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Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican 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' 31st 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' 31st Congressional District
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Texas elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

Twelve-term incumbent John Carter (R) and nine other candidates are running in the Republican primary for Texas' 31st Congressional District on March 3, 2026. President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Carter for re-election on December 4, 2025.[1]

At the time of the election, Carter is the third longest-serving member of the U.S. House, and according to the Austin American-Statesman's John C. Moritz, "Several of his GOP opponents argue that the district, which runs from Georgetown to farm and ranch country west of Waco and includes the sprawling Army post of Fort Hood, is in need of new blood."[2]

Before his election to Congress, Carter worked as an attorney and judge.[3] His campaign website stated, "Judge prides himself on delivering results for Texas’ 31st district no matter the political environment, and does this by following his guiding principle, 'listen more than you speak.'"[4]

William Abel (R) is a U.S. Army veteran making his second run for the seat. Abel said, "I'm just tired of these politicians not doing what's best for the constituents and doing what's best for their own pockets. Or doing what's best for the lobbyists and donors. I just want problems solved with common sense."[2] He told Community Impact his priorities were "Eliminate wasteful spending, decrease taxes, secure the border."[5]

David Berry (R) is a physician whose campaign website described him as "committed to protecting Texans by standing up for small towns, rural communities, and the values that make them strong."[6] According to his campaign website, his priorities include securing the border, growing small businesses, reforming Washington, protecting life, energy independence, and expanding veterans' benefits.[6]

Steve Dowell (R) is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve. His campaign website said, "As the only policy focused and experienced alternative to our incumbent, Steve Dowell will work for you in D.C.—for the second time in his life—following core conservative principles of responsibility, peace through strength, and human dignity that keep America great."[7][8]

Abhiram Garapati (R) is a businessman, farmer, and rancher making his fourth run for the seat.[9] Garapati told Community Impact his priorities if elected would include "cutting wasteful spending, balancing the federal budget, reducing taxes on hard-working Americans, tackling corruption, increasing government transparency, repealing unconstitutional legislation, maintaining a secure border, strengthening national security, protecting American jobs, and delivering exceptional constituent services."[5]

Raymond Hamden is a real estate broker and business ower.[10] His campaign website stated, "As a candidate for U.S. Congress, Raymond Hamden is dedicated to securing our borders, ensuring fiscal responsibility, and supporting military families. He is committed to fostering economic growth, creating jobs, and empowering businesses. Raymond also aims to invest in vital water and infrastructure projects to strengthen communities and create a prosperous future for all."[11]

Elvis Lossa (R) is a U.S. Army veteran and served as policy coordinator for the speaker of the Texas House.[12] His campaign website stated, "Too often, leadership in Congress is focused on noise instead of outcomes. Families, veterans, and small businesses deserve representation that listens carefully and then acts decisively. I am running for Congress to bring experience, accountability, and a results-driven approach to serving Central Texas."[13]

Valentina Gomez Noriega (R) earned a master's degree in business administration from Tulane University and is a former candidate for Missouri Secretary of State.[14] She told Community Impact her priorities if elected would include, "Protect and defend my soldiers at Fort Hood. Kicking all the terrorists muslims, Somalians, and illegals out of Texas. Stopping the construction of Sharia schools and Sharia cities. Increasing Social Security benefits and making medication more affordable for my senior citizens."[5]

Offer Vince Shlomi (R) is best known from the Shamwow infomercials.[15] His campaign website stated, "My mission is simple will be a stronger economy and real opportunities for the Texas 31st and for all America. I believe that by putting God first and standing firm with our values, we can build a more perfect union for our families and for all America."[16]

Ballotpedia did not find additional information for Ed Ewald (R).

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."[17]

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

This page focuses on Texas' 31st Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 31

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 31 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of John Carter
John Carter
Image of William Abel
William Abel Candidate Connection
Image of David Berry
David Berry
Image of Steven Dowell
Steven Dowell Candidate Connection
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Ed Ewald
Image of Abhiram Garapati
Abhiram Garapati Candidate Connection
Image of Valentina Gomez Noriega
Valentina Gomez Noriega
Image of Raymond Hamden
Raymond Hamden
Image of Elvis Lossa
Elvis Lossa Candidate Connection
Image of Offer Vince Shlomi
Offer Vince Shlomi

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

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.

William Abel

Image of William Abel

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I am a retired Combat Veteran who has spent my career finding solutions for complex problems that will be beneficial in both the short and long term."

Key Messages

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

Eliminate wasteful spending- currently we waste billions of dollars on departments, organizations, foreign aid, and pet projects that do nothing to help taxpayers.

Decrease Taxes- I would like to lower federal income taxes to a 10% flat tax eliminating write-offs and deductions ensuring taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned money while still ensuring the government can function.

National Water Pipeline- I would like to propose a national water pipeline running from the east coast to the west coast, with pipes branching off to a central location in each state. When a state has a major drought, the pipeline would be used to transfer water from states that have excessive water to those hit hard from droughts ensuring farmers and the state have enough water to resume normal activities.

Steven Dowell

Image of Steven Dowell

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "My name is Steve Dowell. I am a 35-year-old veteran, a Christian, a conservative before I am a Republican, a patented inventor, a businessman, a former police officer, a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, and a 5th generation Central Texan from a family with a 118-year farming heritage in our district. My first and last words to our current sitting congressman, are, “thank you for your service, sir.” Our district now includes the entirety of the Fort Hood military community (our nation’s second largest military base which represents a quarter of all firepower in the U.S. Army) and we have never had a veteran represent our district in D.C. since its creation over 22 years ago. I have spent my life serving soldiers, their families, planning and training for war with China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. I was in charge of Amazon’s Prime Day, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and Christmas morning’s multi-billion dollar deal inventory for North America for two years. I invented a storage container intended for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. I am the only candidate with over a year of experience working in D.C. And finally, during my military service I have officially represented the U.S. overseas in 17 different countries in both Europe and Asia--often times as the highest ranking soldier. My message for all of us: Let's not send someone to D.C. who is not ready to represent us on the world stage. I am ready, proven, and am already working for you. Send me."

Key Messages

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

Reduce federal spending and the national debt.

End the country club that has become our capitol by implementing Term Limits on Congress.

Fix the VA. All three of these efforts will take something that many say they can do, but that I believe only veterans are in the best position do actually execute, and that is to bring civility and sanity back to our Congress through integrity, transparency, courage, and my commitment to working across the aisle—by putting principles before politics.

Abhiram Garapati

Image of Abhiram Garapati

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I immigrated legally to the United States in 1997 at the age of 22 with just $500. Through hard work, perseverance, and the grace of God, I became a self-made millionaire by 30. I have founded and led multiple successful businesses, including Ant Savings, a commercial real estate investment firm headquartered in Central Texas with retail properties across multiple states. I proudly affirmed my allegiance to the United States and became a U.S. citizen in 2010. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering and completed advanced investment coursework at Stanford University. My career has taken me across the U.S., building relationships and doing business with Americans from all walks of life. In addition to business, I am a dedicated farmer and rancher, raising hay and livestock on my 200-acre ranch in Central Texas. I have represented Texas’s 31st Congressional District as a delegate to the 2024 Republican National Convention and served as a delegate to the Texas GOP Convention in 2020. The deep love I have for this country has fortunately been returned to me many times throughout my life, which is why I have pledged to self-fund my campaign, refuse all contributions, decline a congressional salary and pension, maintain full transparency of my finances, and refrain from owning individual stocks or trading while in Congress. Beyond work and public service, I enjoy volleyball, traveling, and cherishing time with my wife and our two children."

Key Messages

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

Congress must pass a balanced budget amendment, drastically cut spending, and develop a long-term plan to tackle the national debt while simultaneously reducing the tax burden on hard-working Americans.

Congress must eliminate waste, fraud, corruption, and unconstitutional activity from the federal government while increasing transparency.

Congress must ensure we have secure borders and that we carefully vet who is coming into the country, whether temporarily or permanently. Border security is not only national security, it is also the protection of American jobs.

Elvis Lossa

Image of Elvis Lossa

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Key Messages

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

I am a U.S. Army combat veteran and public servant who has worked inside government at multiple levels, including in the Texas House and U.S. Senate. I have spent my career focused on service, accountability, and solving real problems for the people I serve.

Texas’s 31st District is growing rapidly, but Washington has not kept up. I am running for Congress to bring practical experience, integrity, and leadership that shows up and does the job, not political theater.

My priorities include accountability in government, support for veterans and working families, and policies that strengthen economic growth while reducing pressure on household costs. I believe Congress works best when leaders are prepared, engaged, and focused on results.

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 was 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
John Carter Republican Party $1,111,903 $827,395 $325,947 As of February 11, 2026
William Abel Republican Party $7,671 $7,550 $0 As of February 11, 2026
David Berry Republican Party $36,800 $36,800 $0 As of February 11, 2026
Steven Dowell Republican Party $46,566 $42,937 $3,629 As of February 11, 2026
Ed Ewald Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Abhiram Garapati Republican Party $55,000 $16,000 $39,000 As of December 31, 2025
Valentina Gomez Noriega Republican Party $112,522 $83,708 $-11,688 As of February 11, 2026
Raymond Hamden Republican Party $144,332 $39,444 $146 As of February 18, 2026
Elvis Lossa Republican Party $11,383 $7,526 $3,857 As of February 11, 2026
Offer Vince Shlomi Republican Party $173,869 $172,610 $1,260 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."
** 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.

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_031.jpg

2026

2027_01_03_tx_congressional_district_031.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Texas.

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Texas in 2026. Information below was calculated on Dec. 8, 2025, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Two hundred fifty-two candidates — 98 Democrats and 154 Republicans — ran for Texas’ 38 U.S. House districts. That’s 6.6 candidates per district. There were 4.2 candidates per district in 2024, 5.8 in 2022, 6.4 in 2020, 5.9 in 2018, 3.5 in 2016, and 2.8 in 2014.

These were the first elections to take place since the Texas Legislature passed a new congressional map. The Texas House of Representatives passed it on Aug. 20, 2025, and the Texas Senate passed it on Aug. 23, 2025. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the new congressional map into law on Aug. 29, 2025.

This was the highest total number of candidates who ran for the U.S. House since 2014.

Ten districts were open in 2026. There were three districts open in 2024, six in 2022, six in 2020, eight in 2018, two in 2016, and one in 2014. 

Reps. Morgan Luttrell (R-8th), Michael McCaul (R-10th), Jodey Arrington (R-19th), Troy Nehls (R-22nd), Marc Veasey (D-33rd), and Lloyd Doggett (D-37th) retired from public office. Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-30th) and Wesley Hunt (R-38th) ran for the U.S. Senate. Rep. Chip Roy (R-21st) ran for attorney general of Texas.

Two incumbents — Reps. Christian Menefee (D) and Al Green (D) — ran against each other in the redrawn 18th district. Menefee was the incumbent in the 18th district, and Green was the incumbent in the 9th district.

Fifty-nine primaries — 32 Democratic and 28 Republican — were contested in 2026. In total, there were 39 contested primaries in 2024, 44 in 2022, 50 in 2020, 46 in 2018, 33 in 2016, and 19 in 2014.

Fifteen candidates ran for the open 9th district, 21st district, and 35th district, tying for the most candidates running for a district in 2026.

Nineteen incumbents — eight Democrats and 11 Republicans — faced primary challengers in 2026. There were 19 incumbents in a contested primary in 2024, 19 in 2022, 18 in 2020, 15 in 2018, 19 in 2016, and 12 in 2014.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 38 districts, meaning no districts were guaranteed to either party.

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' 31st the 105th most Republican district nationally.[18]

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' 31st Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
37.7%59.7%

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 February 2026.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Texas
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 13 13
Republican 2 25 27
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
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. ↑ KDH News, "John Carter gets President Trump’s endorsement," December 5, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Austin American-Statesman, "Why U.S. Rep. John Carter has so many GOP opponents in his race for a 13th term," January 20, 2026
  3. ↑ Biographical Guide of the United States Congress, "CARTER, John R.," accessed February 9, 2026
  4. ↑ John Carter 2026 campaign website, "Meet John," accessed February 9, 2026
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Community Impact, "Q&A: Hear from the Republican candidates running for US House District 31," January 30, 2026
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 David Berry 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed February 9, 2026
  7. ↑ Linkedin, "Steve Dowell," accessed February 9, 2026
  8. ↑ Steve Dowell 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed February 9, 2026
  9. ↑ Abhiram Garapati 2026 campaign website, "About Abhiram Garapati," accessed February 9, 2026
  10. ↑ KDH News, "Harker Heights businessman Raymond Hamden to seek District 31 seat in Congress," March 15, 2025
  11. ↑ Raymond Hamden 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed February 9, 2026
  12. ↑ Elvis Lossa 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed February 9, 2026
  13. ↑ Elvis Lossa 2026 campaign website, "Meet Elvis Lossa," accessed February 9, 2026
  14. ↑ Valentina Gomez 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed February 9, 2026
  15. ↑ Fox 7, "Offer Vince Shlomi, the 'ShamWow' guy, releases campaign ad for Texas Congressional seat," February 6, 2026
  16. ↑ Offer Shlomi 2026 campaign website, "About Vince," accessed February 9, 2026
  17. ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Tex. Election Code Ann. § 172.086," accessed December 23, 2025
  18. ↑ 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
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 (13)


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