the foundation of our economy takes root in agriculture. PRO-BUSINESS Economic prosperity is not a Democrat or Republican issue, it is a community issue. South Texas is poised to break barriers as we work to secure new industries in manufacturing, space, and technology. From trade schools at TSTC to rocket science at UTRGV, anything is possible in District 34. Our platform will focus on developing capabilities for South Texas in Bio, Technology, and Space Manufacturing. The future for our children is bright if we start now! PRO-BORDER SECURITY The security of our border is what secures our homes, businesses, and people. Weak security will produces…[13] |
” |
| —Gregory Kunkle Jr.'s campaign website (2022)[14] | ||
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.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 5, 2022
- ↑ Kunkle for Congress, "About Gregory," accessed February 1, 2022
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 7, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Former GOP Rep. Mayra Flores switches districts to challenge Rep. Vicente Gonzalez for third time," August 27, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Eric Flores 2026 campaign website, "About Eric," accessed November 10, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Eric Flores 2026 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed November 10, 2025
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "GOP Army veteran announces challenge to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in South Texas congressional district," July 21, 2025
- ↑ Mayra Flores 2026 campaign website, "Meet Mayra," accessed November 10, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mayra Flores 2026 campaign website, "Commonsense Texas Solutions," accessed November 10, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Kunkle for Congress, “Our Campaign,” accessed January 27, 2022
