Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2026

	← 2024
Texas' 23rd Congressional District
	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' 23rd Congressional District; 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; Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

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.

All U.S. House districts, including the 23rd Congressional District of Texas, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025.

Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Republican primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary, click here.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

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

General election

The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23

Gretel Marysdatter Enck, Santos Limon, Gregory Lopez, and Peter White are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Gretel Marysdatter Enck
		Santos Limon
	Submit photo	Gregory Lopez
		Peter White

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23

Incumbent Tony Gonzales, Brandon Herrera, and Susan Storey Rubio are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Tony Gonzales
		Brandon Herrera
		Susan Storey Rubio

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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

Ezekiel Enriquez (R)

March 3 Republican primary

See also: Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)

Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Republican primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary, click here. For more on the Democratic primary, click here.

Incumbent Tony Gonzales (R), Brandon Herrera (R), and Susan Storey Rubio (R) are running in the Republican primary for Texas' 23rd Congressional District on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025.

This is a rematch of the 2024 primary. Gonzales defeated Herrera 50.6%–49.4% in the runoff after neither candidate won a majority in the primary. The Texas Tribune's Owen Dahlkamp described the 2026 primary as "yet another proxy war between the more centrist Gonzales and the right-wing, fire-breather Herrera."^[1]

Gonzales was first elected to the House in 2020. The Texas Tribune's Renzo Downey described Gonzales as "a centrist from San Antonio and U.S. Navy veteran."^[2] Gonzales highlighted the following accomplishments and says he has delivered for the district during his three terms in office: securing funding to hire more than 100 police officers in the district, opening a South Texas facility for treating the screwworm livestock parasite, and appropriating more than $4.7 billion in funding for healthcare for veterans.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Herrera describes himself as "an entrepreneur, Second Amendment activist, and social media personality" who owns a firearms manufacturing company (The AK Guy) and operates a firearms-related YouTube channel.^[6]^[7] In his 2026 campaign kickoff, Herrera said, "It started to eat at me. Those things that I didn't like about D.C., about my congressman, they didn't change...as much as it's more comfortable to just look the other way, I can't bow out of a fight if I know I can make a difference. It's just not how I'm wired."^[8]

Rubio is the owner and operator of a ranch. Rubio says she is "a woman of faith and a bold conservative advocate...raised with the tireless work ethic that characterizes the people of this district."^[9] In her campaign kickoff video, Rubio said, "Your representative should represent you, not the D.C. establishment. Tony Gonzales is a spineless moderate who didn't do a thing to stand up to Joe Biden and the Democrats and hasn't lifted a finger to help President Trump."^[10]

As of October 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Safe/Solid Republican. In the 2024 election, Gonzales defeated Santos Limon (D) 62.3%–32.7%. An Inside Elections analysis of the August 2025 redistricting in Texas calculated that President Donald Trump (R) won the 2024 presidential election in the new 2026 district lines by 15 percentage points, down from the 16 percentage points under the district's 2024 lines.^[11]

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.

Tony Gonzales

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

U.S. House Texas District 23 (Assumed office: 2021)

Biography: Gonzales obtained an associate's degree from Chaminade University, a bachelor's degree from Excelsior College, and a master's degree from American Public University. Before entering elected politics, Gonzales served 20 years in the U.S. Navy, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan and serving in the Office of Legislative Affairs. Gonzales also worked as a faculty member at Pensacola State College and the University of Maryland, College Park.

Key Messages

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

Gonzales said he had "helped secure funding to hire more than 100 police officers across TX-23, delivered critical equipment to LEOs across the border, and stood strong against any and all efforts by the Left to defund the police...That’s why major law enforcement associations trust that I will always fight on their behalf, and I’m thankful for their support as I continue to back the blue, restore law and order, and deliver tangible resources for our men and women behind the badge."

Gonzales said every member of the House Republican leadership team had endorsed him, adding that "From codifying President Trump’s border security agenda to advocating for South and West Texans priorities in Washington, I’ll always go to bat for you in Congress."

Gonzales said he had delivered for the district since taking office, saying he "serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where he fights every day to make sure this district has a voice in how our tax dollars get spent." Gonzales' campaign website said he had secured more than $4.8 billion in funding for services for veterans.

Show sources

Sources: Tony Gonzales campaign website, "Law Enforcement Backs Tony Gonzales," September 30, 2025; Tony Gonzales campaign website, "NEWS: ENDORSED by Entire GOP Leadership Team," September 2, 2025; Tony Gonzales campaign website, "Meet Tony," accessed October 9, 2025; Tony Gonzales campaign website, "Values," accessed October 9, 2025; Tony Gonzales campaign website, "Meet Tony," accessed October 9, 2025; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "GONZALES, Tony," accessed October 9, 2025

Brandon Herrera

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography: Herrera was, as of the 2026 election, a social media personality and owner of a firearms manufacturing business. He attended Campbell University.

Key Messages

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

Herrera said Gonzales had "kept making bad votes that just made no sense to me. Like voting for Biden's gun control, opposing border security, selling out American interests on behalf of other countries, and a bunch of other things that shocked me to learn that a Texas Republican would vote for."

Herrera said he was challenging Gonzales again because "Texas District 23 deserves a real conservative, not a cheap fake who plays one on TV or sometimes weirdly just forgets to try to. Somebody who actually understands and respects the Constitution, not just, like, as a cheap line, but actually respects it. Someone who will vote not just to protect but to enhance your gun rights, not vote to throw them away when it gets inconvenient. Someone who will actually put America first, not talk about being America First while giving billions of dollars to foreign countries while America goes trillions deeper into debt. Someone who will actually vote to protect America's borders, not just claim that they will on TV during election season. Texas deserves better than Tony."

Herrera said he was "a very strong constitutionalist who believes one of the keys to individual Liberty is limiting federal power as much as possible, and returning that power to the states to decide issues for themselves."

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "Brandon Herrera on YouTube - I'm Running for Congress," August 9, 2025; Brandon Herrera campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 9, 2025; Brandon Herrera campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 9, 2025

Susan Storey Rubio

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography: Rubio attended Southwest Texas State University and University of Incarnate Word. As of the 2026 election, Rubio had been the owner and operator of a small business for more than 30 years.

Key Messages

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

Rubio said Gonzales had failed to represent the district: "I know bull when I see it. And we have all seen a lot of it for the past four years. Tony Gonzales is a bureaucrat. He loves being a career politician. It's all he's ever done."

Rubio said she was "fighting to restore strength, security, and sanity in Washington. From securing our border and protecting the Second Amendment, to cutting taxes, lowering debt, and defending Texas energy and agriculture, she’s standing up for the values that built this country."

Rubio said she was "not a politician — I’m a fighter. I’ve built a business, raised a family, and worked this land with my own hands. Now, I’m stepping up to fight for our families, our freedoms, and the future we owe the next generation."

Show sources

Sources: Susan Storey Rubio campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 9, 2025; Susan Storey Rubio campaign website, "About," accessed October 9, 2025; Susan Storey Rubio campaign website, "About," accessed October 9, 2025

See more

See more here: Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)

Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Tony Gonzales	Republican Party	$1,508,588	$463,895	$2,503,680	As of September 30, 2025
Gretel Marysdatter Enck	Democratic Party	$5,000	$0	$5,000	As of September 30, 2025
Santos Limon	Democratic Party	$356,755	$6,815	$349,940	As of June 30, 2025
Gregory Lopez	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Peter White	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Brandon Herrera	Republican Party	$307,272	$9,221	$306,092	As of September 30, 2025
Susan Storey Rubio	Republican Party	$418,519	$418,519	$0	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. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

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.^[12]
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.^[13]^[14]^[15]

Race ratings: Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	10/21/2025	10/14/2025	10/7/2025	9/30/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
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.

Ballot access

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.