Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas redrew its congressional district boundaries in August 2025. Voters will elect representatives under the new map in 2026. Click here to read more about mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections.

← 2024
Texas' 21st Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 8, 2025
Primary: March 3, 2026 Primary runoff: May 26, 2026 General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Texas
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
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A Democratic Party primary takes place on March 3, 2026, in Texas' 21st Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline	Primary election	General election
December 8, 2025	March 3, 2026	November 3, 2026

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. State law requires voters to sign the following pledge before voting in a primary: "I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year."

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Texas' 21st Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

• Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
• Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2026

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21

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

		Candidate
		Kristin Hook
		Gary Taylor
		Regina Vanburg

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	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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Daniel Weber (D)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Kristin Hook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I’m Dr. Kristin Hook – a scientist, public servant, and working-class Democrat running to serve Texas’ 21st Congressional District. I’m running to fight for affordability, expand opportunity, and demand accountability for working Texans. As a former middle school teacher with a PhD in animal behavior, I’m well prepared to handle Congress. Before running for office, I served the public in both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. At the U.S. Government Accountability Office, I protected your hard-earned tax dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse and advised Congress on emerging technologies like AI. At the National Institutes of Health, I worked to expand access to health care for all. And in the U.S. Senate, I fought corruption and held powerful politicians and corporate CEOs accountable as an oversight investigator. As a scientist, I’m trained to solve tough problems using facts – not ideology. That’s the approach we need to fix our broken health care system, strengthen public schools, and unrig an economy that isn't working for everyday Texans. I know how to pull the levers of government so it works for us — not against us. In 2024, I was the Democratic nominee for this seat and saw how many people were left behind by a lack of real leadership. I’m running again to be the leader our community deserves – one who shows up, listens, and delivers real results through strong constituent services."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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IT’S TIME TO PUT WORKING PEOPLE IN CHARGE: Like so many in our district, I know what it’s like when costs go up but paychecks don’t. It’s time to put working people in charge and build an economy that works for all of us – not billionaires and special interests. As an elected union leader and grassroots organizer, I’ve led campaigns to raise staff wages, empowered workers, and held those in power accountable. In Congress, I’ll fight to raise the living wage, lower costs for housing, health care, childcare, and elder care. I’ll protect the ACA and expand programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. I’ll demand fair taxes for the wealthy, crack down on price-gouging and monopolies, and repeal Trump’s billionaire tax cuts.

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EVERYONE DESERVES A FAIR SHOT: I’m an unlikely scientist. I was raised by a single mom who never had the chance to go to college. Thanks to taxpayers like you, I did. Pell Grants and a National Science Foundation award helped me earn two degrees at UT-Austin and a PhD at Cornell. I chose a career in public service to give back – as a middle school teacher in an underserved community and as a federal scientist. Over the past year, these doors of opportunity have been slammed shut, and too many Texans have seen their rights rolled back. In Congress, I’ll fight to repair what’s broken, strengthen public schools, expand training programs, protect civil and reproductive rights and safeguard our environment for a healthy, liveable future.

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I’VE HELD POWERFUL INTERESTS ACCOUNTABLE – AND I’LL DO IT AGAIN: As a former federal scientist, I know government can be a force for good – not a weapon of oppression. I’ve protected taxpayer dollars at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, stood up for federal workers as an elected union leader, and held the Trump administration and corporate CEOs accountable as an oversight investigator in the Senate. In Congress, I’ll keep fighting corruption and the abuse of power and will use oversight, subpoenas, and the power of the purse to enforce the law, defend our democracy, and make sure our government works for we the people — not billionaires or special interests.

Regina Vanburg

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I’m Dr. Regina Vanburg — a daughter of Texas 21. I grew up in Bandera and was educated here from elementary school through high school. I spent my childhood kayaking our green-water rivers, cruising the backroads, and dancing in Hill Country dance halls. I know our hills, our rivers, and our people — rural and urban — because this place is home. I’m also the daughter of an immigrant and both of my parents are veterans who later continued their service in the federal government. In my family, service wasn’t optional — it was expected — and I carried that forward. I earned a double major in Government and History from UT Austin, an M.A. from St. Edward’s, and a Psy.D. from Our Lady of the Lake University. I am a VA-trained trauma psychologist. I served veterans at the Audie Murphy VA hospital and in the Kerrville outpatient clinic, and now I work at Lackland Air Force Base, supporting recruit well-being in Military City, USA. Because I was raised, educated, trained, and continue to serve here, I know Texas 21 is really a nine-county neighborhood with shared values. We are the Texas Hill Country. We love our land, we know water is life, we show up for our neighbors, and we expect honesty from our leaders. The July 4th flood in Kerr County was a painful reminder of how connected we are — and how costly government inaction can be. I’m not a career politician. I’m a public servant and a Hill Country daughter, running to make sure every voice in Texas 21 is heard in Washington."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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"It’s we the people, not we the poor.” Working families are doing everything right and still falling behind. Wages stagnate while billionaires pay lower effective tax rates than teachers and nurses. I’ll close loopholes, make billionaires pay their fair share, co-sponsor Right to Repair and other pro-consumer protections, and champion measures that rein in corporate power. I’ll invest in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, so our economy works for all of us — not just 1% of us. We are not commodities to make tech bros richer — we are Texans, and Corporate America needs a reminder.

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"Our water, our homes, our power — not for sale." Big corporations and Big Tech are buying land, water rights, housing, and power — often in secret deals. Essentials aren’t profit centers. I’ll use federal muscle to back local watchdogs — river authorities, groundwater districts, housing advocates, and community leaders — so they have the resources to defend public assets. I’ll hold utilities accountable when they protect shareholders over ratepayers and make the use of NDAs to hide deals that harm public resources prosecutable.

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"Your vote is the power they fear — so vote like it." Everything we care about in this country depends on free and fair elections. Drawing unfair maps, restricting access to the polls, and coming after our vote all mean one thing: they are afraid of the power of the American electorate at the ballot box — the power of your vote. And they should be. When people don’t vote, corporations and extremists win every time. When people show up, we get a government controlled by the people — not the corporations. I’ll defend access to the ballot, end gerrymandering, stop mid-decade power grabs, and fight to repeal Citizens United.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

Election information in Texas: March 3, 2026, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Feb. 2, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by Feb. 2, 2026
• Online: N/A

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Feb. 20, 2026
• By mail: Received by Feb. 20, 2026
• Online: N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: March 3, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by March 3, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Feb. 17, 2026 to Feb. 27, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CT/MT)

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Kristin Hook	Democratic Party	$48,251	$8,505	$44,103	As of December 31, 2025
Gary Taylor	Democratic Party	$16,142	$12,421	$3,721	As of December 31, 2025
Regina Vanburg	Democratic Party	$908	$32	$876	As of September 30, 2025
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.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district before and after redistricting ahead of the 2026 election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below is the district map used in the 2024 election next to the map in place for the 2026 election. Click on a map below to enlarge it.

2024

2026

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026

Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+11. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 11 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 21st the 104th most Republican district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Texas' 21st Congressional District

Kamala Harris	Donald Trump
38.6%	59.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Texas, 2024

Texas presidential election results (1900-2024)

• 16 Democratic wins
• 15 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	2024
Winning Party	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

See also: Party control of Texas state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Texas' congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Texas
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	12	12
Republican	2	25	27
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	1	1
Total	2	38	40

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Texas' top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Texas, October 2025

Office	Officeholder
Governor	Greg Abbott
Lieutenant Governor	Dan Patrick
Secretary of State	Jane Nelson
Attorney General	Ken Paxton

State legislature

Texas State Senate

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	11
	Republican Party	18
	Other	0
	Vacancies	2
Total		31

Texas House of Representatives

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	62
	Republican Party	88
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		150

Trifecta control

Texas Party Control: 1992-2025
Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Texas in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Texas, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Texas	U.S. House	Democratic or Republican	2% of votes cast for governor in the district in the last election, or 500, whichever is less	$3,125	12/8/2025	Source
Texas	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	5% of all votes cast for governor in the district in the last election, or 500, whichever is less	N/A	12/8/2025	Source

See also

• Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
• Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2026
• United States House elections in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primaries)
• United States House elections in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Republican primaries)
• United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2026
• United States House Republican Party primaries, 2026
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2026
• U.S. House battlegrounds, 2026

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic

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

Christian Menefee (D)

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 (13)

2025-2026 Elections to the United States Congress

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Election information

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates • List of candidates running for election • List of congressional challengers • Retiring senators • Retiring representatives

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Super PACs/Organizations

American Bridge 21st Century • American Crossroads • American Unity PAC • Campaign for Primary Accountability • Club for Growth Action • Congressional Leadership Fund • Cooperative of American Physicians IE Committee• Crossroads Generation • Ending Spending Action Fund • Endorse Liberty • Fair Share Action • FreedomWorks for America • Government Integrity Fund • House Majority PAC • Independence USA Fund • League of Conservation Voters • Liberty for All PAC • Majority PAC • National Association of Realtors • NEA Advocacy Fund • Now or Never PAC • Planned Parenthood Votes • Ready for Hillary • Republicans for a Prosperous America • Restore America's Voice PAC • SEIU Pea-Federal • Women Vote!

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