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Melissa McDonough

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Melissa McDonough
Image of Melissa McDonough

Democratic Party

Candidate, U.S. House Texas District 38

Elections and appointments
Next election

March 3, 2026

Personal
Birthplace
Marietta, Ohio
Religion
Christian: Lutheran
Profession
Realtor
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Melissa McDonough (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 38th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.[source]

Biography

Melissa McDonough was born in Marietta, Ohio. Her career experience includes working as a realtor and election judge. She has been affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS and Harris County Democratic Lawyers Association.[1]

Elections

2026

See also: Texas' 38th 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 38

Curtis Cook II, Theresa Courts, Marvalette Hunter, and Melissa McDonough are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Curtis Cook II
Image of Theresa Courts
Theresa Courts
Image of Marvalette Hunter
Marvalette Hunter
Image of Melissa McDonough
Melissa McDonough

There are no incumbents in this race.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

Incumbent Wesley Hunt and Damien Mockus are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Wesley Hunt
Wesley Hunt
Image of Damien Mockus
Damien Mockus Candidate Connection

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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

2024

See also: Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2024

Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 38

Incumbent Wesley Hunt defeated Melissa McDonough and Avery Ayers in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 38 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Wesley Hunt
Wesley Hunt (R)
 
62.7
 
215,030
Image of Melissa McDonough
Melissa McDonough (D) Candidate Connection
 
37.2
 
127,640
Image of Avery Ayers
Avery Ayers (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
94

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 342,764
Candidate Connection = 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

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

Melissa McDonough defeated Gion Thomas in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Melissa McDonough
Melissa McDonough Candidate Connection
 
82.5
 
18,486
Image of Gion Thomas
Gion Thomas Candidate Connection
 
17.5
 
3,910

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 22,396
Candidate Connection = 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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

Incumbent Wesley Hunt advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Wesley Hunt
Wesley Hunt
 
100.0
 
62,340

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 62,340
Candidate Connection = 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 38

Chad Abbey advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 16, 2024.

Candidate
✔
Image of Chad Abbey
Chad Abbey (L)

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = 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

McDonough received the following endorsements.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Melissa McDonough has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Melissa McDonough asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Melissa McDonough, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask Melissa McDonough to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing melissa@melissaforcongress.com.

Email

2024

Candidate Connection

Melissa McDonough completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McDonough's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I have been a Tomball resident for 30 years, wife to a cybersecurity engineer, and mother of two brilliant sons who now work for Department of Defense.

As a REALTOR© and small business owner, I have experience working with Congress and lobbying on behalf of affordable housing, affordable healthcare, and consumer protection.

One recent example of my lobbying efforts is with veteran homelessness. Harris County had not received HUD-VASH funds for homeless veterans since 2016. Soon after knocking on the doors of Congress, Harris County received $800,000 in HUD-VASH funds for the first time in years.

During the 2022 election, I worked as a Presiding Judge at one of the busiest polling sites in Harris County. I also worked Ballot Board, Signature Verification, and Central Count. After losing their races, dozens of candidates sued Harris County over false accusations of election fraud. My witness testimony helped to deliver a win for Harris County in nearly all of those cases.

I felt compelled to get more involved in politics after seeing family separation at the border, the George Floyd protests, and the overturning of Roe vs Wade. With two children who work for the Pentagon, I want responsible leadership in the White House and a Congress that works for the people.
  • We have more in common than what divides us. With extremism in government, the 118th Congress has been chaotic and unproductive. For the past 30 years, Congress has enacted an average of 419 bills into legislation per term. This Congress has only enacted 78 bills as of August 2024. Partisan politics are dividing our nation, and we must learn to talk to each other and compromise to get things done.
  • The Purple Solution. Instead of "reaching across the aisle," we should eliminate "the aisle" and focus on common sense solutions. As representative of District 38, I would make the office more accessible to our constituents. I would create a mobile office that changes location daily to better serve people throughout the district. I want to serve ALL people in the district, and not just the ones who voted for me. It's not a red problem or a blue problem, but a purple solution!
  • Let's get to work! The incumbent representative has missed 1 in 6 votes (188 votes as of July), is under investigation for misuse of funds, and lives two districts away. We deserve better representation than this. We need a representative who will show up to work and get things done. I have been able to get things accomplished without even being in office. Our government needs to work smarter AND harder.
Get money out of politics

Ever since the Citizens United decision, dark money has flooded the political landscape, marginalizing our voting power.

Fix the border
It has been almost 30 years since Congress last passed immigration reform. I have visited the border multiple times and heard from officials what improvements are needed.

Reduce housing costs
As a REALTOR©, I understand how housing costs impact generations of families and businesses.

End veteran homelessness
Those who have served our country should never face homelessness.

Protect women’s health

Women across America have lost reproductive freedom at the discretion of politicians. These matters should be determined by individuals and their doctors.
Where's Waldo? Because we can't seem to find our representative anywhere in the district!
For starters, our representative should live in the district they represent. Know our community , what they need, and what they expect to be completed by the representative that we hire and holding them accountable. A good representative should prioritize the needs of the American people over the desires of their party.
I've been doing representation for 30 years.
On the surface, Congress is supposed to elect a Speaker and pass a budget. Our current Congress has had issues with both of these tasks.

On a deeper level, representatives are supposed to respond to the needs of their district and enact legislation that helps all Americans. They also inform their constituents of developments that impact the district and mitigate any potential harms that may arise.
On a national level, they are the microscopic representation of Americans. The Senate represents the state, and the House represents the people.
It is more important to have people experience. Listening to the needs of their people, and being able to truly interpret what they are trying to say and what you as a representative can do to help them.
Income inequality has a widespread impact on all facets of society, and will only worsen without proper policy solutions.
The brevity of a representative's term makes it difficult to show results in time for reelection.
Yes, please.
There are multiple representatives who inspire me in a variety of ways. I admire Sheila Jackson Lee's determination, Jamie Raskin's deep knowledge of the Constitution, Liz Cheney's integrity to put country over party, and Jasmine Crockett's fiery attitude to make things better.
The PTSD Foundation has a rehabilitation campus in CD38 called Camp Hope. I have visited Camp Hope several times and gotten to know many veterans who suffer from PTSD and are dedicating themselves to a better path where they can use their skills acquired in the military for domestic use. PTSD is a mental illness that can bring our warriors down to rock bottom, but their determination to serve allows them to overcome and adapt for a better life.
Yes. Compromise is an integral part of the Purple Solution.
Raising revenue is where some of the income inequalities originate in America. Instead of top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top, we need a middle-out approach.
Investigations should not be retaliatory or have hidden agendas.
Appropriations

- Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Military Construction Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies
- Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Oversight and Accountability
- Cyber Security, Information Technology and Government Innovation
- National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs
- Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs

Energy and Commerce
- Energy, Climate and Grid Security
- Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Minerals
- Health
- Innovation, Data and Commerce
- Oversight and Investigations

Also interested in 22 caucuses.
Taxpayers deserve to know how their tax dollars are spent, and government offices should be responsible for the outcomes of their policies.

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: McDonough submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on August 29, 2024.

Campaign website

McDonough’s campaign website stated the following:

“

Economy
Inflation
Inflation has been a major concern for everyone over the past few years. Supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and corporate greed are all factors that have caused abnormally high inflation in almost all industries.

While the rest of the world still struggles with high inflation, the US has managed to bring it down to a more desirable level. I am hoping to continue smart policy that is proactive and not reactive.

International Trade
With thousands of miles of coastal and international boundaries, Texas is a major center of international trade. Bad foreign policy can hurt our relationships with our trading partners, as well as hurt Americans financially.

Donald Trump’s trade war with China cost Americans $80 billion in new taxes. Governor Abbott cost Texas billions in lost revenue because of his border stunts. These xenophobic policies don’t help anyone. Good trade policy requires treating your trading partners with respect.

Education
Quality Education for All
Of all 50 states, Texas ranks 49th in high school graduation rate with 84.4%. This is not a good look for Texas. With the recent takeover of HISD, Governor Abbott’s relentless push for vouchers, and the recent major cut in property taxes used for funding schools, it seems as though Texas Republicans want public education to fail.

Improper funding of public education is a major factor in the school to prison pipeline. Education is a tool that when used improperly, perpetuates systemic oppression against targeted groups. Instead of banning books and classes that teach about culture, we should be focusing on the future while learning from the past.

Affordable Tuition
Students who wish to acquire advanced degrees should not be punished with a lifetime of debt. Going to college should be an option for all who wish to learn, and not a privilege for only the wealthy.

As other developed nations such as Germany and Norway provide tuition-free education to their residents, many brilliant American minds are priced out of the education they deserve. We need to make quality education more affordable and accessible so everyone can prosper.

Elections
Defend Democracy
Democracy is under attack in this country, and especially in Texas. Our voter turnout ranked 44 out of 50 states in 2020 with only a 60% turnout. Since then, Republicans have made baseless claims about election fraud but have been unable to prove it.

As an election worker, I have been on the front lines of defending democracy. We need to make mail-in voting easier, continue to allow county-wide voting, have more accessible polling locations, and keep polling locations safe and fully stocked with the resources they need.

Environment
Renewable Energy
Texas prides itself on being the energy capital of the United States. If we want to retain that title, we need to embrace renewable energy innovation.

The petroleum industry will always be an integral part of the Texas economy, but we will be left behind if we do not keep up with advances in energy. Using renewables in conjunction with fossil fuels will help keep our grid from failing while mitigating negative environmental impacts.

Flood Mitigation
As Harris County continues to develop and grow, the risk of flood damage increases. We need responsible and consistent approaches to land development and water retention. We shouldn’t have to make the decision to flood one community to save others.

Equality
Social Justice
A nation that prides itself on “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” should be tolerant of all backgrounds and lifestyles as long as they aren’t hurting anyone. Unfortunately, racism still exists in America, and accounts for the majority of hate crimes.

Injustice against the LGBTQ+ community continues to plague our institutions as extremists push policies that reverse decades of progress. People are people, and we all deserve a chance at happiness.

Divisive rhetoric from extremists only tear us apart. Together, we must stand, and realize we have more in common that what divides us.

Criminal Justice
A true democracy should not have a two-tiered justice system where the rich and powerful are treated differently than the middle and lower classes. From politicians to police officers, all authority figures should follow the laws that taxpayers pay them to enforce.

Texas has more prisoners than any other state with an incarceration rate of 443 inmates per 100k people (national average is 350 per 100k). Yet the top legal official in Texas has been under felony indictment for eight years and has not set foot in court. This does not demonstrate equality or justice.

Gun Safety
Protect Our Children
With gun violence being the number one cause of death among kids aged 1 to 18, something must be done to protect our children.

There is nothing more “pro-life” than common sense gun laws. Gun safety at home is more important than anywhere else, and all gun owners should be responsible with their firearms.

Stop the Mass Shootings
Since Abbott has become Governor, Texas has had more mass shootings than any other state. By enabling “Constitutional Carry,” Texas is more dangerous than it has been in decades.

“Thoughts and prayers” clearly aren’t enough. Banning guns is not a practical solution, but neither is doing nothing. We need to have a conversation on how to move forward as a safer nation that still respects the Second Amendment. We need to promote more gun safety and address the mental health crisis that affects our nation.

Healthcare
Women’s Health
Ever since the Supreme Court ruled that states can ban abortion, Texas has become a dangerous place for women. 50% of Texas counties do not have a women’s health provider. Infant mortality increased by 11% since the ban went into effect. This is not “pro-life,” this is “pro-forced birth.” Women deserve the right to bodily autonomy, and their healthcare decisions should be made privately with a physician.

Between April and December 2021, Texas had an increase in 9,800 births. Only time will tell how the increase in births will affect our foster care system, education system, crime rate, and welfare budget.

Medicaid
Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country with 18% uninsured residents (national average is 7.9% uninsured). In the US, medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcy.

Expanding Medicaid is a cost-effective way to help Texans get access to quality healthcare. Governor Abbott refused to expand Medicaid when given the chance, which denied an estimated $100 billion in additional federal funding for healthcare. We should expand Medicaid and make Texas a state where getting sick won’t ruin your life.

Immigration
Border Control
The United States is a country founded by immigrants, and our diversity is one of our strengths. However, the situation at the border has gotten out of hand. Instead of wasting taxpayer money on ineffective barriers, we should be streamlining the immigration process. Long immigration backlogs increase the chances of illegal immigration.

Going to the Source
While we need to address the immigration issues at our own border, we also need to help fix the root causes of illegal immigration. Decades of foreign intervention in Latin American countries have contributed to instability in the region. We can’t make a mess in a foreign nation and then complain when their people show up at our door. Foreign and domestic corruption need to be removed, and democracy and justice must be fostered.[2]

”
—Melissa McDonough’s campaign website (2024)[3]

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.

Melissa McDonough campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2026* U.S. House Texas District 38Candidacy Declared primary$8,870 $1,606
2024* U.S. House Texas District 38Lost general$193,005 $172,085
Grand total$201,875 $173,691
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

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External links

Candidate

U.S. House Texas District 38
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 29, 2024
    2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    3. ↑ Melissa for Congress, “Platform,” accessed January 12, 2024


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