Joseph Kopser
Joseph Kopser (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 47. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Kopser completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Joseph Kopser served in the U.S. Army from 1993 to 2013. He graduated from Henry Clay High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from West Point Military Academy in 1993 and a graduate degree from Harvard Kennedy School in 2002. He has worked in private industry and leading up to the 2018 primary election, he was serving as president of the advisory and analytics firm Grayline as well as a member of the Defense Council of the Truman National Security Project. His other professional experience includes serving as the director of Texas Lyceum, a member of the board of directors of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, and the chairman and co-founder of Bunker Labs Austin.[1][2]
Kopser's military experience includes serving as the department chair and professor of leadership and strategy at Texas Army ROTC and as the special assistant to the Army chief of staff. Kopser spent several years deployed in Iraq. He graduated from Harvard University with his M.P.A. and from the United States Military Academy at West Point with his bachelor's in aerospace engineering.[2]
Elections
2026
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 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.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Joseph Kopser (D) and Pooja Sethi (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Joseph Kopser  | |
 | Pooja Sethi | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Jennifer Mushtaler (R) is running in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Jennifer Mushtaler | |
| ||||
| = 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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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 21
Chip Roy defeated Joseph Kopser and Lee Santos in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 21 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Chip Roy (R) | 50.2 | 177,654 |
| Joseph Kopser (D) | 47.6 | 168,421 | |
 | Lee Santos (L) | 2.1 | 7,542 | |
| Total votes: 353,617 | |||
| = 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 runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 21
Joseph Kopser defeated Mary Wilson in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 21 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joseph Kopser | 57.9 | 14,765 |
 | Mary Wilson | 42.1 | 10,722 | |
| Total votes: 25,487 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 21
Chip Roy defeated Matt McCall in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 21 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chip Roy | 52.7 | 18,088 |
 | Matt McCall | 47.3 | 16,243 | |
| Total votes: 34,331 | |||
| = 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. House Texas District 21
Mary Wilson and Joseph Kopser advanced to a runoff. They defeated Derrick Crowe and Elliott McFadden in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Wilson | 30.9 | 15,736 |
| ✔ | | Joseph Kopser | 29.0 | 14,787 |
 | Derrick Crowe | 23.1 | 11,742 | |
 | Elliott McFadden | 17.0 | 8,667 | |
| Total votes: 50,932 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chip Roy | 27.1 | 19,428 |
| ✔ | | Matt McCall | 16.9 | 12,152 |
 | William Negley | 15.5 | 11,163 | |
 | Jason Isaac | 10.0 | 7,208 | |
 | Jenifer Sarver | 5.6 | 4,027 | |
 | Robert Stovall | 4.8 | 3,414 | |
 | Susan Narvaiz | 3.8 | 2,720 | |
 | Francisco Canseco | 3.5 | 2,489 | |
 | Ryan Krause | 3.2 | 2,300 | |
 | Al Poteet | 1.8 | 1,300 | |
 | Peggy Wardlaw | 1.8 | 1,285 | |
| Samuel Temple | 1.4 | 1,020 | ||
 | Anthony White | 1.3 | 952 | |
 | Eric Burkhart | 1.0 | 723 | |
 | Mauro Garza | 0.9 | 663 | |
 | Autry Pruitt | 0.6 | 455 | |
| Foster Hagen | 0.5 | 394 | ||
 | Ivan Andarza | 0.1 | 96 | |
| Total votes: 71,789 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joseph Kopser completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kopser's responses.
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After retiring from the military, Kopser transitioned to the private sector, where he co-founded RideScout, a mobile platform that integrated transit, ride-share, and car-share options. Following the company’s acquisition by Mercedes-Benz, he was recognized as a White House Champion of Change for his contributions to transportation technology. He currently serves as the President of Grayline, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations navigate large-scale technological and social shifts.
A longtime resident of Austin, Kopser is an active leader in the Central Texas community. He has served as the Chairman of CleanTX, a board member for Texas Lyceum, and a volunteer mentor for veteran entrepreneurs at The Bunker. He lives in Austin with his wife, Amy, and their three daughters.- Fully fund public schools, support and retain educators, strengthen teacher preparation and mentoring, and oppose policies that divert resources from classrooms. Focus on workforce-aligned education that prepares students for good jobs while maintaining equity, accountability, and strong local public schools. My five years teaching at the college level have given me the real world experience to know the importance of education at all levels.
- By strengthening coordination between state agencies and local governments, improving communication with residents, and prioritizing rapid deployment of resources. Preparedness, clear accountability, and follow-through before and after disasters are essential to ensure families receive timely and effective assistance. I will lean on my Army combat experience of 14 months in Iraq to provide steady leadership as well as support better command and control at all levels.
- Public education funding, workforce development, infrastructure resilience, internet expansion, and healthcare access. Texas must invest in systems that support economic opportunity, prepare for climate impacts, and ensure institutions function effectively for long-term growth and stability. As recent award recipient with the Texas Business Hall of Fame, I know first hand how much business and jobs depend of critical issues of healthcare and infrastructure.
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.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Joseph Kopser participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on August 6, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Joseph Kopser's responses follow below.[3]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | 1) jobs |
” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | As a veteran, businessman, and husband and father of three, I am passionate about creating good jobs, ensuring folks have access to affordable education that will prepare them for the 21st century economy, and working towards a good future for our kids.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[5]
|
” |
Candidate website
| “ |
My policy priorities have been largely influenced by three things. First, my life experience as a 20-year Army veteran, technology entrepreneur, and father of three daughters. Second, the three-decade disconnect between outgoing Rep. Lamar Smith and his constituents allowing the White House and special interests to be prioritized over Central Texans. And third, my interactions with citizens of TX-21 over the last year. Many proud Texans, like you and me, are concerned about our country but confident that hard work and vision will deliver solutions. They’re committed to establishing a government that works for them and reflects their interest in working together. They’re not afraid of hard decisions but want to base those decisions on facts, transparency, and with an eye toward the future and parity. Only two things will evolve my public positions: your input and verified scientific data. My commitment to the citizens of TX-21, however, will never waver. Your voice will be heard, your questions will be answered, and your values, priorities, and expectations of your member of Congress will establish a new model of service and effective representation for Texas and the United States.[5] |
” |
| —Joseph Kopser's 2018 campaign website[6] | ||
Kopser had detailed sections under the following headings on his website:
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 February 5, 2026
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 LinkedIn, "Joseph Kopser," accessed January 31, 2018
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Joseph Kopser's responses," August 6, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Joseph Kopser 2018 campaign website,' "My Values," accessed January 31, 2018
