Stephen Long
Stephen Long (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 8th Congressional District. Long lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Long completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Stephen Long's career experience includes working as a manager. He earned a bachelor's degree from Sam Houston State University in 1991.[1]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the March 3, 2026, Republican primary for Texas' 8th Congressional District as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Jessica Steinmann (R) defeated Brett Jensen (R), Nick Tran (R), and three other candidates in the Republican primary for Texas' 8th Congressional District on March 3, 2026. Steinmann and Tran led in media attention and endorsements.
Incumbent Morgan Luttrell (R) did not run for re-election. For a list of U.S. Representatives who are not running for re-election in 2026, click here. The last time this district was open was 2022, when Luttrell was first elected.
Steinmann was an attorney and worked as general counsel for the America First Policy Institute at the time of the election.[2][3] She served as Director of the Office of Victims of Crime in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from 2020 to 2021 and previously worked for the office of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and the Texas House of Representatives.[4] Steinmann said she would focus on family-related policies, highlighting her work in the DOJ addressing human trafficking and her litigation requiring transgender athletes to participate in sports based on their sex.[2] Steinmann campaigned on her legal experience, saying she has "led the charge in conservative fights" through litigation.[2] Highlighting President Donald Trump (R) appointing her to the DOJ, Steinmann said she supported Trump’s policies and has "stood shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump and the America First movement."[2] Trump, Cruz, Luttrell, and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) endorsed Steinmann.[5][6][7][8]
At the time of the election, Tran was a small business owner and U.S. Army veteran.[9] Tran said he would focus on economic growth and reducing the cost of living by decreasing small business regulations, lowering taxes, and reducing federal spending.[10] Highlighting his career experience in the energy industry, he also said he would promote oil and gas production to improve the economy.[10] Tran said he would improve public safety by increasing funding for border patrol and law enforcement, as well as by "staunchly oppos[ing] legislation that restricts our right to bear arms."[10] Tran campaigned on his military service and said he would "create a system that honors our veterans, empowers them to succeed, and ensures that no one who served this great nation is left behind."[10] Former Republican Party of Texas chair Allen West (R) and Veterans for America First endorsed Tran.[11][12]
Also running in the primary were Jay Fondren (R), Jensen, Stephen Long (R), and Deddrick Wilmer (R).
As of November 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Safe/Solid Republican. Luttrell won re-election in 2024 with 68% of the vote.
Texas conducted redistricting between the 2024 and 2026 elections. As a result, district lines in this state changed. To review how redistricting took place in Texas, click here. For a list of all states that drew new district lines between 2024 and 2026, click here.
Elections
2026
See also: Texas' 8th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House Texas District 8
Laura Jones (D) and Jessica Steinmann (R) are running in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 8 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Laura Jones (D) | |
 | Jessica Steinmann (R) | |
| ||||
 = 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
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 8
Laura Jones (D) defeated Keith Coleman (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 8 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laura Jones | 66.6 | 20,816 |
 | Keith Coleman | 33.4 | 10,429 | |
| Total votes: 31,245 | |||
| = 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
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 8
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 8 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jessica Steinmann | 69.0 | 34,358 |
 | Brett Jensen | 13.0 | 6,451 | |
 | Nick Tran | 11.9 | 5,920 | |
 | Stephen Long | 2.9 | 1,440 | |
 | Jay Fondren | 1.9 | 963 | |
 | Deddrick Wilmer | 1.3 | 639 | |
| Total votes: 49,771 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election campaign finance
Candidate spending
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Fondren | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Brett Jensen | Republican Party | $2,459,347 | $2,422,835 | $36,512 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Stephen Long | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Jessica Steinmann | Republican Party | $1,432,342 | $1,003,016 | $429,326 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Nick Tran | Republican Party | $235,703 | $195,679 | $40,024 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Deddrick Wilmer | Republican Party | $46,032 | $38,214 | $7,818 | As of February 11, 2026 |
|
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.[13][14][15]
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 |
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Stephen Long completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Long's responses.
| Collapse all
I have lived in the Montgomery County area for more than 30 years and raised my family here. I spent my entire career in the oilfield services industry, where I was proud to take part in the American shale revolution while also gaining valuable international experience. Throughout my career, I worked both domestically and abroad, developing energy resources, managing complex projects, and navigating global markets.
I grew up in Leon County, Texas, where I learned the value of hard work at an early age. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Industrial Technology, from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
As a long-time resident of Montgomery County and the parent of four children raised in this community, I understand the everyday challenges facing families in Texas’s 8th Congressional District. This background gives me a clear understanding of the needs of our neighbors and the practical concerns of working families. I am committed to bringing real-world experience, common-sense solutions, and responsible leadership to public service.- I consider myself a moderate conservative who believes in core American values such as hard work, honesty, and integrity. I support economic freedom and results-based policies, while also recognizing that some individuals face real disadvantages and may need additional support. Above all, I believe in striving to be the best version of ourselves, guided by thoughtful and measured compassion for others.
- I also believe our nation’s current financial practices are unsustainable. As a member of Congress, I would be a strong advocate for balancing the federal budget and reducing the national debt. Many economists warn that unchecked debt poses a serious risk to our children’s future. If we continue on our current path, future generations will bear the burden through fewer opportunities, higher taxes, and reduced economic stability.
- I support the current law on abortion as it currently stands. I am socially conservative on most other issues.
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 January 30, 2026
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Jessica Steinmann 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ Maverick PAC, "Jessica Hart Steinmann - Class of 2017," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Jessica Hart Steinmann," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ Truth Social, "Donald Trump on Truth Social, February 16, 2026," February 16, 2026
- ↑ Facebook, "Jessica Hart Steinmann on September 22, 2025," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ Facebook, "Jessica Hart Steinmann on October 14, 2025," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ Jessica Hart Steinmann on September 16, 2025," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ Nick Tran 2026 campaign website, "About Me," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Nick Tran 2026 campaign website, "Political Priorities," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ X, "Nick Tran on October 13, 2025," accessed November 2, 2025
- ↑ Facebook, "Nick Tran for Congress on October 23, 2025," accessed November 2, 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
