Joshua Cortez
Joshua Cortez (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 35th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.[source]
Biography
Cortez graduated from Baylor University and taught at the University of North Texas. He later became a member of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz's (R) staff. Cortez later attended the Harvard Kennedy School. As of the 2026 primary, Cortez had also worked as a rancher and the founder of a tech company.[1][2][3]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Republican primary as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Joshua Cortez (R), Carlos De La Cruz (R), John Lujan (R), and two other candidates are running in the Republican primary for Texas' 35th Congressional District on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025. As of October 2025, Cortez, De La Cruz, and Lujan led in media attention.[4][5][6]
The Texas Tribune's Kayla Guo described the 35th district as "one of five blue seats that were dismantled under new lines passed by the Legislature last week with the goal of electing more GOP members of Congress from Texas."[7] Incumbent Greg Casar (D) is running for re-election in the new 37th Congressional District.
An Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales analysis of Texas' 2025 redistricting said of the 2026 version of the 35th District that "it’s possible that Democrats could get over the hump here, though probably only in a blue wave election. We are therefore changing our rating for this seat from Solid Democratic to Likely Republican."[8] To learn more about redistricting in Texas ahead of the 2026 elections, click here.
Cortez is a former marketing professional and staffer to Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas). Cortez's website describes him as a "proud lifelong Republican with strong Christian values...he has been consistently involved with the conservative causes."[9] Cortez says he is running because "I’m an eighth generation Texan, this is my background, this is my home. These are the people that I know and love, and I have the experience to be able to serve the people of the new 35th District."[10]
De La Cruz is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the founder and owner of a kickboxing gym. De La Cruz is the brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R).[11] De La Cruz describes himself as a "proud Air Force veteran, small businessman, husband, father, and conservative Texan with deep San Antonio roots." De La Cruz says he is running "to be President Trump’s wingman in Congress and take down the radical leftists who are destroying America."[12] Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R) said of her brother, "I know how hard Carlos has worked his entire life...He is a fighter, a devoted husband, a loving father, and the most patriotic man I know. I’m confident he will bring the kind of strong, conservative leadership Washington desperately needs."[11]
Lujan was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2021. Local political observers describe Lujan as a strong general election candidate, with the San Antonio Report quoting Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as saying at a 2024 Lujan campaign rally: "I have always lost John Lujan’s district...So has [U.S. Sen. Ted] Cruz and [U.S. Sen. John] Cornyn and every other statewide candidate. The only person who can win that race as a Republican is John Lujan."[13] Lujan says he "represents the very best of San Antonio and will be a dedicated voice for its citizens in Congress."[14]
Also running in the primary are Ryan Krause (R) and Steven Wright (R).
As of October 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Likely Republican.
Elections
2026
See also: Texas' 35th 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 35
Johnny Garcia, John Lira, and Whitney Masterson-Moyes are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 3, 2026.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Greg Casar (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 35
Joshua Cortez, Carlos De La Cruz, Ryan Krause, John Lujan, and Steven Wright are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 3, 2026.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
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
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Cortez | Republican Party | $160,434 | $52,542 | $107,892 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Carlos De La Cruz | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Ryan Krause | Republican Party | $59,151 | $12,946 | $43,969 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| John Lujan | Republican Party | $75,584 | $5,388 | $70,196 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Steven Wright | Republican Party | $8,375 | $879 | $25,146 | As of September 30, 2025 |
|
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." |
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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.[15][16][17]
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.
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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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Campaign website
Cortez's campaign website stated the following:
Texas Jobs for Texans First
Build a stronger economy by empowering our small businesses, supporting local energy production, and working to ensure that Texans are first in line for job opportunities.
American Energy & Food IndependenceChampion our local oil, gas, farmers and ranchers to ensure America never relies on foreign nations for our energy or food supply.
Address Our Region’s Impending Water CrisisWork with local leaders and our municipalities to get ahead of our rapidly depleting natural resources.
Border and Homeland SecurityFight for a permanently secured border, protecting our families from dangerous fentanyl, and restoring law and order.
Support for Our Veterans & Military ExcellenceHonor those who served, ensure that America maintains the strongest military in the world, and fight for local military and civilian jobs at our region’s bases.
Expanding OpportunityIncrease access to affordable trade, and vocational training so every Texan can achieve the American Dream in an AI dominated economy.
Defending seniorsProtect Social Security and Medicare for our seniors. No benefit cuts, just real support and stronger retirement security for those who built our communities.
Pro-Life CommitmentDefend every innocent life and support strong laws that protect the unborn. No taxpayer dollars for abortion just life-saving care for mothers and babies.
Fight for Our First RespondersPush to expand grants and resources for rural firefighters, EMS and law enforcement. Our heroes deserve better equipment, faster training, and more support for safer communities.
Pro-Family & Parents’ RightsStand up for our parents and families who must always have the final say in their child’s upbringing.
— Joshua Cortez's campaign website (November 14, 2025)
Campaign ads
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
- ↑ Joshua Cortez campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ KXAN, "Josh Cortez Announces Intention to Run for Texas Congressional District 35," October 3, 2025
- ↑ Harvard Kennedy School, "From South Texas to Cambridge, Josh Cortez Carries His Story Forward," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ KXAN, "Josh Cortez Announces Intention to Run for Texas Congressional District 35," October 1, 2025
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas Rep. John Lujan files to run in redrawn 35th Congressional District," August 28, 2025
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Republican Carlos De La Cruz announces run for redrawn 35th Congressional District," October 2, 2025
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedLujanTrib - ↑ Inside Elections, "A Detailed Analysis of Texas’ New Congressional Map," August 27, 2025
- ↑ Joshua Cortez campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 23, 2025
- ↑ KXAN, "Josh Cortez Announces Intention to Run for Texas Congressional District 35," October 3, 2025
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Texas Tribune, "Republican Carlos De La Cruz announces run for redrawn 35th Congressional District," October 2, 2025
- ↑ Carlos De La Cruz campaign website, "Meet Carlos," accessed October 23, 2025
- ↑ San Antonio Report, "GOP State Rep. John Lujan lays plans to run in new TX35," August 27, 2025
- ↑ John Lujan campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 23, 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
