Kristin Hook

Kristin Hook

Democratic Party

Candidate, U.S. House Texas District 21

Elections and appointments

Next election

March 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas at Austin, 2007

Ph.D

Cornell University, 2016

Personal

Birthplace

Corpus Christi, Texas

Profession

Scientist

Contact

Personal LinkedIn

Kristin Hook (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 21st Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Kristin Hook was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. She earned a B.A. and a B.S. in biology from the University of Texas, Austin, in 2007, and a Ph.D. in animal behavior from Cornell University in 2016. Her career experience includes teaching middle school science as part of Teach for America. After obtaining her Ph.D., she became a postdoc at the University of Maryland, a policy fellow in Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass.) office and for the National Institutes of Health, and a biologist for the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Hook also volunteered as a grassroots organizer for women scientists in the D.C. area.

Elections

2026

See also: Texas' 21st 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.

General election for U.S. House Texas District 21

Dan McQueen (Independent) is running in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 21 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Dan McQueen (Independent)

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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21

Kristin Hook (D), Gary Taylor (D), Regina Vanburg (D), and Daniel Weber (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Kristin Hook
		Gary Taylor
		Regina Vanburg
		Daniel Weber

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Daniel Betts
	Submit photo	Jason Cahill
		Jacques DuBose
		Ezekiel Enriquez
	Submit photo	Denis Goulet
		Weston Martinez
		Matt Okerson
		Paul Rojas
		Kyle Sinclair
		Mark Teixeira
		Heather Tessmer
		Trey Trainor
		Peggy Wardlaw
		Mike Wheeler

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chip Roy (R)
• Jessica Karlsruher (R)

Endorsements

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

2024

See also: Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2024

Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 21

Incumbent Chip Roy defeated Kristin Hook and Bob King in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 21 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chip Roy (R)	61.9	263,744
		Kristin Hook (D)	36.1	153,765
		Bob King (L)	2.1	8,914

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 426,423
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dan McQueen (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21

Kristin Hook advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristin Hook	100.0	28,579

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,579
= 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 21

Incumbent Chip Roy advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chip Roy	100.0	96,610

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 96,610
= 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 U.S. House Texas District 21

Bob King advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Bob King (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.
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Endorsements

Hook received the following endorsements.

• Texas AFL-CIO

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kristin Hook has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Kristin Hook, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2024

Kristin Hook completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hook'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.

I am not a polished politician. I grew up in a working class family in South Texas and became the first in my family to earn a PhD. I was a teacher and scientist before I transitioned to a career in public service in the federal government. For the last three years, I have served our country as a science and tech expert in the U.S. Senate, at the National Institutes of Health, and at the Government Accountability Office. I am deeply committed to public service and holding elected officials accountable to we the people. I am running for office to fight for a government and economy that works for every Texan.

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?

• I trust Texans to make their own personal healthcare decisions. I believe these decisions should be made by patients and providers, not politicians.
• I believe all Texans should have access to affordable healthcare and childcare. We need to fix our broken healthcare system once and for all and help parents get the childcare support they need.
• Every Texan deserves an equal voice in the democratic process. We need to expand voting rights and get the corrupting influence of money out of politics.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare, reproductive rights, civil rights, science & tech, education, government oversight and reform.

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

Honesty, integrity, accountability, a strong moral compass, empathy, passion for public service, ability to understand nuance, data-driven, willing to compromise and work across the aisle.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was 14 years old and worked as a secretary at a local family-owned insurance company where my mom worked. I spent two summers there to cover my expenses and help support my single mom.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have been moved by all of the personal stories from women about how Texas’ abortion ban has negatively impacted their family directly and their ability to access the healthcare they need.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes. An intelligent and balanced approach to governance is ideal.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Texas AFL-CIO, Stonewall Democrats, Tejano Democrats, and Austin Young Democrats so far.

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

Hook’s campaign website stated the following:

“	HEALTHCARE I believe healthcare decisions are deeply personal and should be made by patients and their providers, not politicians. Making sure every Texan family has access to the life-saving healthcare they need is at the heart of why I am running for Congress. DEMOCRACY Our democracy is at stake. I am committed to getting money out of politics and will support legislation that protects voting rights to make sure that every Texan voice is heard. IMMIGRATION As a child of South Texas and the descendant of immigrants, I know how much generations of newcomers have contributed to our local economies and communities, which enables all Texans to thrive. I am committed to a secure, orderly, and humane border so that everyone feels safe. ECONOMY I grew up in a household that lived paycheck to paycheck. I want to support policies that make sure our economy works for everyone so that every hard-working Texan can build a successful life. ENVIRONMENT The natural beauty of Texas is what inspired me to pursue a science career. I am wholeheartedly committed to protecting, restoring, and funding our natural environment and its resources. EDUCATION I am the product of Texas public schools. As a former classroom teacher, I aim to support initiatives that strengthen our education system so that every teacher, student, and small business owner in need of a skilled workforce can thrive.	”
—Kristin Hook’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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Kristin Hook campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Texas District 21	Lost general	$514,005	$509,648
Grand total			$514,005	$509,648
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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Government

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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)