Texas' 26th Congressional District election, 2024

	2026 → ← 2022
Texas' 26th Congressional District
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: December 11, 2023
	Primary: March 5, 2024; Primary runoff: May 28, 2024; General: November 5, 2024
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: Safe Republican; 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, 2024
See also
	Texas' 26th 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, 2024; U.S. Congress elections, 2024; U.S. Senate elections, 2024; U.S. House elections, 2024; Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida 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 racesOhio 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 racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

Texas 2024 elections

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All U.S. House districts, including the 26th Congressional District of Texas, held elections in 2024. The general election was November 5, 2024. The primary was March 5, 2024, and a primary runoff was May 28, 2024. The filing deadline was December 11, 2023.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies.^[1] As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215.^[2] To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 69.3%-30.7%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 58.6%-40.0%.^[3]

This is one of 45 open races for the U.S. House in 2024 where an incumbent did not run for re-election. Across the country, 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans did not run for re-election. In 2022, 49 representatives did not seek re-election, including 31 Democrats and 18 Republicans.

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

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 26

Brandon Gill defeated Ernest Lineberger III and Phil Gray in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 26 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brandon Gill (R)	62.1	241,096
	Ernest Lineberger III (D)	35.7	138,558
	Phil Gray (L)	2.3	8,773

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 388,427
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 26

Ernest Lineberger III advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ernest Lineberger III	100.0	18,308

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,308
= 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

Kelvin Leaphart (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brandon Gill	58.4	49,876
	Scott Armey	14.5	12,400
	John Huffman	10.0	8,559
	Luisa Del Rosal	4.6	3,949
	Doug Robison	3.5	2,999
	Mark Rutledge	2.5	2,130
	Joel Krause	2.3	1,959
	Neena Biswas	1.9	1,665
	Burt Thakur	1.1	975
	Vlad De Franceschi	0.7	572
	Jason Kergosien	0.4	366

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 85,450
= 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

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 26

Phil Gray advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Phil Gray (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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.

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.

Ernest Lineberger III

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Ernest R. Lineberger, III, Retired Naval Officer, Naval Nuclear Power, Surface Warship Operations. BS Aerospace Engineering, MS Engineering Acoustics, MS Systems Technology (Anti-Submarine Warfare) 27 years with Texas Instruments in the manufacturing of semiconductors in Dallas, Texas. Man of faith, family and community. Believes in a loving merciful God who brings us back in to relationship with Him and each other. As brothers and sisters, and neighbors, we are to treat each other with respect and caring. Not a career politician, but stepping up 'To Give You a Better Choice'. We need more statesmen in government. Less Stunts and antics. We need to work toward getting the business of government managed. You know the issues. From agreeing on a budget, to updating the immigration laws, to improving access to affordable health care, Managing the environment, creating economic balance, weapon security, voter equality, and so much more. As a Naval Officer, I have already taken the same oath of office as the congressmen, 'to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic'. I have done so in the past, and look forward to doing so again in this new role. I am running as a democrat, but also an American. I want to work with all in congress to understand all points of view, find the compromises that move us in the best direction for the people, communities, the nation and the world. Democracy and Leadership."

Key Messages

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

In Texas, we are used to not having much choice in the voting booth. I'm running 'To Give You a Better Choice'. I have the Education, Mentality, Discipline, Honor, Sense of purpose and Duty to serve the people of Texas and the nation without gamesmanship and antics. To be businesslike about the business of government. To Support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. The opening lines of the constitution say a lot: We the People… in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…This is what I will strive to do in congress.

My core beliefs include: Love is stronger than hate. All people are created equal even if they are not the same and don’t all have the same advantages. The government has a key role in setting the tone for Americans and the world to follow. Leadership is key. How we behave and what we support is noticed and emulated. Lately, there has been too much trash talk and bad behavior. This is irresponsible for anyone in a leadership role. We need to restore the Better Soul of our country. Not by dictating any rules for religious practice. Not by instilling fear or hate. Quite the opposite. By honoring each person’s rights to make choices, regulating the powerful, providing the safety net we all need in time, being consistent with allies.

The polarization of Americans is real but entirely unnecessary. Motivations and loyalties can change. I urge voters to reconsider their core beliefs and values. Also take a closer look at which party has done more for jobs, economy, improving the quality of life, access to health care, personal freedoms, etc. vs. which party has been more interested in allowing large corporations and billionaires to write all of their own rules. I personally want a government that works towards economic balance, putting rules in place on the powerful to protect the average American. Most people would, so sometimes the party of big business will emphasize a hot issue (abortion, immigration) to add fear and panic voters to support them. See past that.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 26 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

Election information in Texas: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 7, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 7, 2024
Online: N/A

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Oct. 25, 2024
By mail: Received by Oct. 25, 2024
Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 21, 2024 to Nov. 1, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CST/MST)

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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/ErnestLinebergerIII2024.jpg

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

In Texas, we are used to not having much choice in the voting booth. I'm running 'To Give You a Better Choice'. I have the Education, Mentality, Discipline, Honor, Sense of purpose and Duty to serve the people of Texas and the nation without gamesmanship and antics. To be businesslike about the business of government. To Support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. The opening lines of the constitution say a lot: We the People… in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…This is what I will strive to do in congress.

My core beliefs include: Love is stronger than hate. All people are created equal even if they are not the same and don’t all have the same advantages. The government has a key role in setting the tone for Americans and the world to follow. Leadership is key. How we behave and what we support is noticed and emulated. Lately, there has been too much trash talk and bad behavior. This is irresponsible for anyone in a leadership role. We need to restore the Better Soul of our country. Not by dictating any rules for religious practice. Not by instilling fear or hate. Quite the opposite. By honoring each person’s rights to make choices, regulating the powerful, providing the safety net we all need in time, being consistent with allies.

The polarization of Americans is real but entirely unnecessary. Motivations and loyalties can change. I urge voters to reconsider their core beliefs and values. Also take a closer look at which party has done more for jobs, economy, improving the quality of life, access to health care, personal freedoms, etc. vs. which party has been more interested in allowing large corporations and billionaires to write all of their own rules. I personally want a government that works towards economic balance, putting rules in place on the powerful to protect the average American. Most people would, so sometimes the party of big business will emphasize a hot issue (abortion, immigration) to add fear and panic voters to support them. See past that.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

Making the rules favor the average person: accessible affordable health care, good jobs, living wages, fair tax laws.

Strong and effective military, ready to respond as needed anywhere and anytime. Strong international alliances to help prevent conflict and add support if it comes. Reduced cost for higher education. Current cost structure is prohibitive. Student debt is limiting students from achieving their full potential, which is limiting our nation and communities. Resolving the necessary Immigration reform. Establishing the correct methods and fully funding the courts and border patrol staff to make it happen. Resolving the Limbo status of non-citizens. Addressing mis-information. There are so many information sources, some with verifiable facts and others with strictly conjecture and opinion. Now, we are learning more about the possibility of AI generated material which looks factual but is not. The people need help to sort through and understand what is real and what is not. This is especially important for voters. We need to help voters understand the truths that matter to their votes. Climate change is a key issue. People need to know. What are the factors. What helps, what hurts? What are the pros and cons of the methods under consideration? What is the cost? What is the time table? What are the direct impacts of the actions being taken, and if no action is taken?

Personal medical decisions need to go back to being personal. Restore Access.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

Over the last couple of years, I have enjoyed reading the daily Facebook posts of Heather Cox Richardson. She is a historian, and also very tuned in to accurate current news sources. Most of her posts give some details on the news of the day, but then she goes on to make that news more meaningful and understandable by adding in the historical background to the event. Some days the post will center on an event that happened on that day many years ago. The detail may give some facts of the events leading up to that particular event, as well as how the results of that event have reverberated in to our lives today. In other cases, the current comments of a figure today may be enlightened with the history behind those comments. This gives better insight into what is actually being said that the un-informed might miss. I find these articles informative on both the current and historical basis. The bits I've gained over time have helped me to better understand and evaluate information provided by other sources. She has also written a best-selling book, 'Democracy Awakens'.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

'Seek first to understand'. An elected official may have an opinion that is made known before / during the election. If elected, that official may feel the election is enough justification to stick to that opinion. However, it is really just a license to dig deeper into the information available. Seek out the full parameters of the situation. Let go of initial bias. Look to the real evidence to form a position, and encourage colleagues to do likewise.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

Many good things have been written about my intellect, ability to organize large sets of complicated data, determination, sound judgement, resourcefulness, etc. Above all of these and others, the most important quality is definitely my motivation. I'm not striving to gain power or become a career politician. My motivation is simply to stand up as a good person and seek to serve the people. The people of my community, my nation and the world. I am motivated to replace/offset others who do not seem to have the best interests of our people as a concern. Although the people of congress are very important to the success of our nation, we cannot allow their issues to stand in the way of 'forming a more perfect union'. We need more people who are willing to do the hard work of negotiation and compromise to get to the results that improve people's lives and grant them security they expect as citizens.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

My early working career had a few ups and downs. Before I could drive, I had a paper route for a short time. I was in sixth grade. The job didn't stick long. I don't remember why exactly. Maybe because I had trouble managing the heavy bag of newspapers, plus also competing little league baseball time requirements. Years later, I tried baby sitting for a time or two. I was the youngest in my family without much experience with kids younger than myself. So, that didn't last long. Once I could drive, a family friend hired me to mow their yard. The biggest part of that job was clearing the yard of poop from two large Irish setters. Eventually, I was old enough to go to the state work center and picked up a job as a helper in a lamp shop. After a few missed workdays due to my car trouble and I was fired. After the car was solid again, back to the state work center and I was then a Janitor at a pair of three story buildings with tourist shops and more. This job featured early hours to clean and ready the building for the days activities from the dirt of the previous day and night. Cleaning the12 bathrooms, sweeping and mopping the stairs and hallways, dusting the wall fixtures, and managing a lot of trash. I might have had that job for about a year when I learned of an opportunity to work at a automobile service station, mostly pumping gas, washing windshields and collecting money. It was fun, outdoor work. Dirty, but quite a bit cleaner than the janitor duties. Only two bathrooms to clean at the service station. Plus this job had a few co-workers with the camaraderie that goes along with that. i worked that job until I graduated high school and my family moved to another town.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

'How Great Thou Art'

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

Since the original founding of the United States there have been a diversity of opinions on how to coexist as a nation. This erupted in to Civil War in the 1860's. It was easy to call the issue slavery then. Now, it is a mix of prejudice, fear, hate and greed. Do we allow and support a system where one group is subservient to another? Or do we insist on real equality for all citizens. Voting rights, public education, food security, living wages, access to healthcare are all battlefields on the war of personal equality.

Perhaps it comes from the question of 'Is there enough to go around?'. If you believe 'No", then you feel there needs to be division between 'haves' and 'have nots'. If you feel that there is enough to go around, then you don't see the need for these divisions. This is a huge problem. It is natural to have people that disagree. And for people to not get along. However, as a nation, we need to work together for the betterment of our nation. That cannot be done if a significant part of our population is intent on fear, hate and keeping another part of the population in a second class situation.

The good attitudes cannot be mandated or forced. But they can be encouraged. Good examples are also very important. That is why the example of government officials is so key. When you have our representatives behaving badly, it feeds the negativity nationwide. Negative examples are too easy to find in life. Our esteemed leaders need to be on constant guard of the example they present and the consequences to society if they make bad behavior seem to be acceptable.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

I've thought about this with no real conclusion. This office requires re-election every two years. That is hard, but clearly some have mastered it. The current holder of the seat I'm seeking will have been there for 20 years, 10 terms. I'd like to see a histogram of historical length of service for this office. Every year there is a new freshman class So, clearly there is some turn over.

For me, this would be my first term. My intention is to serve this term to the best of my ability, but not make decisions based on what I think I need to do to get re-elected. Only what is in the best interest of my community, the nation and the world. Clearly, there are some high personalities who have been in office for a very long time. If you agree with their policies, then you cheer them on as heroes. If you disagree, then you wonder what is going on with their voters and ask questions about term limits.

If there were to be term limits, I think two terms might be too short. Maybe eight, ten or twelve years might be a more workable maximum. We need people with some experience on the House systems. And we don't want to send good people home too early if they are contributing. There is no telling if the replacement will be better or worse.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

Yes. I believe that compromise is the very essence of policy making. It is unlikely that any one person or like minded group can devise perfect policy on their own. We try. We draft what we can. But then others get to read it and offer changes. There are different motivations at work. In the best instances, all parties have just reasons for their positions. In other cases, the conflict is just to block progress by the 'other' group.

It was once said that a camel was a horse designed by a committee. This is making light of the seemingly odd features of a camel compared to a horse, but the camel also has some advantages.

Whether the compromise is budget related or more about policy direction, getting a compromise bill to pass means that we have found something that more can agree on together. This makes the bill more of a team effort. Something that more can cheer as a success. Something that can bring the team together in a spirit of cooperation. This increases the opportunity for more future success. A project achieved with compromise, may not have the impressive 'super-win' that was first conceived. But if it includes a win-win, that produces not only the bill, but also the spirit of joint success with the hope of more future cooperation.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Ernest Lineberger III (D)

A few neighbors and relatives

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Ernest Lineberger III	Democratic Party	$110,143	$106,651	$3,493	As of December 31, 2024
Scott Armey	Republican Party	$369,200	$369,200	$0	As of May 2, 2024
Neena Biswas	Republican Party	$28,947	$28,122	$825	As of February 14, 2024
Luisa Del Rosal	Republican Party	$346,108	$346,108	$0	As of May 15, 2024
Brandon Gill	Republican Party	$1,779,343	$1,651,519	$127,823	As of December 31, 2024
John Huffman	Republican Party	$455,851	$455,734	$117	As of December 31, 2024
Jason Kergosien	Republican Party	$4,256	$0	$746	As of March 31, 2024
Joel Krause	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Doug Robison	Republican Party	$276,774	$276,774	$0	As of May 24, 2024
Mark Rutledge	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Burt Thakur	Republican Party	$86,526	$85,776	$750	As of December 31, 2024
Vlad De Franceschi	Republican Party	$65,664	$65,667	$-2	As of March 31, 2024
Phil Gray	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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.^[4]
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.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Race ratings: Texas' 26th Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
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

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Texas in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Texas, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
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	$3,125.00	12/11/2023	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	12/11/2023	Source

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 in place for the election.
Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 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.

District map

Competitiveness
Presidential elections

State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

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

Texas U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Year	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	38	38	3	160	76	16	23	51.3%	19	54.3%
2022	38	38	6	222	76	17	27	57.9%	19	59.4%
2020	36	36	6	231	72	24	26	69.4%	18	60.0%
2018	36	36	8	212	72	25	21	63.9%	15	53.6%
2016	36	36	2	127	72	13	20	45.8%	19	55.9%
2014	36	36	1	100	72	6	13	26.4%	12	34.3%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Texas in 2024. Information below was calculated on 1/29/2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

In 2024, 164 candidates filed to run for Texas’ 38 U.S. House districts, including 63 Democrats and 101 Republicans. That was 4.3 candidates per district, the lowest number since 2016, when 3.5 candidates ran.

In 2022, the first election after the number of congressional districts in Texas increased from 36 to 38, 5.8 candidates ran per district. In 2020, 6.4 candidates ran, and 5.8 candidates ran in 2018.

The 164 candidates who ran in 2024 were also the fewest total number to run since 2016, when 127 candidates ran. One hundred candidates ran for Texas’ then-36 districts in 2014, the fewest in the decade, while 231 ran in 2020, the decade-high.

Three seats were open. That was the fewest since 2016, when two seats were open. Six seats were open in 2022 and 2020, and eight were in 2018—the decade-high.

Reps. Kay Granger (R-12th) and Michael Burgess (R-26th) retired from public office. Rep. Colin Allred (D-32nd) didn't seek re-election in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Fourteen candidates—10 Democrats and 4 Republicans—ran for the open 32nd district, the most candidates who ran for a seat in 2024.

Thirty-nine primaries—16 Democratic and 23 Republican—were contested this year. That was the fewest since 2016, when 33 were contested. There were 44 contested primaries in 2022, 50 in 2020, and 46 in 2018.

Nineteen incumbents—six Democrats and thirteen Republicans—faced primary challengers this year. That was the same number as 2022, and one more than in 2020.

Three districts—the 9th, the 20th, and the 30th—were guaranteed to Democrats because no Republicans filed to run. Five were guaranteed to Republicans because no Democrats filed to run—the 1st, the 11th, the 13th, the 19th, and the 25th.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+13. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 13 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 26th the 107th most Republican district nationally.^[8]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Texas' 26th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
40.0%	58.6%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.^[9] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
35.7	62.1	R+26.4

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Texas, 2020

Texas presidential election results (1900-2020)

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
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

See also: Party control of Texas state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Texas' congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Texas
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	12	12
Republican	2	25	27
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	1	1
Total	2	38	40

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Texas' top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Texas, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Greg Abbott
Lieutenant Governor	Dan Patrick
Secretary of State	Jane Nelson
Attorney General	Ken Paxton

State legislature

Texas State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	11
	Republican Party	19
	Other	0
	Vacancies	1
Total		31

Texas House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	64
	Republican Party	86
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		150

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Texas Party Control: 1992-2024
Three years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty-two 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
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
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
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

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.