Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2026

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' 38th Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary Republican primary runoff 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' 38th 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

All U.S. House districts, including the 38th Congressional District of Texas, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary was March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline was December 8, 2025. Ballotpedia identified the May 26 Republican primary runoff as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary runoff, click here.

This is one of 56 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 21 Democrats and 35 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.

The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts are up for election.

Currently, Republicans have a 218-214 majority with three vacancies in the chamber. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
• Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
• Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 26 Republican primary runoff)

Candidates and election results

General election

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

The primary runoff will occur on May 26, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary runoff.

General election for U.S. House Texas District 38

Melissa McDonough and William Taggart are running in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 38 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Melissa McDonough (D)
		William Taggart (Independent)

---

	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.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 38

Jon Bonck and Shelly deZevallos are running in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 38 on May 26, 2026.

		Candidate
		Jon Bonck
		Shelly deZevallos

---

	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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

Melissa McDonough defeated Marvalette Hunter and Theresa Courts in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Melissa McDonough	51.6	26,998
		Marvalette Hunter	28.3	14,791
		Theresa Courts	20.1	10,497

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3	Total votes: 52,286
= 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

• Curtis Cook II (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jon Bonck	47.7	24,288
✔		Shelly deZevallos	18.6	9,473
		Michael Pratt	10.9	5,569
		Larry Rubin	6.7	3,391
		Barrett McNabb	6.2	3,151
		Jeff Yuna	2.3	1,172
		Jennifer Sundt	2.3	1,168
		Carmen Montiel	2.2	1,140
		Craig Goralski	1.5	774
		Avery Ayers	1.5	759

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3	Total votes: 50,885
= 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

• Damien Mockus (R)
• Wesley Hunt (R)

Green convention

Green convention for U.S. House Texas District 38

Alex McMenemy is running in the Green convention for U.S. House Texas District 38 on April 11, 2026.

		Candidate
		Alex McMenemy (G)

---

	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.

May 26 Republican primary runoff

See also: Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 26 Republican primary runoff)

Ballotpedia identified the May 26 Republican primary runoff as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary runoff, click here.

Jon Bonck (R) and Shelly deZevallos (R) are running in the Republican primary runoff for Texas' 38th Congressional District on May 26, 2026. Bonck and deZevallos were the top two finishers in the March 3 primary with 47.7% and 18.6% of the vote, respectively. They advanced to a runoff because neither received more than 50% of the vote.

Incumbent Wesley Hunt (R) ran for U.S. Senate rather than seeking re-election, leaving the seat open.

Bonck is a manager at a mortgage brokerage firm. President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Bonck on February 16, 2026. Bonck describes himself as "a Christian, husband, father, and mortgage leader from Greater Houston — not a political celebrity, but a servant leader ready to fight for Texas families." In a statement following the primary, Bonck said, "[O]ur campaign has the momentum, the grassroots energy, and the broad support needed to win. We are proud to finish in first place, and we are just getting started."

DeZevallos is the president of the West Houston Airport. DeZevallos says she is running "because President Trump needs trusted conservative leaders in Congress who will end Democrat obstruction and keep the results coming for the American people." In a statement after the primary, deZevallos said, "I was born here, raised my family here, and have devoted 20+ years at the grassroots level to advancing our Republican agenda, protecting America First values, and making Harris County a safer place for our families."

As of March 2026, 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 Solid/Safe Republican.

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.

Jon Bonck

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Bonck obtained a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Louisiana State University. He worked for four years in quality control positions in the chemical industry before entering a management position in 2015. As of the 2026 primary, Bonck had worked as a manager at a mortgage group for more than six years.

---

Key Messages

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

---

Bonck described himself as a "Christian conservative, husband, and father committed to faith, family, and securing a future worth fighting for." Bonck said he was running "because public service isn’t about spotlight — it’s about stewardship."

---

Bonck said his experience as a mortgage lender "has shown him firsthand how outdated policies and red tape can frustrate families and delay their path to stability and wealth-building through homeownership." Bonck said he would "eliminate red tape to help Americans thrive and achieve the American dream."

---

Bonck said he was "stepping up to restore conservative values in Washington," saying he supported building a wall on the border with Mexico, prohibiting abortion, and opposing restrictions on firearms.

---

Show sources

Sources: Jon Bonck campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 24, 2025; Jon Bonck campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 24, 2025; LinkedIn, "Jonathan Bonck," accessed October 24, 2025

Shelly deZevallos

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I am a proven leader, business owner, aviation expert, and America First conservative running to represent Texas’s 38th Congressional District. Born and raised in Houston with deep Texas roots, I’ve built my life on the timeless values of faith, family, and hard work. Helping operate the family business, I learned the importance of service, responsibility, and community early on. As President of West Houston Airport — one of the nation’s busiest general aviation hubs — I’ve created jobs, supported local businesses, and navigated complex federal regulations to improve economic opportunity in our region. With my 5,000+ hours of logged pilot experience, I have advised leaders on aviation safety and policy and served on federal and state aviation advisory committees. I’m also a devout Christian, a proud wife and mother of twin daughters, and I understand firsthand the importance of protecting the freedoms that allow families to thrive — from secure borders and strong communities to low taxes and energy independence. I will bring real-world business experience and a results-driven leadership approach to Washington because Texans deserve a Representative who will stand with President Trump to cut red tape, defend our values, and deliver for our district."

---

Key Messages

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

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I am running for Congress to put America First and defend the conservative values that make our country strong. I will uphold the Constitution, protect individual freedoms, and stand against the radical Left’s agenda that weakens our nation. Texans deserve a Representative who will fight for faith, family, freedom, and a government that serves the people — not Washington elites or special interests.

---

I will fight to unleash our economy by cutting taxes, reducing burdensome regulations, and empowering small businesses and job creators. As a business leader, I understand how government overreach stifles growth and raises costs for families. In Congress, I will support policies that promote innovation, strengthen our workforce, and keep Texas a national leader in economic opportunity.

---

Securing our border and keeping our communities safe is non-negotiable. I will work with President Trump to enforce our immigration laws, secure our border, and stop cartel activity. I will strongly support law enforcement and ensure they have the resources needed to protect Texans. Public safety starts with the rule of law.

See more

See more here: Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 26 Republican primary runoff)

• Polls
• Candidate spending
• Satellite spending
• Endorsements
• Campaign ads

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.

Melissa McDonough

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I bring more than 20 years of experience on Capitol Hill as a volunteer lobbyist, along with 30 years as a Realtor® and brokerage owner. I haved listened to the challenges facing my clients and community and took those concerns directly to Washington, D.C., working to get legislation sponsored and co-sponsored that delivered real solutions. My advocacy has focused on consumer protection, housing affordability, affordable healthcare, veterans’ services, agriculture, and economic growth. I’ve learned that democracy isn’t a red or blue issue, it’s a purple solution. Effective government requires collaboration and a strong system of checks and balances. My background in real estate and small business ownership translates directly to public service. Negotiation, problem-solving, and understanding the financial pressures families face are skills I’ve used daily and would bring to Congress. Over the past two decades, I’ve helped champion more than 50 bills. My first experience lobbying was with the National Association of Realtors®, advocating for clients denied home loans due to medical debt. During that time, I met with then first-term Senator Barack Obama. I continue to travel to D.C. quarterly, on my own dime, advocating for my community. I volunteered with Everytown to oppose H.R. 38 and worked with the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance to secure sponsors for critical legislation. This is the work I’ve done for 20 years: listening, advocating, and delivering results."

---

Key Messages

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

---

We must restore the constitutional checks and balances between the three branches of government. No branch should dominate another or operate without accountability. Each must function independently while remaining answerable to the People of the United States. This requires strong, principled leadership and a diverse, experienced team committed to showing up, doing the work, and governing responsibly every single day.

---

We must reinstate and strengthen agencies including the EPA, NOAA, USDA, GSA, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Education, and Health and Human Services, while fully enforcing the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. The National Environmental Policy Act must be upheld so federal agencies assess environmental impacts before taking action. We should establish grants, rebuild agencies to function effectively, and restore strong checks and balances. By collaborating with local industries and holding them accountable to the law, we can protect our community.

---

Affordability is a growing crisis in TX-CD 38. Families are struggling to keep up with rent, groceries, and now skyrocketing healthcare costs are pushing them even further behind. Constituents regularly share their insurance premium notices, many showing increases of 300–400%. Texas already leads the nation in uninsured and underinsured residents, and without action, even more families will lose access to healthcare in 2026.

William Taggart

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

---

Key Messages

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

---

National Debt - We are bogged down in culture war issues when we have much more important items that need to be addressed. The national debt has risen from $5.7 trillion in 2000 to $38.4 trillion and is continuing to rise. These are levels of debt like we had after World War II compared to the economy. At the same time, people making less than $200,000 per year are paying more in taxes than their grandparents, while people making more than $500,000 per year are paying a lot less. Spending cuts are required, but won’t balance the budget, we need to raise taxes on the wealthy and large corporations to stop this increasing debt before it breaks our economy.

---

Healthcare – Americans spend more on healthcare and get worse outcomes than other first world countries. US health insurance companies have 20% overhead when Medicare and foreign health systems are less than 5%. Private Equity is buying up providers, reducing the number of hospitals and clinics in regions limiting competition. While the US drug market is the Wild Wild West for pharmaceuticals to charge as much as they want. We need to establish Health Savings Accounts that leverage Medicare negotiated rates with pharmacies, doctors, and hospitals. A public option to provide simple low-cost insurance to people and provide competition to private insurance.

---

Energy – US oil fields are beginning to plateau in their production. At the same time, natural gas power plants are in construction while we ship more US natural gas overseas from LNG export terminals. Data centers are being built at a rapid pace, demanding more electricity. We are creating an energy crisis due to bad policy. Republicans block wind farms and solar, while Democrats give away tax credits when we have massive national debt. We need an all of the above approach that does not involve increasing the national debt. We need to tax hydrocarbons, wind, and solar to fund building transmission lines and energy storage to increase the reliability of our electrical grid.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

Election information in Texas: Nov. 3, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 5, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 5, 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: Oct. 23, 2026
• By mail: Received by Oct. 23, 2026
• Online: N/A

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

• In-person: Nov. 3, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 3, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 19, 2026 to Oct. 30, 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)

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?

Melissa McDonough (D)

We must restore the constitutional checks and balances between the three branches of government. No branch should dominate another or operate without accountability. Each must function independently while remaining answerable to the People of the United States. This requires strong, principled leadership and a diverse, experienced team committed to showing up, doing the work, and governing responsibly every single day.

We must reinstate and strengthen agencies including the EPA, NOAA, USDA, GSA, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Education, and Health and Human Services, while fully enforcing the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. The National Environmental Policy Act must be upheld so federal agencies assess environmental impacts before taking action. We should establish grants, rebuild agencies to function effectively, and restore strong checks and balances. By collaborating with local industries and holding them accountable to the law, we can protect our community.

Affordability is a growing crisis in TX-CD 38. Families are struggling to keep up with rent, groceries, and now skyrocketing healthcare costs are pushing them even further behind. Constituents regularly share their insurance premium notices, many showing increases of 300–400%. Texas already leads the nation in uninsured and underinsured residents, and without action, even more families will lose access to healthcare in 2026.

William Taggart (Independent)

National Debt - We are bogged down in culture war issues when we have much more important items that need to be addressed. The national debt has risen from $5.7 trillion in 2000 to $38.4 trillion and is continuing to rise. These are levels of debt like we had after World War II compared to the economy. At the same time, people making less than $200,000 per year are paying more in taxes than their grandparents, while people making more than $500,000 per year are paying a lot less. Spending cuts are required, but won’t balance the budget, we need to raise taxes on the wealthy and large corporations to stop this increasing debt before it breaks our economy.

Healthcare – Americans spend more on healthcare and get worse outcomes than other first world countries. US health insurance companies have 20% overhead when Medicare and foreign health systems are less than 5%. Private Equity is buying up providers, reducing the number of hospitals and clinics in regions limiting competition. While the US drug market is the Wild Wild West for pharmaceuticals to charge as much as they want.

We need to establish Health Savings Accounts that leverage Medicare negotiated rates with pharmacies, doctors, and hospitals. A public option to provide simple low-cost insurance to people and provide competition to private insurance.

Energy – US oil fields are beginning to plateau in their production. At the same time, natural gas power plants are in construction while we ship more US natural gas overseas from LNG export terminals. Data centers are being built at a rapid pace, demanding more electricity. We are creating an energy crisis due to bad policy. Republicans block wind farms and solar, while Democrats give away tax credits when we have massive national debt.

We need an all of the above approach that does not involve increasing the national debt. We need to tax hydrocarbons, wind, and solar to fund building transmission lines and energy storage to increase the reliability of our electrical grid.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Melissa McDonough (D)

Gun Violence, Veterans, Housing Affordability, HealthCare, Consumer Protection, Farming, Foreign Policy, Small Business, Economic Growth.  

William Taggart (Independent)

Hidden at the heart of our culture war issues, is the changing demographics of America. Over the last seventy years America has changed, and we are struggling with those changes. The loss of wealth in America’s middle class, the increasing diverse racial profile, the decline in social institutions, and rise of social media have revealed the age and limitations of a Constitution that has not evolved to keep up. The Constitution defines the system of American government and that system has not adapted to the changing demographics. We need a re-engineering of our governmental systems that both the far right and far left have stressed and cracked.

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Theresa Courts	Democratic Party	$4,435	$4,241	$97	As of February 11, 2026
Marvalette Hunter	Democratic Party	$128,389	$98,447	$29,942	As of February 11, 2026
Melissa McDonough	Democratic Party	$41,933	$29,010	$35,623	As of February 11, 2026
Avery Ayers	Republican Party	$0	$0	$210	As of October 31, 2025
Jon Bonck	Republican Party	$1,075,937	$679,301	$396,636	As of February 11, 2026
Craig Goralski	Republican Party	$3,937	$2,887	$1,050	As of December 31, 2025
Barrett McNabb	Republican Party	$348,060	$325,626	$22,434	As of February 11, 2026
Carmen Montiel	Republican Party	$105,265	$90,093	$15,614	As of February 11, 2026
Michael Pratt	Republican Party	$371,358	$68,294	$303,064	As of February 11, 2026
Larry Rubin	Republican Party	$349,646	$272,196	$77,450	As of February 11, 2026
Jennifer Sundt	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Jeff Yuna	Republican Party	$85,738	$32,523	$4,008	As of February 11, 2026
Shelly deZevallos	Republican Party	$765,099	$421,911	$343,188	As of February 11, 2026
Alex McMenemy	Green Party	$3,732	$3,732	$0	As of December 31, 2025
William Taggart	Independent	$3,200	$1,242	$1,958	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. *** 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.
• 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.

Race ratings: Texas' 38th Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	3/17/2026	3/10/2026	3/3/2026	2/24/2026
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

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

District history

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

• 2024
• 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 38

Incumbent Wesley Hunt (R) defeated Melissa McDonough (D) and Avery Ayers (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 38 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wesley Hunt (R)	62.7	215,030
		Melissa McDonough (D)	37.2	127,640
		Avery Ayers (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	94

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 342,764
= 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

• Chad Abbey (L)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

Melissa McDonough (D) defeated Gion Thomas (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Melissa McDonough	82.5	18,486
		Gion Thomas	17.5	3,910

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,396
= 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

• Cameron Campbell (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

Incumbent Wesley Hunt (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wesley Hunt	100.0	62,340

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 62,340
= 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.

Libertarian Party convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 38

Chad Abbey (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 16, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Chad Abbey

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 38

Wesley Hunt (R) defeated Duncan Klussmann (D) and Joel Dejean (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 38 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wesley Hunt (R)	63.0	163,597
		Duncan Klussmann (D)	35.5	92,302
		Joel Dejean (Independent)	1.5	3,970

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 259,869
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Scott Cubbler (Independent)

Democratic primary runoff

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 38

Duncan Klussmann (D) defeated Diana Martinez Alexander (D) in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 38 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Duncan Klussmann	61.1	6,449
		Diana Martinez Alexander	38.9	4,111

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,560
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

Diana Martinez Alexander (D) and Duncan Klussmann (D) advanced to a runoff. They defeated Centrell Reed (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Martinez Alexander	44.6	9,861
✔		Duncan Klussmann	39.3	8,698
		Centrell Reed	16.1	3,550

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,109
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 38 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wesley Hunt	55.3	35,291
		Mark Ramsey	30.3	19,352
		David Hogan	4.9	3,125
		Roland Lopez	3.2	2,048
		Brett Guillory	2.2	1,416
		Jerry Ford Sr.	1.6	997
		Richard Welch	1.0	633
	Submit photo	Alex Cross	0.7	460
		Damien Mockus	0.4	249
		Philip Covarrubias	0.4	228

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 63,799
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

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

2026

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' 38th the 128th most Republican district nationally.

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' 38th Congressional District

Kamala Harris	Donald Trump
37.5%	60.5%

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

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 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

See also

Texas	2026 primaries	2026 U.S. Congress elections
Texas congressional delegation Voting in Texas Texas elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nathaniel Moran (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Keith Self (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Morgan Luttrell (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Craig Goldman (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Monica De La Cruz (R)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Christian Menefee (D)

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Brandon Gill (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Jasmine Crockett (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Julie Johnson (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 35

Greg Casar (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 38

Wesley Hunt (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (13)

2025-2026 Elections to the United States Congress

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Election information

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates • List of candidates running for election • List of congressional challengers • Retiring senators • Retiring representatives

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