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Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)
A Democratic Party primary took place on March 5, 2024, in Texas' 31st Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.
Stuart Whitlow and Brian Walbridge advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 31.
All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies.[1] As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.
In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 100.0%-0.0%. 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) 59.2%-39.0%.[2]
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
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)[3]
| “ | 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.'[4] | ” |
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
This page focuses on Texas' 31st Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)
- Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024
Candidates and election results
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 31
Stuart Whitlow and Brian Walbridge advanced to a runoff. They defeated Rick Von Pfeil in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 31 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Stuart Whitlow  | 48.4 | 10,023 |
| ✔ |  | Brian Walbridge | 25.8 | 5,346 |
 | Rick Von Pfeil | 25.8 | 5,332 | |
| Total votes: 20,701 | |||
| = 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.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "My name is Rick Von Pfeil (RVP) and I am a 5th generation Central Texan. I earned an MBA from Baylor University, where I stayed afterwards to be a Professor of Finance and Macro-Economics before beginning a 25 year career as a business consultant. My campaign team: Ken Flippin - campaign manager Richard Stone - media relations Alex Allrich - digital media, social media Terry Skyles - videographer David Logan - data analyst and political guru Becky Cooper - treasurer Political activism: I have worked with 2 Presidential campaigns (Dean, Kerry), 1 Senate (Ron Kirk), and 2 House races, and now I am running myself. Also, I have been a poll watcher at inner-city election polls to ensure that voters were not disenfranchised by having their voting rights infringed. Social activism: I have worked with organizations to assist the homeless and hungry (Dallas, Seattle, and Austin metro). I have also helped fund an organization in the Philippines to shelter women and children who were victims of human trafficking. Environmental activism: After being inspired by Al Gore, I decided to create a company to help fight air pollution and climate change. I grew the company across the state of Texas in 5 years and proved the business model for propane commercial mowers. I am now a member of Al Gore's Climate Reality Project. "
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 31 in 2024.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "My name is Brian Walbridge. I am running for Congress to represent all Central Texans and to do the right thing for families. The majority in Congress does not care about voters, but instead views big business and special interests as key constituents. The incumbent for U.S. House District 31, John Carter, is no exception. His voting record in favor of business interests is out of touch with voters and represents all that is wrong with Congress today. I will be the counterweight who advocates for the will of the people, not special interests. I earned degrees from Baylor University and University of Texas at Austin. I recently led a team to support pandemic healthcare needs. As a former diplomat, I defended our democracy by supporting federal agencies, our nation's military, and their families overseas. With over 15 years in the Fortune 100, I am a subject matter expert in financial management and taxation. I understand how legislation translates to real businesses and people. As a former certified Texas teacher and coach, I understand the unique challenges in public education. I am a resident of Leander, Texas. I live in this district. I bought my forever home in this district, and I work hard every day to raise a family in this district. It is time for new faces in Congress. Today, I am asking for the job of representing you in the U.S. House of Representatives."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 31 in 2024.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "My name is Stuart Whitlow and I am running for Congress to retire John Carter and help restore Democrats to the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democracy is on the ballot in 2024 — to protect the rights of ALL Texans we must elect a leader who will fight for the issues that matter most to our community: reproductive rights, Medicaid, constitutional rights, environmental protections, public education, expanding our economy, ending gun violence, protecting the rights of all Texans, and more. I’ve earned a BA from Southwestern, a Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt, and joint degrees from UT’s LBJ School and UT Law, graduating with Honors. I’ve spent 35 years as an attorney and worked with the Texas Legal Services Center to provide legal help to over 7,000 Texans seeking free services. I also played a key role in starting the award-winning job training program “Capital Idea” and in expanding it into Williamson County. As a lifelong Democrat and Williamson and Bell County native, I will fight to restore our rights, protect our democracy, and deliver real results for CD 31."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 31 in 2024.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Texas
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Von Pfeil | Democratic Party | $125,621 | $103,543 | $22,060 | As of September 30, 2024 |
| Brian Walbridge | Democratic Party | $67,684 | $67,684 | $0 | As of December 31, 2024 |
| Stuart Whitlow | Democratic Party | $311,837 | $308,186 | $3,651 | As of December 31, 2024 |
|
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." |
|||||
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.
Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.
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
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+14. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 14 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 31st the 100th most Republican district nationally.[5]
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' 31st based on 2024 district lines | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Biden 
|
Donald Trump 
| |||
| 39.0% | 59.2% | |||
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.[6] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.
| Inside Elections Baseline for 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Baseline
|
Republican Baseline
|
Difference | ||
| 35.1 | 62.4 | D+27.3 | ||
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 |
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 |
See also
- Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024 (May 28 Democratic primary runoff)
- Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)
- Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024
- United States House elections in Texas, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primaries)
- United States House elections in Texas, 2024 (March 5 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2024
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ A majority in the U.S. House when there are no vacancies is 218 seats.
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
- ↑ Inside Elections, "Methodology: Inside Elections’ Baseline by Congressional District," December 8, 2023
