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Texas' 24th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)

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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' 24th Congressional District
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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
Texas' 24th Congressional District
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Texas elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Democratic Party primary takes place on March 3, 2026, in Texas' 24th 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."[1]

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

This page focuses on Texas' 24th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 24

Jon Buchwald, Kevin Burge, and TJ Ware are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Jon Buchwald
Jon Buchwald Candidate Connection
Image of Kevin Burge
Kevin Burge
Image of TJ Ware
TJ Ware Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

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

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.

Jon Buchwald

Image of Jon Buchwald

WebsiteFacebookX

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I am a true political outsider who is tired of seeing donor money skimmed and distributed to cronies, and the inability of the Democratic Party to make positive change. I am entering this race as an agent of change who is focused on Restoring the American Dream. Success should be within the grasp of hardworking people and not based on political gamesmanship. I'm a successful entrepreneur and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Cox Business School at SMU and Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas. I co-founded Infrasoft Corporation that marketed civil engineering technology in 30 countries and was acquired by Bentley Systems. We went public under the ticker symbol BSY. My background further includes 18 years of global consulting in high tech and healthcare. I hold a MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Computer Science from the University of California at San Diego. There are two keys to Restoring the American Dream: 1) Putting money into working people's pockets through affordable and accessible healthcare, education and housing. 2) Treating the pursuit of happiness as a human right. All Americans should have be able to live the life they choose, marry who they want, maintain their health, make a fair wage and afford a home."

Key Messages

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

It's time to Restore the American Dream that's been slipping away from so many people. The K-shaped economy where the top 10% get richer and bottom 90% get poorer not only is unfair but unsustainable. I will resolve this by ensure that everyone is able to earn a fair wage, maintain their health, and afford a home. People say these are unattainable objectives but this is not true. They have become unattainable due to a lack of economic balance, lowered educational standards and a system that increasingly favors those of extreme wealth. This can be fixed and I will take steps to remedy this situation.

While affordability is hugely important when talking about healthcare and housing, accessibility is often forgotten. Affordability without accessibility is no better than a lack of affordability. Unfortunately, the far right has been taking steps to make healthcare, housing and education less and less affordable. This is not sustainable and increases the divide between those who have and those do not. My plans for healthcare, housing and education address both affordability and accessibility, which are required in order for people to have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

Our system of campaign finance is horribly broken, and enables people to grift. One of the reasons that I entered the inherently dirty world of politics is to show that you don't have to be a grifter in order to win and affect positive change. The cronyism and outright theft of donor money through funneling to "consultants", "fund raisers" and "campaign managers" is truly disgusting. I hope that you will support my outsider campaign and my effort to clean up both politics and the Democratic Party.

TJ Ware

Image of TJ Ware

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "My name is TJ Ware, and I’m running for Congress in Texas’s 24th District to fight for working Americans, protect our constitutional rights, and restore integrity to our government. I’m a Marine Corps combat veteran, a former Department of Justice employee, and a successful entrepreneur. I’ve spent my life in service— to my country, to my community, and now I’m standing up to represent everyday Texans who are tired of being ignored by Washington. I graduated high school at 16 and began working for the U.S. Department of Justice shortly after. I experienced 9/11 as a Justice Department employee and a few months later I enlisted in the Marine Corps. I served during Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving in western Iraq in 2004. My time in the Marines taught me how to lead under pressure and put others before myself. My work at DOJ gave me an early look at how government functions—and how it sometimes fails the people it’s supposed to serve. After returning home, I used the GI Bill to become a licensed and instrument rated pilot. I served in nonprofit capacities before founding several small businesses. I built companies in construction, insurance adjusting and information/data. I worked for years, for property owners seeking fair compensation after disasters. I also have experience in general contracting, solar energy, electrical contracting, and commercial roofing. I’ve built businesses from the ground up and created many hundreds of jobs for others along the way. I understand"

Key Messages

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

It’s time for change-makers to challenge the establishment, push back against political parties, and cast aside divisive rhetoric, for the benefit of all Americans and the beautiful country we love. I swore an oath to uphold and defend the constitution from all enemies foreign or domestic. I took, and still take that oath VERY seriously. I stand up for the second amendment, and EVERY amendment. We need strong federal courts, without unwarranted attacks or schemes to disrupt the balance of powers as envisioned by our founders. We need comprehensive, real immigration reform, so we can collect taxes from nonviolent immigrants, instead of rounding them up like animals.

I propose we work together with our North American neighbors to build the greatest and most comprehensive trade partnership ever created, for the production of goods here in America instead of communist China. Let’s make NORTH America great again. we can re-shore essential production from China, back to North America, while helping Mexico build a strong and educated middle class. We will collaboratively build up manufacturing in Mexico that produces low-cost materials and components for final assembly in the United States and Canada, on a scale never before envisioned. it’s time we work together in a bipartisan way to ensure that Americans have access to quality goods and experience supply chain security for generations to come.

Are you tired of not being able to believe a single thing that comes out of the mouth of elected representatives or appointed government officials? I have authored Truth-In-Government legislation, that will make it a crime for elected officials to knowingly and willfully lie to or deceive the American public. I am tired of being lied to! I am tired of politician, saying one thing on the news, while drafting legislation that does the opposite. Governance via deception is unacceptable! No matter your political positions, holding elected officials accountable is of the upmost importance in our country. Let’s make sure elected individuals are held civilly and criminally accountable, should they choose to mislead the American electorate.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

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

What is 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
Jon Buchwald Democratic Party $116,302 $35,690 $80,611 As of September 30, 2025
Kevin Burge Democratic Party $57,853 $33,016 $24,837 As of September 30, 2025
TJ Ware Democratic Party $25,802 $16,694 $9,108 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.


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

2023_01_03_tx_congressional_district_024.jpg

2026

2027_01_03_tx_congressional_district_024.jpg
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+7. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 7 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 24th the 162nd most Republican district nationally.[2]

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' 24th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
39.2%58.5%

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
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Greg Abbott
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Dan Patrick
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Jane Nelson
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party 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

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Tex. Election Code Ann. § 172.086," accessed December 23, 2025
  2. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
John Cornyn (R)
Ted Cruz (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
Al Green (D)
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
Vacant
District 19
District 20
District 21
Chip Roy (R)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
Republican Party (27)
Democratic Party (12)
Vacancies (1)


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