Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
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← 2024
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| Texas' 35th 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. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Likely Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th • 29th • 30th • 31st • 32nd • 33rd • 34th • 35th • 36th • 37th • 38th Texas elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
A Republican Party primary takes place on March 3, 2026, in Texas' 35th Congressional District to determine which Republican candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
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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. Voters do not have to register with a party in advance in order to participate in that party's primary. The voter must sign a pledge stating the following (the language below is taken directly from state statutes)[1]
| “ | The following pledge shall be placed on the primary election ballot above the listing of candidates' names: '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.'[2] | ” |
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
This page focuses on Texas' 35th Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
- Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2026
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 35
Joshua Cortez, Ryan Krause, John Lujan, Lauren Peña, and Steven Wright are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 3, 2026.
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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.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Lauren B. Peña is a mother of four, a public-interest advocate, government-reform strategist, and survivor whose lived experience drives her mission to protect individual rights, advance systemic reforms, and restore integrity to public institutions. Raised across multiple U.S. cities and towns, Lauren gained firsthand insight into diverse cultures and economic realities. After surviving a decade of human trafficking in Texas, she has spent the past five years transforming trauma into education and action—testifying before the Texas Legislature to expose systemic policy failures, advocating for welfare and housing reforms that save taxpayer dollars and reduce government dependency, and crafting solutions grounded in liberty, justice, and integrity. As Founder & Executive Director of Peña Legal Advocacy, Lauren leads efforts to deliver accessible, no-cost legal support across Texas. In East Austin, Texas—where her family’s ties stretch back before Texas achieved its' statehood—Lauren witnesses up close gentrification’s impact on everyday residents. As an Austin resident and mother, she understands how public policy shapes real lives. In Congress, she will leverage her conservative values and personal journey to build bipartisan solutions that repair urban policy failures before they expand to rural communities, strengthen families, and uphold the principles that make our nation great. Vote Lauren B. Peña for Texas’s 35th Congressional District."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Texas
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Cortez | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Ryan Krause | Republican Party | $54,595 | $5,115 | $47,244 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| John Lujan | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Lauren Peña | Republican Party | $2,509 | $1,814 | $695 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Steven Wright | Republican Party | $0 | $250 | $17,399 | As of June 30, 2025 |
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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." |
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District analysis
This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.
Ballot access
This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.
See also
- Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
- Texas' 35th 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
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Statutes, "Section 172.086," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
