Greg Casar defeated three candidates—Eddie Rodriguez, Carla-Joy Sisco, and Rebecca Viagran—in the Democratic primary election for Texas' 35th Congressional District on March 1, 2022. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D) sought re-election in the 37th District, leaving the 35th District open for the first time since its creation following the 2010 census.

Casar, Rodriguez, and Viagran—the three candidates with experience in elected office— received the most media attention.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Regarding the 35th District, Bloomberg Government's Greg Giroux said, "The open-seat Democratic primary is the key race in a Hispanic-majority district that connects parts of Travis County (Austin) and Bexar County (San Antonio) via Interstate 35."^[1]

Casar was a member of the Austin City Council from 2015 to 2022. He was the youngest person elected to the city's governing body at 24 years old. Before entering public office, Casar was a policy director for the Workers Defense Project.^[4] In a campaign ad, Casar said, "working families ... deserve a progressive leader who will always fight and deliver for reproductive rights, good jobs, Medicare for All, and a better Texas."^[5]

Rodriguez was a member of the Texas House and vice president of a title company.^[6] Rodriguez was first elected to the legislature representing an Austina-area district in 2002. Rodriguez highlighted his experience in office, saying, "I've been proud to represent working families for the past two decades ... where I've long defended the rights we cherish and advanced the progressive goals we care about."^[7]

Viagran was a member of the San Antonio City Council from 2013 to 2021. When she left office, she was the longest-serving Latina in the city council's history.^[8] Viagran was the director of workforce development at Texas A&M University.^[9] On her campaign website, Viagran wrote, "Too much is at stake when it comes to: Housing, The Assault on Women's Health and Reproductive rights, Empowering working families, Infrastructure, Voting Rights and Climate change to name a few."^[10]

A candidate who wins 50% or more of the vote automatically advances to the November 8 general election. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates advance to a primary runoff.

This page focuses on Texas' 35th 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 35

Greg Casar defeated Eddie Rodriguez, Rebecca J. Viagran, and Carla-Joy Sisco in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 1, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Greg Casar	61.1	25,505
	Eddie Rodriguez	15.6	6,526
	Rebecca J. Viagran	15.6	6,511
	Carla-Joy Sisco	7.6	3,190

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,732
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Danielle Fewings (D)
Sass (D)

Candidate comparison

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.

Greg Casar

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Austin City Council (2015-2022)

Biography: Casar received a bachelor's degree in political and social thought from the University of Virginia. He became the youngest person elected to the Austin City Council in 2014. Before entering public office, he was a policy director for the Workers Defense Project.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

In a campaign ad, Casar said, "working families ... deserve a progressive leader who will always fight and deliver for reproductive rights, good jobs, Medicare for All, and a better Texas."

Casar said he would "build an inclusive democracy for all ... win economic justice for working families ... [and] fix our power grid & create a sustainable world for all."

Casar highlighted endorsements he received from organizations like the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Texas AFL-CIO, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Show sources

Sources: Greg Casar's campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed Jan. 26, 2022, Greg Casar's campaign website, "Home," accessed Jan. 26, 2022, Facebook, "Our Fight, Our Future," Jan. 17, 2022; KVUE, "Austin City Council District 4 Election: Meet Greg Casar," Oct. 27, 2016, AustinTexas.gov, "Council Member Gregorio Casar - Biography," accessed Jan. 26, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 35 in 2022.

Eddie Rodriguez

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Texas House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2003)

Biography: Rodriguez received a bachelor's degree in government and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He was executive director of the Travis County Democratic Party from 1996 to 2001. At the time of the primary, Rodriguez was a vice president of commercial development for a title firm.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Rodriguez said addressing climate change, increasing access to abortions, promoting economic opportunities would be the top issues of his candidacy.

Rodriguez highlighted his experience in elected office, saying, "I've been proud to represent working families for the past two decades ... where I've long defended the rights we cherish and advanced the progressive goals we care about."

Rodriguez said he led the legislative walkout from the Texas State Legislature in 2021 to "[deny] Republicans the quorum they needed to pass the most regressive [voting] laws in generations."

Show sources

Sources: Eddie Rodriguez's campaign website, "Home," accessed Jan. 26, 2022, Austin American-Statesman, "State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez throws hat in race for Texas' 35th Congressional District," Nov. 10, 2021; Eddie Rodriguez's campaign website, "About," accessed Jan. 26, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 35 in 2022.

Carla-Joy Sisco

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography: Sisco received a bachelor's degree in finance and a degree in Spanish literature. She developed programs for students, domestic abuse survivors, and incarcerated youths. At the time of the primary, Sisco was a business process consultant.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Sisco said she "will lead the charge on cutting edge skill building" and said her policy priorities would center on neighborhood services, education and school safety, and workforce expansion.

Sisco highlighted her life experiences, saying, "I am never going to forget what it's like to work hard because I've been there and you've been there and I will represent you."

Sisco said she had experience in volunteering and community service and that "[s]he has a passion for serving that ranges from working with youth, single parents and is a proud supporter of veterans."

Show sources

Sources: Facebook, "Carla-Joy Sisco For Congress," Jan. 15, 2022; Carla-Joy Sisco's campaign website, "Meet Carla-Joy," accessed Jan. 26, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 35 in 2022.

Rebecca J. Viagran

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

San Antonio City Council (2013-2021)

Biography: Viagran received a bachelor's degree in geography and urban planning and a master's in public administration from St. Mary's University. She worked in ministry and business development. At the time of the primary, she was the director of workforce development at Texas A&M University.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Viagran said, "Too much is at stake when it comes to: Housing, The Assault on Women's Health and Reproductive rights, Empowering working families, Infrastructure, Voting Rights and Climate change to name a few."

Viagran highlighted her background growing up in San Antonio, saying, "I will fight unrelentingly for the needed improvements to our community."

Viagran said, "We need more women in leadership. We need more women in congress," adding that she was the longest-serving Latina in San Antonio's city council where she voted in favor of the city's Women's Equity Resolution.

Show sources

Sources: Facebook, "Rebecca Viagran," Jan. 5, 2022, Rebecca Viagran's campaign website, "Home," accessed Jan. 26, 2022, Twitter, "Viagran for Texas," Jan. 19, 2022; LinkedIn, "Rebecca J. Viagran," accessed Jan. 26, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 35 in 2022.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Greg Casar

Jan. 25, 2022

Nov. 4, 2021

View more ads here:

Eddie Rodriguez

View Rodriguez's ads here:

Facebook

Carla-Joy Sisco

View Sisco's ads here:

Facebook

Rebecca Viagran

View Viagran's ads here:

Facebook

News and conflicts in this primary

This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. Click here to read more about conflict in this and other 2022 Democratic U.S. House primaries. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.

Endorsements

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Greg Casar

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[11]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[12]^[13]^[14]

Race ratings: Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Election spending

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.^[15] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.^[16] Click here to view the reporting schedule for candidates for U.S. Congress in 2022.

U.S. Congress campaign reporting schedule, 2022
Report	Close of books	Filing deadline
Year-end 2021	12/31/2021	1/31/2022
April quarterly	3/31/2022	4/15/2022
July quarterly	6/30/2022	7/15/2022
October quarterly	9/30/2022	10/15/2022
Pre-general	10/19/2022	10/27/2022
Post-general	11/28/2022	12/08/2022
Year-end 2022	12/31/2022	1/31/2023

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Greg Casar	Democratic Party	$1,757,510	$1,594,549	$162,961	As of December 31, 2022
Eddie Rodriguez	Democratic Party	$535,478	$534,203	$1,275	As of December 31, 2022
Carla-Joy Sisco	Democratic Party	$13,465	$13,464	$1	As of August 4, 2022
Rebecca J. Viagran	Democratic Party	$110,360	$106,953	$3,407	As of December 31, 2022
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2022. 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.

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.^[17]^[18]^[19]

If available, links to satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. Any satellite spending reported in other resources is displayed in a table. This table may not represent the actual total amount spent by satellite groups in the election. Satellite spending for which specific amounts, dates, or purposes are not reported are marked "N/A." To help us complete this information, or to notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.

By candidate	By election
Greg Casar Eddie Rodriguez Carla-Joy Sisco Rebecca Viagran	Open Secrets Federal Election Commission

Election context

District history

2020

See also: Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 35

Incumbent Lloyd Doggett defeated Jenny Garcia Sharon, Mark Loewe, and Jason Mata Sr. in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 35 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lloyd Doggett (D)	65.4	176,373
	Jenny Garcia Sharon (R)	29.9	80,795
	Mark Loewe (L)	2.7	7,393
	Jason Mata Sr. (Independent)	1.9	5,236

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 269,797
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 35

Jenny Garcia Sharon defeated William Hayward in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 35 on July 14, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jenny Garcia Sharon	53.2	4,138
	William Hayward	46.8	3,645

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,783
= 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.