Texas' 3rd 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' 3rd 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' 3rd 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 Republican Party primary takes place on March 3, 2026, in Texas' 3rd 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
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' 3rd 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 3

Incumbent Keith Self and Mark Newgent are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 3 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Keith Self
Keith Self
Image of Mark Newgent
Mark Newgent Candidate Connection

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.

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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.

Mark Newgent

Image of Mark Newgent

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I’m Mark Newgent, a lifelong Texan, a 20-year retired U.S. Army Captain, a husband, and a father who believes deeply in service before self. For two decades, I served our country in uniform, leading soldiers, managing responsibility under pressure, and learning firsthand the cost of poor leadership and reckless decision-making. That experience shaped my belief that leadership is about accountability, discipline, and putting people first—not politics or personal gain. My family is a reflection of America’s strength and diversity. My wife is an immigrant who went through the legal immigration process, which gave me a personal understanding of how broken and frustrating that system has become for law-abiding families who want to do things the right way. Like so many Texans, I’ve watched Washington lose touch with everyday people. Families are struggling with rising costs, healthcare is becoming unaffordable, and small businesses are being squeezed, yet Congress keeps prioritizing special interests and overseas spending over the needs of Texans. I’m running for Congress because I believe Texas deserves representation rooted in real service, common sense, and fiscal responsibility. I’m not a career politician. I’m a veteran who understands sacrifice, a husband and father who cares about the future we’re leaving our kids, and a Texas First conservative who will fight to keep our tax dollars working for the people of this district."

Key Messages

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

1. Texas First Leadership I am running to put Texas families first. For too long, Washington politicians have prioritized special interests and overseas spending while Texans struggle with rising prices, housing costs, and healthcare bills. I believe our tax dollars should stay here and be used to strengthen our communities, support working families, and protect our way of life in Texas.

2. Service Before Self I am a 20 year retired United States Army Captain who believes leadership means service, sacrifice, and accountability. I spent two decades serving this country and understand the real cost of poor leadership and reckless spending. I am not running for power or status. I am running to continue serving with discipline, integrity, and a commitment to doing what is right.

3. Fiscal Responsibility and Common Sense Fiscal responsibility means living within our means and protecting future generations from crushing debt. Washington talks about being conservative while adding trillions to the national debt and sending billions of taxpayer dollars overseas. I believe in putting Americans first by cutting wasteful spending, opposing endless foreign wars, and focusing on affordability, healthcare, and support for our veterans here at home.

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
Keith Self Republican Party $361,327 $176,638 $294,030 As of December 31, 2025
Mark Newgent Republican Party $13,673 $4,483 $9,190 As of December 31, 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_03.jpg

2026

2027_01_03_tx_congressional_district_03.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+10. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 10 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 3rd the 139th 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' 3rd Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
37.5%60.1%

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. ↑ 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
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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