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Scott Mandel
Scott Mandel (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]
Biography
Scott Mandel was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He earned a master's degree from Texas A&M Corpus Christi in 1998. His career experience includes working as a chief executive officer and a government security contractor. He has been affiliated with the National Business Aviation Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and the National Rifle Association (NRA).[1][2]
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."[3]
Eric Flores (no relation to Mayra Flores) is a lawyer and veteran of the U.S. Army and Texas Army National Guard.[4] He previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.[4] 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."[4] He says he would work to secure the country's borders while supporting legal immigration.[5][6] Highlighting his military experience, Flores says he provided border security for Texas with the National Guard and that he would address veterans' issues.[4][5]
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."[7] 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."[8] 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."[8]
Mandel is a former law enforcement officer and business owner.[9] 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."[10] 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.[10] Mandel says he would address veterans' issues and support changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs.[10]
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
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. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for U.S. House Texas District 34
Eddie Espinoza (G) 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. | ||||
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Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34
Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D) and Etienne Rosas (D) 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
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 | $1,000,000 | $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.[11][12][13]
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.
2024
See also: Texas' 27th Congressional District election, 2024
Texas' 27th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)
Texas' 27th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 27
Incumbent Michael Cloud defeated Tanya Lloyd in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 27 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael Cloud (R) | 66.0 | 183,980 |
 | Tanya Lloyd (D) | 34.0 | 94,596 | |
| Total votes: 278,576 | |||
| = 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
- Eric Scott Loyd (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 27
Tanya Lloyd defeated Anthony Tristan in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 27 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tanya Lloyd | 53.3 | 10,305 |
 | Anthony Tristan | 46.7 | 9,013 | |
| Total votes: 19,318 | |||
| = 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 27
Incumbent Michael Cloud defeated Scott Mandel, Luis Espindola, and Chris Mapp in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 27 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Cloud | 74.6 | 53,304 |
| Scott Mandel | 15.1 | 10,791 | |
 | Luis Espindola | 5.4 | 3,838 | |
 | Chris Mapp | 5.0 | 3,553 | |
| Total votes: 71,486 | |||
| = 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
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Mandel in this election.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Scott Mandel has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Scott Mandel, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign website
Mandel's campaign website stated the following:
Serve
Service is more than a promise - it’s a way of life. I’ve spent my career protecting families, creating jobs, and standing up for the people who make South Texas strong. I am proud of my district, our state, and our country- and I am proud to serve you.
Strengthen
We strengthen our communities by investing in people - in their safety, their opportunities, and their futures. Together, we can build a stronger Texas rooted in hard work, and common sense. The American dream is still alive, and in Texas it wears boots.
Succeed
When South Texans have the tools, support, and freedom to thrive, we all succeed. Our growing economy, powered by energy, trade, and innovation, proves that prosperity begins when we work together to create opportunity for every Texan.
"Leadership is about giving back, NOT cashing in." -Scott MandelOur Issues Together as Texans
Faith, Family & Community
My Catholic faith has been instrumental in how I serve others. It has taught me humility, discipline, and the importance of spiritual leadership. I'm fully committed to protecting life and promoting families. I have been married for 41 years, raised 3 children, and enjoy grandparenting our 4 grandchildren.
I was born, raised, and work in District 34. My family and I have been very active in the community for many years sponsoring over 30 non-profit organizations. As my commitment to our community, I will donate my entire congressional salary to the communities I represent.
Border Security & Human Dignity
A strong border creates a strong nation. We must provide for a full border shutdown once and for all, to protect future generations. By using forward operating bases and our military we can eliminate drug and human trafficking.
My plan is called ABICUS (America's Border Immigration Control and Unified Systems). ABICUS creates a zero-tolerance policy for illegal immigration and creates a strong pathway for managed legal migration.
Veteran Support
Our veterans need to be treated with the same respect they had when they wore the uniform. Too many veterans continue to struggle with the VA health care system. Our system should allow our veterans to choose their doctors and encourage doctors to accept reasonable payments.
The VA should be in the business of paying medical bills and not be in the in-house doctor business. The days of having to wait months for an appointment or drive for hours to a VA clinic needs to change.
Fiscal Responsibility & Economic Growth
As a small businessman I understand the need to run a lean, efficient operation while providing services to our clients. As a government contractor I have seen the systems causing much of the waste and inefficiencies of our Federal government. We need a government that supports our industries, our small businesses, our farmers. We need policies designed to promote growth rather than punish success.
Economic growth is stifled by too many regulations and by a government that spends too much on unnecessary programs. I'm committed to rooting out corruption from our system and putting the needs of our communities first.
Protecting Social Security
I will oppose any effort to cut Social Security benefits. We have contributed to the system with the promise that it would be there when we need it the most. The program is not a handout; it is money earned through decades of hard work. I will work to ensure that we can continue to depend on the promises our government has made to us.
Public Safety & Law Enforcement
The first role of government is to protect its citizens. Our communities deserve a justice system which keeps our safety as its top priority, not coddling criminals and looking for excuses for repeat offenders. As a former law enforcement officer I understand the strong need to support our police and sheriffs.
I commit to finding our law enforcement agencies the funding they need to do their jobs for us.
Powering Texas & Fueling our Future
Texas leads the nation in energy production, and South Texas is driving that growth. Corpus Christi now ranks among the top ten economies in the world, fueled by energy exports, trade, and innovation. The Rio Grande Valley continues to expand as one of the fastest-growing energy and logistics regions in America, creating opportunity and stability for thousands of families. I will work to keep this momentum strong by supporting fair regulations, expanding infrastructure, and protecting the jobs that power our communities. Energy independence is not just an industry goal; it is essential to our future prosperity and national security.
Making Healthcare Affordable
Healthcare has become too expensive for too many families, with rising premiums and costs that strain hardworking Texans. I know what it feels like to grow up in economic struggle and to see how rising costs can push basic needs out of reach. I have also seen firsthand how the system fails the people who need care the most. In Congress, I will fight to make healthcare and prescription drugs more affordable, increase transparency in pricing, and protect access to quality care for every South Texan. No one should have to choose between paying their bills and getting the care they need.
Education & Opportunity for All
Every child deserves a chance to succeed whether that means college, a trade school, or a career that helps support themselves. We can build a successful education system by improving partnerships between schools and local industries. School choice can give those families the opportunity to find the proper education environment for their children.
— Scott Mandel's campaign website (November 20, 2025)
Campaign ads
View more ads here:
2024
Scott Mandel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mandel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- I am conservative, bring 33 years of successful business and federal experience to the job. I am the only candidate that is very knowledgeable about the border crisis and federal issues.
- Since the 1940’s we have built fences on the US/Mexico border. 84 years later we have about 700 miles of fence, have improved technology and manpower, spent billions yet we still are not able to control illegal immigration, legal migrations, and drug trafficking. I will introduce legislation to close the border, overhaul immigration, the visa program and place a temporary limit on legal immigration based on our capabilities and needs.
- We continue to spend money we do not have. The US is in debt to the tune of 34 trillion dollars. I will introduce legislation that would require every federal agency receiving federal dollars to complete a detailed questionnaire justifying their role, responsibilities and their costs to Congress and the American people.
Immigration
A movie I would recommend is Lincoln.
Keep promises, do good, preserve life,
Propose, vote and enact laws and policies for the greater good of their district, state and country.
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
Mandel’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
THE TEXAS BORDER ESCALATING NATIONAL DEBT OUR CURRENT REPRESENTATION |
” |
| —Scott Mandel’s campaign website (2024)[15] | ||
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
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Candidate U.S. House Texas District 34 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 9, 2024
- ↑ Facebook, "Scott Mandel on December 26, 2023," accessed January 11, 2024
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Former GOP Rep. Mayra Flores switches districts to challenge Rep. Vicente Gonzalez for third time," August 27, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Eric Flores 2026 campaign website, "About Eric," accessed November 10, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 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
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 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
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 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
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Scott Mandel for Congress, “Issues,” accessed January 18, 2024
