Robert Slater

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This candidate is participating in a 2026 battleground election. Click here to read more about that election.
Robert Slater
Image of Robert Slater

Candidate, U.S. House Texas District 29

Elections and appointments
Next election

March 3, 2026

Personal
Birthplace
Houston, Texas
Religion
Baptist
Profession
Business executive
Contact

Robert Slater (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 29th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.[source]

Slater also ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 18th Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the special general election on November 4, 2025.

Biography

Robert Slater was born in Houston, Texas. His career experience includes working as a business executive, executive chef, restaurant owner, and business mentor.[1]

2026 battleground election

See also: Texas' 29th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Ballotpedia identified the March 3, 2026, Democratic primary as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.

Incumbent Sylvia Garcia (D), Jarvis Johnson (D), and Robert Slater (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Texas' 29th Congressional District on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025. As of November 2025, Garcia and Johnson led in local media attention.[2]

The primary is taking place in the context of redistricting in Texas ahead of the 2026 elections. The Texas Tribune's Gabby Birenbaum wrote: "For the last two election cycles, Hispanics have made up 63% of the eligible voting population in Garcia’s 29th District; under the new lines, they are just 43%. Meanwhile, the Black eligible voting population...grew from 18% under the previous map to 33% of the district."[2] To learn more about the redistricting in Texas, click here.

Garcia was first elected to the U.S. House in 2018. Her campaign website describes her as "the first Latina ever to represent Texas’ 29th Congressional District."[3] Birenbaum said Garcia "plans to campaign vigorously in her new territory to build a winning multiracial coalition, and rejects the notion that Black and brown voters will be factionalized."[2] Garcia says she is "a fighter who refuses to back down...[and] knows that protecting democracy means protecting our rights, our freedoms, and our way of life."[4] Garcia says she has a record of delivering for the district in Congress, including securing more than $1 billion in funding to establish a hydrogen hub in the district and funding improvements to local water mains.[5]

Johnson is a business owner and a former member of the Texas House of Representatives and the Houston City Council. Birenbaum said Johnson "has no policy disagreements with Garcia, but believes he could better address Black voters’ concerns and turn out the district’s voters in a general election, when Democrats will need every vote they can get to win statewide races."[2] Johnson says he is "a builder of futures, a connector of people, and a bold voice for those too often left out of the conversation."[6] Johnson says he has a record of accomplishment, including securing more than $2.1 billion in investments for Texas while in the state legislature.[7]

As of November 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales, and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Solid/Safe Democratic.

In the 2024 election, Garcia defeated Alan Garza (R) 65%–35% under the old district lines. An Inside Elections analysis of the August 2025 redistricting in Texas found the "7th and 29th districts both got a little bluer and remain Solid Democratic."[8]


Elections

2026

See also: Texas' 29th 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 29

Incumbent Sylvia Garcia, Jarvis Johnson, and Robert Slater are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 29 on March 3, 2026.


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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 29

Martha Fierro is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 29 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Martha Fierro
Martha Fierro

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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
Sylvia Garcia Democratic Party $405,896 $375,602 $402,048 As of September 30, 2025
Jarvis Johnson Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Robert Slater Democratic 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."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

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.[9][10][11]

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.

2025

See also: Texas' 18th Congressional District special election, 2025

General runoff election

Special general runoff election for U.S. House Texas District 18

Amanda Edwards and Christian Menefee are running in the special general runoff election for U.S. House Texas District 18 on January 31, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

Special general election for U.S. House Texas District 18

The following candidates ran in the special general election for U.S. House Texas District 18 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christian Menefee
Christian Menefee (D) Candidate Connection
 
28.9
 
21,979
Image of Amanda Edwards
Amanda Edwards (D)
 
25.6
 
19,440
Image of Jolanda Jones
Jolanda Jones (D)
 
19.1
 
14,524
Image of Carmen Montiel
Carmen Montiel (R) Candidate Connection
 
6.7
 
5,107
Image of Isaiah Martin
Isaiah Martin (D)
 
5.7
 
4,336
Ollie Knox (R)
 
4.1
 
3,130
Image of Stephen Huey
Stephen Huey (D) Candidate Connection
 
1.9
 
1,414
Ronald Whitfield (R)
 
1.5
 
1,174
Image of Carter Page
Carter Page (R)
 
1.2
 
943
Image of Theodis Daniel
Theodis Daniel (R)
 
1.2
 
937
Image of Valencia Williams
Valencia Williams (D)
 
1.2
 
915
George Foreman (Independent)
 
1.1
 
827
Feldon Bonner II (D)
 
0.7
 
553
Image of Vince Duncan
Vince Duncan (Independent)
 
0.5
 
407
Reyna Anderson (Independent)
 
0.3
 
263
Tammie Rochester (G) Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
135

Total votes: 76,084
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

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

2024

See also: Texas' 18th Congressional District election, 2024

Texas' 18th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

Texas' 18th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 18

Sylvester Turner defeated Lana Centonze, Vince Duncan, and Kevin Dural in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 18 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sylvester Turner
Sylvester Turner (D)
 
69.4
 
151,834
Image of Lana Centonze
Lana Centonze (R) Candidate Connection
 
30.5
 
66,810
Image of Vince Duncan
Vince Duncan (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
62
Image of Kevin Dural
Kevin Dural (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
14

Total votes: 218,720
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 18

Incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee defeated Amanda Edwards and Robert Slater (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 18 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sheila Jackson Lee
Sheila Jackson Lee
 
60.0
 
23,629
Image of Amanda Edwards
Amanda Edwards
 
37.3
 
14,668
Image of Robert Slater
Robert Slater (Unofficially withdrew) Candidate Connection
 
2.7
 
1,059

Total votes: 39,356
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 18

Lana Centonze defeated Aaron Hermes in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 18 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lana Centonze
Lana Centonze Candidate Connection
 
53.3
 
6,202
Image of Aaron Hermes
Aaron Hermes Candidate Connection
 
46.7
 
5,438

Total votes: 11,640
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Slater in this election.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

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

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2025

Robert Slater did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2024

Candidate Connection

Robert Slater completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Slater'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'm Robert Slater, and I'm running for Congress in Houston's 18th District. My campaign is focused on changing the narrative and working towards a brighter future for our community. My vision is to create an inclusive society where everyone has equal access to education, healthcare and other fundamental needs. I believe that by working together, we can build a better future for all.
  • Entrepreneurship opportunities/Jobs and wages
  • Mental Health
  • 2nd chance at life initiatives for veterans, homelessness and individual with criminal records
Mental health support and eradicating the stigmas surrounding the struggles of 20% Americans that suffer from its effects. This includes veterans dealing with PTSD, our youth struggling to find support as they find their way in life and even victims of acts of crime that is left to cope with trauma.
My father. Grew up in the foster system during the Jim Crow era and eventually joined the military to establish his American dream.
Forest Gump. Those that are misunderstood the most, will have the greatest impact in life.
Integrity, transparency and the ability to relate to the people that you represent.
A Fighter. I've made mistakes in life, but never viewed my life as a mistake. I relate and understand people that have struggled, dealt with failures, homelessness, mental health, joblessness and having your butt-kicked by life, and then overcoming those things by believing, learning and growing. Believing in you when no one else does is the greatest love of all, and that love makes all of the difference.
Ensuring the priorities and issues of the constituents that they represent are fought for diligently.
To be a living example that you are the author of your story. Nothing or no one can write your book. Every day you wake, you are adding lines to the pages and the final chapter isn't final until you say so!
Cuffin by Beyonce. My mother sings it everyday. Do not know why, and do not want to find out why.
Coming out of prison with restrictions. Today, I can own multiple businesses, and be extremely successful, yet I am not able to get an apartment in my name. I cannot get a loan for a business. So I had to take the longer route to my accomplishments. If you were a dancer in college to pat tuition or a victim of domestic violence, a war veteran or a drug addict. That was a chapter in your life that made you a stronger person. A chapter in a book does not tell the whole story of the novel,
The ability to engage on the front lines of the district they represent. To hear and educate their constituents and their counterparts. People over party should be the heart of the House.
No, You must have the experience of life to be qualified. The experience of struggles, doubt, sacrifice and overcoming challenges. That is the spirit of America. You must be able to relate!
Entitlements, Social security is not secure putting the next generation of retirees at risk which increase the burden on following generations.
Believe no politician should serve no more than 8 years.
John Mccain. Though he was a republican, he sided with democrats on issues that was right. He put the better good of America above party and self. More importantly, he defended President Obama from racist attacks displaying a level of integrity that is missing in today's politics.
Of a young college student afraid that his time in college is a waste because their is not enough mentors to set his generation up for success. He believed that all he has to learn on is experience which carried more weight than his diploma. That is sad to hear. Students are doing their part for a better future only to have the outdated and out of touch politicians in office today destroy their future while at the same time not willing to prepare and ensure the next generation receives its inheritance.
I laugh at everything. It keeps you young
Compromise is a must. No one party can walk away from the table with all of the food when everyone in the house must eat.
A major role. Revenue raised is by way of taxes. Who gets taxed? The middle class and the poor while the wealthy gets tax breaks. The people who works the hardest, pays the most. Where is the incentive in that?
Based on facts, fairness and legitimacy.

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

Slater’s campaign website stated the following:

Veterans
We owe our heroes more than a thank you for their service. Veterans have one of the highest suicide and homelessness rates in our country. We must create the necessary transitioning programs that effectively allow a soldier and their family to get acclimated into civilian life by ensuring that he/she/they have the skills, training, and support they may need on a continuing basis, ensuring a successful post-military life. We must address PTSD and create supporting resources and education for military families, strengthening the foundation within the soldiers' closest environment. I believe veterans have paid the ultimate price to our country and should be 100% federally tax-exempt. I also believe veterans should be a protected class, making it a federal offense to initiate harm to them, just as it would be for a person in Congress.

Economic Infrastructure
Houston has the highest number of LLC registrations in the country, and out of that great number, 68% are minorities. However, Houston falls to the bottom of the list for minority-owned venture capital, financing, business development, and funding. I believe that the government can help close this gap and create the greatest investment opportunity for an unprecedented demographic. Partnering with the SBA and HUD to develop campuses that allow minority entrepreneurs to utilize subsidized office space, receive mentoring and business development skills, while collaborating with the private sector to offer incubator initiatives, will reduce investment risk while increasing opportunities. This approach aims to create a culture of generational wealth and provide a positive culture shift with ramifications benefiting the African American community.

Healthcare
Universal healthcare is attainable, achievable, and the right thing to do. It is a right. Taking the war to health insurance special interests and examining whom they support to prevent universal healthcare is ground one. On average, there are 3-4 liquor stores within every 1-mile radius in District 18, but there's a lack of Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. Nutritional education, along with access to healthy and fresh foods at an affordable cost, is where we must begin in the preventative health aspect. Access to healthier eating, clinics, recreational programs, and senior care are all components to eliminating our health crises. Companies must offer paid time off for illnesses, including mental health, so that Americans do not have to choose between their health or a paycheck. Prescription drug prices should be capped, and the market should be opened to international suppliers to increase competitiveness and drive down costs.

Immigration:
I support Congress doing its job and addressing immigration once and for all. Being punitive to any human seeking better opportunities is inhumane. We are a country of migrants, inclusive to the contribution different cultures weave into our daily lives. There are rules of engagement and guardrails per the Geneva accords that dictate acts in war to ensure humanity sustains itself during any crisis. The separation of families, placing harmful floating barriers in the Rio Grande, and more lack the threshold that sustains humanity and our moral commitment. I personally believe the practice of shipping migrants from Texas to New York, Chicago, and anywhere else is no different than kidnapping or trafficking and should be an FBI review versus the Justice Department filing suit. I believe these acts are criminal. Congress must address this issue head-on. Securing our borders in the south and north is fundamental to our national security, but increasing ways and means for immigrants to legally enter in a timely manner is key.

Criminal Justice
We all know that an overhaul, decriminalization, and bail reform are crucial to our American justice system. I want to bring the focus to the recidivism side. When a person is released from prison and back into society, what opportunities exist for them to become a productive citizen? The State of Texas has over 4,500 restrictions for those with a criminal record. I, myself, can be a successful businessman and even run for Congress, but I cannot get an apartment in my name or secure loans for my businesses. If a person has paid their debt to society, why should the invoices keep coming? I believe we should have a national bond program that allows individuals with a criminal record to buy into a system, similar to healthcare insurance, enabling employers or housing agents who would be hesitant to take a chance on someone with a record to feel protected against risk. If damages occur from the individual, then the business may file a claim and be compensated for their losses. Most ex-convicts just need the opportunity to be successful and become productive in this society. Why would we want to restrict that? This country was built on redemption from its wrongs, so we must afford that same spirit to its citizens.

Mental Health
As a community, there are too many burdens economically, culturally, environmentally, and domestically that we deal with without knowing how to address them. Removing the stigma of mental health and addressing awareness can ultimately change a multitude of challenges our community faces. I want to build and provide resources and services in the heart of our communities so that those suffering may feel supported in identifying what they may be dealing with. Most importantly, I aim to educate our community on mental health awareness and support loved ones when needed. This is crucial for our young generation, where studies say 68% of minority teens are suffering from some form of a negative mental health marker. Discussing, educating, and supporting will have a positive impact on negative statistics such as crime traits, drug usage, self-esteem, education, and more.

Education
Tuition should be discussed as what it truly is: an investment. Supporting our young generation while transitioning in this phase of their life is critical to fostering and preparing them for not just their future but the country's future. Young Americans should not enter our workforce burdened with debt from education on top of the debt that failed leadership has imposed on them through our national debt. I believe the only educational cost should pertain to higher collegiate degrees such as master’s or doctorates. I am not a supporter of charter schools. Education should not be shopped; the investment should be more universally beneficial to all students regardless of their zip code. [12]

—Robert Slater’s campaign website (2024)[13]

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.


Robert Slater campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2025* U.S. House Texas District 18Withdrew general$0 N/A**
2024* U.S. House Texas District 18Lost primary$0 N/A**
Grand total$0 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal 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
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also


External links

Footnotes


Senators
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Al Green (D)
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Vacant
District 19
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Chip Roy (R)
District 22
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Republican Party (27)
Democratic Party (12)
Vacancies (1)