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Keith Allen (Texas)
Keith Allen (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 34th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.[source]
Allen also ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Texas. He will not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Allen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Keith Allen was born in Detroit, Michigan. He earned his education from Lee University in 2007. His career experience includes working as a retail manager, ordained minister, and podcast host.[1]
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.
Ten candidates are running in the Republican primary for Texas' 34th Congressional District on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025. Three candidates lead in media attention and fundraising: Eric Flores (R), Mayra Flores (R), and Scott Mandel (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 advanced from the 2024 Republican primary for the district and 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."[2]
Eric Flores (no relation to Mayra Flores) is a lawyer and veteran of the U.S. Army and Texas Army National Guard.[3] He previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.[3] 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."[3] He says he would work to secure the country's borders while supporting legal immigration.[4][5] Highlighting his military experience, Flores says he provided border security for Texas with the National Guard and that he would address veterans' issues.[3][4]
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."[6] 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."[7] 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."[7]
Mandel is a former law enforcement officer and business owner.[8] Mandel is campaigning on his business's work in the security industry, saying he has "hands-on experience in border security operations" and that he would support "a full border shutdown once and for all."[9] Mandel says he would grow the economy by reducing regulations and decreasing government spending, and he says he has seen "the systems causing much of the waste and inefficiencies" through his business's government contracts.[9] Mandel says he would address veterans' issues and support changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs.[9]
Also running in the primary are Keith Allen (R), Luis Buentello (R), Mauro Garza (R), Fred Hinojosa (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
U.S. House
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) | |
| ||||
 = 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 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. | ||||
| 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 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 | ||
 | Gregory Kunkle Jr. | |
 | Scott Mandel | |
 | Bam Morales | |
 | Jay Nagy | |
| ||||
| = 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
- Mauro Garza (R)
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 | $114,514 | $86,811 | $28,648 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Luis Buentello | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Eric Flores | Republican Party | $550,479 | $113,400 | $437,079 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Mayra Flores | Republican Party | $754,552 | $609,370 | $148,010 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Fred Hinojosa | Republican Party | $156 | $6 | $150 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Gregory Kunkle Jr. | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Scott Mandel | Republican Party | $1,000,135 | $0 | $1,000,135 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Bam Morales | Republican Party | $16,335 | $16,335 | $0 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Jay Nagy | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
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.
U.S. Senate
See also: United States Senate election in Texas, 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. Senate Texas
Joshua Cain, Camencia Ford, Jade Simmons, and Hans Truelson are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Joshua Cain (Independent) | ||
| Camencia Ford (Independent) | ||
 | Jade Simmons (Independent) | |
 | Hans Truelson (Independent) | |
| ||||
| = 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
Colin Allred, Emily Morgul, Michael Swanson, James Talarico, and Paula Williams are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
| ||||
| = 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
- Terry Virts (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | John Cornyn | |
 | Andrew Alvarez | |
 | Virgil Bierschwale | |
 | Alexander Duncan | |
 | Ronald Evans | |
 | Wesley Hunt | |
| Matthew Elliot Kelley | ||
 | Gulrez Khan | |
| Connor Kraus | ||
 | Rennie Mann | |
 | Ken Paxton | |
 | Tony Schmoker | |
 | Andrew Trakas | |
| Leo Wyatt | ||
| ||||
| = 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
- Keith Allen (R)
- Barrett McNabb (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
U.S. House
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Keith Allen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Allen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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1- Care & Compassion. Any good leader must love the people that they represent and/or lead. Leaders who struggle with loving the people that they are appointed to serve, are in the wrong role. Leaders who love also are better listeners and tend to have a much greater ability to communicate and collaborate with others.
2: Inspirational. Good Leaders are able to win others over through building strong relationships. Motivation, (the ability to make a person move their hands and feet), is at times a necessary thing. However, "Inspiration", (the ability to move a person's heart), is most often the better route. Inspirational leaders are more inclusive leaders and usually have a penchant for developing future leaders. They also build things to last over time because they look to the future with optimism.
2: Serve the great people of Texas
2: A.I.; this new technology and the changes in jobs, economy, and culture will be the greatest challenge for our nation and the rest of the world.
Homeland Security
Foreign Affairs
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.
U.S. Senate
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Keith Allen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Allen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Keith has been a successful Businessman in Leadership at many levels throughout his career. These roles have afforded him the ability to live in nine States across this great Country. In 2013 he relocated from Marysville, Ohio to San Antonio and Texas has been home for him ever since.
Keith has been married to his wife Judy for 35 years and they have 4 amazing children, Adam, Austin, Amanda, and Aspen. They recently became “empty nesters” and although they enjoy the new season, they remain a very close family. Keith and Judy are people of strong faith in Jesus Christ and do their best to live lives pleasing to God. Keith was ordained as a licensed Minister in the Church of God in 2007. He and Judy love the State of Texas and our Nation that has been so good to them. They have a strong desire to honor God through serving the great State of Texas and the United States of America.- I want voters to know that I love Jesus, and I am a man of faith. I love the great State of Texas, and I love the United States of America. My campaign slogan is "Committed to do what's right", and I do believe that we as a nation need to return to a place where our laws and our culture reflect the God who our country is founded upon.
I am "Committed to do what's right" around our Nation's Security, (Law and Order/Immigration Reform & Border Security).
I'm "Committed to do what's right" with the safety and security of our children, (HB3, elimination of DEI programs in our schools, and restrictions of all sexually explicit materials in public schools. - I am "Committed to do what's right" around our Nation's Security, (Law and Order/Immigration Reform & Border Security). Reformation of Immigration Law. Our system leaves so much room for subjectivity that entry into our Country has hardly any barriers. From Asylum, to DACA, to Diversity Visa, and even a “Lottery” where we are allowing more than 675k immigrants citizenship annually, the system needs an overhaul. Our Border security system is overwhelmed, and our Border Patrol are overworked. I support a physical wall as well as drone technology and increased security personnel. I support a “No Entry” policy into the United States until a person is vetted and asylum status is approved.
- I am "Committed to do what's right" with our children and grandchildren. As a nation I believe we have gotten a bit "off track" in our culture. There are many that would like to call our current state as "progressive"; I, and many other Christians reject it and call it "regressive". We are in a place today where many cannot answer the simple question, "What is a woman?" I believe as a nation and society, we need to get back to common sense. We need to stand against any puberty blocking drugs/surgeries for any child under 18 years of age. We need to protect our youth and ensure parents and grandparents determine our culture not the public schools
Fiscal Responsibility- Our nation's debt is out of control. Both sides are responsible. We must have a plan, and we need one now! Our children's future depends on it!
Energy dominance must be at this foundation, and we are rich with resources!
Also, I look up to men of God like John Hagee and his son Matthew as I believe they live transparent lives and do not compromise their values. I also look up to my spiritual mentors, Ron and Marilyn Monzo, who led me to the Lord many years ago.
Inspiration and Influence: Leaders must have the ability to communicate with others in a way that inspires belief. There is a lot of "give and take" in government, (just as there is in business), however, when a leader truly loves and cares about others, he/she is able to connect others to their vision. Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump displayed these characteristics, and both have had an enormous impact on our nation.
Watch it on YouTube!
Our National Debt
Our Nation's Immigration and Border Security
The Senate also consents and provides advice/guidance to ratify treaties.
As the Legislative branch of government, the Senate brings stability and deliberativeness to the process of governing.
The Senate provides "checks and balances" on the Executive and Judicial branches of our government.
In business we have a saying, "When selecting talent, a person's history of success and current performance are the best indicators of future success." I have successfully led teams for many years based on my key leadership characteristics.
1- History of success or failure in current past roles
2- Values: Do their values line up with the core values of our nation and do they line up with honoring God?
1- History of success or failure in current past roles
2- Values: Do their values line up with the core values of our nation and do they line up with honoring God?
Finance
National Security
I believe elected members of government are public servants and therefore are subject to complete public scrutiny of their finances. I've long wondered how so many members of Congress become millionaires in such a short period of time. That may make some people upset on both sides, but I would just say that it's a "shoe fits, wear it" conversation. Just sayin'....
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 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 September 4, 2024
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Former GOP Rep. Mayra Flores switches districts to challenge Rep. Vicente Gonzalez for third time," August 27, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Eric Flores 2026 campaign website, "About Eric," accessed November 10, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 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
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mayra Flores 2026 campaign website, "Commonsense Texas Solutions," accessed November 10, 2025
- ↑ [https://www.mandelfortexas.com/about Scott Mandel 2026 campaign website, "Meet Scott Mandel," accessed November 10, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Scott Mandel 2026 campaign website, "Our Issues Together as Texans," 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
