Texas' 5th Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Texas' 5th Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: December 8, 2025 |
| Primary: March 3, 2026 Primary runoff: May 26, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
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 |
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 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 5th Congressional District of Texas, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline was December 8, 2025. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Texas' 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
- Texas' 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for U.S. House Texas District 5
Dea Foy is running in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 5 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
Dea Foy (Independent) ![]() | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 5
Chelsey Hockett, Forrest Lumpkin, and Ruth Torres are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
Chelsey Hockett ![]() | ||
Forrest Lumpkin ![]() | ||
Ruth Torres ![]() | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 5
Incumbent Lance Gooden is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Lance Gooden | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Travis Edwards (R)
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.
Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!
Party: Independent
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "All politics begin as local politics. What the United States needs more than ever is a return to Grassroots Politics. Our America The Beautiful is deserving of government that operates for the people by the people. And should be a true nation of civilization for humanity. My four major platform pillars are: 1. Healthcare For All. 2. Housing For All. 3. Nutritious Food For All. 4. Closing The Wealth Gap For All. These four pillars have the power to put America The Beautiful on track towards sustainable progress for All her communities. Using grassroots economics, every household citizen can be healthy, housed, well and pursuing a life with self-determination. Grassroots efforts build a nation from the communities up. Unjustly, land has been stolen and property seized; the masses are over taxed and public funds have been mismanaged. Repair must be made to two of America's finest ethnic groups immediately... wealth of the First Americans and American Freedmen descendants must be restored through economic empowerment zones. But first, WeThePeople must make the demands, replace corrupt government leadership, and end systemic inequalities to truth, justice and repair. We are the masses, and we demand full equalitarism be practiced in government; a pathway to ending poverty, truth in justice, a clean environmental and demilitarization of our society."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Texas
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.
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Dea Foy (Independent)
IT CAN'T BE that families in Texas 5th District are sleeping in their cars, shelters and on the streets while structurally sound properties sit empty. Our government has allowed investor groups to build and buy up residential homes that were really never meant to be anything more than an asset on a portfolio. My Housing For All platform insist no U.S. citizen should ever be homeless as long as there is available hard shelter. Nor should district citizens ever not be afforded access to foods that support the health and wellness of their bio-bodies. My Nutritious Food For All platform addresses "food deserts" by expanding military commissaries to low-income U.S. citizens.
As a solution for a SUSTAINABLE END TO POVERTY in Texas District 5, and all of the United States, my campaign presents options for Closing the Wealth Gap between millionaires and disenfranchised citizens. Trickle down models must be replaced with Grassroots Economics. And the government is responsible to empowering community growth. Creating economic empowerment zones for communities that have been systemically impeded from building wealth, will be the start of Closing the Wealth Gap. My platform will focus on repairing unjust practices towards First Americans and descendants of American Freedmen.
Dea Foy (Independent)
Dea Foy (Independent)
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lance Gooden | Republican Party | $770,269 | $433,242 | $1,054,384 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Chelsey Hockett | Democratic Party | $4,659 | $-3,647 | $5,701 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Forrest Lumpkin | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Ruth Torres | Democratic Party | $10,275 | $1,902 | $8,649 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Dea Foy | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
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." |
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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.[1]
- 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.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Texas' 5th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 2/3/2026 | 1/27/2026 | 1/20/2026 | 1/13/2026 | ||||||
| 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.
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 5
Incumbent Lance Gooden (R) defeated Ruth Torres (D) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 5 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lance Gooden (R) | 64.1 | 192,185 |
| | Ruth Torres (D) ![]() | 35.9 | 107,712 | |
| Total votes: 299,897 | ||||
= 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
- Antonio Rodriguez (Independent)
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 5
Ruth Torres (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ruth Torres ![]() | 100.0 | 17,145 |
| Total votes: 17,145 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 5
Incumbent Lance Gooden (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lance Gooden | 100.0 | 59,069 |
| Total votes: 59,069 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 5
Incumbent Lance Gooden (R) defeated Tartisha Hill (D), Kevin Hale (L), and Ruth Torres (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 5 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lance Gooden (R) | 64.0 | 135,595 |
| | Tartisha Hill (D) | 33.9 | 71,930 | |
| | Kevin Hale (L) | 2.0 | 4,293 | |
| | Ruth Torres (Independent) (Write-in) ![]() | 0.1 | 147 | |
| Total votes: 211,965 | ||||
= 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
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 5
Tartisha Hill (D) defeated Kathleen Bailey (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tartisha Hill | 52.7 | 10,689 |
| | Kathleen Bailey ![]() | 47.3 | 9,605 | |
| Total votes: 20,294 | ||||
= 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
- Charles Gearing (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 5
Incumbent Lance Gooden (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lance Gooden | 100.0 | 47,692 |
| Total votes: 47,692 | ||||
= 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 5
Kevin Hale (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 19, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Kevin Hale |
= 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. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 5
Incumbent Lance Gooden (R) defeated Carolyn Salter (D) and Kevin Hale (L) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lance Gooden (R) | 62.0 | 173,836 |
| | Carolyn Salter (D) ![]() | 35.9 | 100,743 | |
| | Kevin Hale (L) ![]() | 2.1 | 5,834 | |
| Total votes: 280,413 | ||||
= 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
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 5
Carolyn Salter (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carolyn Salter ![]() | 100.0 | 34,641 |
| Total votes: 34,641 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 5
Incumbent Lance Gooden (R) defeated Don Hill (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lance Gooden | 83.4 | 57,253 |
| | Don Hill ![]() | 16.6 | 11,372 | |
| Total votes: 68,625 | ||||
= 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 5
Kevin Hale (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 5 on March 21, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Kevin Hale ![]() |
= 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. | ||||
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district before and after redistricting ahead of the 2026 election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map used in the 2024 election next to the map in place for the 2026 election. Click on a map below to enlarge it.
2024

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
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+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' 5th the 93rd most Republican district nationally.[5]
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.
| Kamala Harris | Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 39.6% | 58.6% |
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 October 2025.
| 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 October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
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
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
