Texas' 21st 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' 21st Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 8, 2025
Primary: March 3, 2026 Primary runoff: May 26, 2026 General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Texas
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Texas' 21st 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 21st 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.

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' 21st Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
• Texas' 21st Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for U.S. House Texas District 21

Kristin Hook, Mark Teixeira, and Dan McQueen are running in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 21 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Kristin Hook (D)
		Mark Teixeira (R)
		Dan McQueen (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.
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 21

Kristin Hook defeated Regina Vanburg and Gary Taylor in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristin Hook	60.4	35,413
		Regina Vanburg	27.7	16,261
		Gary Taylor	11.9	6,963

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 58,637
= 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

• Daniel Weber (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Teixeira	62.6	52,280
		Jason Cahill	9.9	8,245
		Trey Trainor	8.3	6,976
		Mike Wheeler	7.0	5,888
		Weston Martinez	2.1	1,758
		Daniel Betts	1.9	1,550
		Kyle Sinclair (Unofficially withdrew)	1.7	1,394
		Peggy Wardlaw	1.6	1,373
		Heather Tessmer	1.5	1,244
		Paul Rojas	1.4	1,179
		Ezekiel Enriquez	1.3	1,088
		Jacques DuBose	0.7	571

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 83,546
= 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

• Denis Goulet (R)
• Jessica Karlsruher (R)
• Chip Roy (R)
• Matt Okerson (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.

Kristin Hook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I’m Dr. Kristin Hook – a scientist, public servant, and working-class Democrat running to serve Texas’ 21st Congressional District. I’m running to fight for affordability, expand opportunity, and demand accountability for working Texans. As a former middle school teacher with a PhD in animal behavior, I’m well prepared to handle Congress. Before running for office, I served the public in both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. At the U.S. Government Accountability Office, I protected your hard-earned tax dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse and advised Congress on emerging technologies like AI. At the National Institutes of Health, I worked to expand access to health care for all. And in the U.S. Senate, I fought corruption and held powerful politicians and corporate CEOs accountable as an oversight investigator. As a scientist, I’m trained to solve tough problems using facts – not ideology. That’s the approach we need to fix our broken health care system, strengthen public schools, and unrig an economy that isn't working for everyday Texans. I know how to pull the levers of government so it works for us — not against us. In 2024, I was the Democratic nominee for this seat and saw how many people were left behind by a lack of real leadership. I’m running again to be the leader our community deserves – one who shows up, listens, and delivers real results through strong constituent services."

---

Key Messages

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

---

IT’S TIME TO PUT WORKING PEOPLE IN CHARGE: Like so many in our district, I know what it’s like when costs go up but paychecks don’t. It’s time to put working people in charge and build an economy that works for all of us – not billionaires and special interests. As an elected union leader and grassroots organizer, I’ve led campaigns to raise staff wages, empowered workers, and held those in power accountable. In Congress, I’ll fight to raise the living wage, lower costs for housing, health care, childcare, and elder care. I’ll protect the ACA and expand programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. I’ll demand fair taxes for the wealthy, crack down on price-gouging and monopolies, and repeal Trump’s billionaire tax cuts.

---

EVERYONE DESERVES A FAIR SHOT: I’m an unlikely scientist. I was raised by a single mom who never had the chance to go to college. Thanks to taxpayers like you, I did. Pell Grants and a National Science Foundation award helped me earn two degrees at UT-Austin and a PhD at Cornell. I chose a career in public service to give back – as a middle school teacher in an underserved community and as a federal scientist. Over the past year, these doors of opportunity have been slammed shut, and too many Texans have seen their rights rolled back. In Congress, I’ll fight to repair what’s broken, strengthen public schools, expand training programs, protect civil and reproductive rights and safeguard our environment for a healthy, liveable future.

---

I’VE HELD POWERFUL INTERESTS ACCOUNTABLE – AND I’LL DO IT AGAIN: As a former federal scientist, I know government can be a force for good – not a weapon of oppression. I’ve protected taxpayer dollars at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, stood up for federal workers as an elected union leader, and held the Trump administration and corporate CEOs accountable as an oversight investigator in the Senate. In Congress, I’ll keep fighting corruption and the abuse of power and will use oversight, subpoenas, and the power of the purse to enforce the law, defend our democracy, and make sure our government works for we the people — not billionaires or special interests.

Mark Teixeira

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Teixeira received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was previously a professional baseball player and World Series champion, having played with the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Yankees.

---

Key Messages

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

---

On foreign policy, Teixeira said he would "champion President Trump’s America First agenda" by supporting the military, ending American involvement in long-term conflicts, and "[putting] America's interests first at home and abroad."

---

On national security, Teixeira said he would "secure the southern border, deport illegal aliens, and crush the cartels." Domestically, he said he would support law enforcement to lower the crime rate.

---

Teixeira said he would improve the economy by cutting federal spending. He also said he would promote Texas’ oil, gas, and nuclear industries to lower energy costs.

---

On education, Teixeira said he would support parental involvement in schools. He said he would "defend parental rights, kill DEI, [and] restore patriotic education rooted in American and Texas values."

---

Show sources

Sources: Mark Teixeira 2026 campaign website, "Issues," accessed October 26, 2025; ESPN, "Mark Teixeira biography," accessed October 26, 2025; Mark Teixeira 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 26, 2025; NBC 5 DFW, "Former Rangers 1B Mark Teixeira Earns College Degree," May 5, 2022

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?

Kristin Hook (D)

IT’S TIME TO PUT WORKING PEOPLE IN CHARGE: Like so many in our district, I know what it’s like when costs go up but paychecks don’t. It’s time to put working people in charge and build an economy that works for all of us – not billionaires and special interests. As an elected union leader and grassroots organizer, I’ve led campaigns to raise staff wages, empowered workers, and held those in power accountable. In Congress, I’ll fight to raise the living wage, lower costs for housing, health care, childcare, and elder care. I’ll protect the ACA and expand programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. I’ll demand fair taxes for the wealthy, crack down on price-gouging and monopolies, and repeal Trump’s billionaire tax cuts.

EVERYONE DESERVES A FAIR SHOT: I’m an unlikely scientist. I was raised by a single mom who never had the chance to go to college. Thanks to taxpayers like you, I did. Pell Grants and a National Science Foundation award helped me earn two degrees at UT-Austin and a PhD at Cornell. I chose a career in public service to give back – as a middle school teacher in an underserved community and as a federal scientist. Over the past year, these doors of opportunity have been slammed shut, and too many Texans have seen their rights rolled back. In Congress, I’ll fight to repair what’s broken, strengthen public schools, expand training programs, protect civil and reproductive rights and safeguard our environment for a healthy, liveable future.

I’VE HELD POWERFUL INTERESTS ACCOUNTABLE – AND I’LL DO IT AGAIN: As a former federal scientist, I know government can be a force for good – not a weapon of oppression. I’ve protected taxpayer dollars at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, stood up for federal workers as an elected union leader, and held the Trump administration and corporate CEOs accountable as an oversight investigator in the Senate. In Congress, I’ll keep fighting corruption and the abuse of power and will use oversight, subpoenas, and the power of the purse to enforce the law, defend our democracy, and make sure our government works for we the people — not billionaires or special interests.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Kristin Hook (D)

I’m a policy nerd, so it’s hard to pick just one! The policies that keep me up at night tend to involve government oversight and reform, healthcare, voting rights, civil rights, science & technology, and education.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Kristin Hook (D)

Texas AFL-CIO COPE

San Antonio Central Labor Council Austin Central Labor Council Joaquin Castro, U.S. Representative in TX-20 Bexar County Young Democrats John Courage, Former San Antonio City Council Member Tejano Democrats, Bexar County SD-19 Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio Liberal Austin Democrats

The Progressive Voter Network

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

• Dan McQueen

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Kristin Hook	Democratic Party	$100,801	$28,308	$76,849	As of February 11, 2026
Gary Taylor	Democratic Party	$16,487	$12,592	$3,895	As of February 11, 2026
Regina Vanburg	Democratic Party	$11,872	$9,416	$2,293	As of February 11, 2026
Daniel Betts	Republican Party	$170,920	$84,775	$86,145	As of February 11, 2026
Jason Cahill	Republican Party	$348,702	$291,977	$56,725	As of February 11, 2026
Jacques DuBose	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Ezekiel Enriquez	Republican Party	$104,653	$100,595	$-314	As of February 11, 2026
Weston Martinez	Republican Party	$19,907	$14,126	$5,780	As of February 11, 2026
Paul Rojas	Republican Party	$165,026	$8,165	$156,862	As of February 11, 2026
Kyle Sinclair	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Mark Teixeira	Republican Party	$3,466,723	$2,459,293	$1,007,430	As of February 11, 2026
Heather Tessmer	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Trey Trainor	Republican Party	$139,666	$63,349	$76,317	As of February 11, 2026
Peggy Wardlaw	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Mike Wheeler	Republican Party	$345,601	$262,247	$83,354	As of February 11, 2026
Dan McQueen	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." ** 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' 21st 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
• 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 21

Incumbent Chip Roy (R) defeated Kristin Hook (D) and Bob King (L) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 21 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chip Roy (R)	61.9	263,744
		Kristin Hook (D)	36.1	153,765
		Bob King (L)	2.1	8,914

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 426,423
= 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

• Dan McQueen (Independent)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21

Kristin Hook (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristin Hook	100.0	28,579

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,579
= 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 21

Incumbent Chip Roy (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chip Roy	100.0	96,610

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 96,610
= 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 21

Bob King (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Bob King

---

	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.

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 21

Incumbent Chip Roy (R) defeated Claudia Zapata (D) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 21 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chip Roy (R)	62.8	207,426
		Claudia Zapata (D)	37.2	122,655

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 330,081
= 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 runoff

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 21

Claudia Zapata (D) defeated Ricardo Villarreal (D) in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 21 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Claudia Zapata	63.5	13,886
		Ricardo Villarreal	36.5	7,996

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,882
= 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 21

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Claudia Zapata	47.2	16,604
✔		Ricardo Villarreal	27.3	9,590
		Coy Branscum	9.0	3,157
		David Anderson	8.6	3,038
		Scott Sturm	5.3	1,865
		Cherif Gacis	2.6	902

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,156
= 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 21

Incumbent Chip Roy (R) defeated Robert Lowry (R), Dana Zavorka (R), and Michael French (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chip Roy	83.2	78,087
		Robert Lowry	8.1	7,642
		Dana Zavorka	4.5	4,206
		Michael French	4.1	3,886

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 93,821
= 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 21

Incumbent Chip Roy (R) defeated Wendy Davis (D), Arthur DiBianca (L), and Thomas Wakely (G) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 21 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chip Roy (R)	52.0	235,740
		Wendy Davis (D)	45.4	205,780
		Arthur DiBianca (L)	1.9	8,666
		Thomas Wakely (G)	0.8	3,564

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 453,750
= 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

• Michael Felts (Independent)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21

Wendy Davis (D) defeated Jennie Lou Leeder (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wendy Davis	86.3	84,593
		Jennie Lou Leeder	13.7	13,485

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 98,078
= 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

• Bruce Boville (D)
• Alan Ellis (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21

Incumbent Chip Roy (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chip Roy	100.0	75,389

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 75,389
= 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.

Green Party convention

Green convention for U.S. House Texas District 21

Thomas Wakely (G) advanced from the Green Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 21 on April 18, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Thomas Wakely

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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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Libertarian Party convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 21

Arthur DiBianca (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 21 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Arthur DiBianca

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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+11. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 11 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 21st the 104th most Republican district nationally.

2024 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' 21st Congressional District

Kamala Harris	Donald Trump
38.6%	59.0%

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 March 2026
	Democratic Party	12
	Republican Party	18
	Other	0
	Vacancies	1
Total		31

Texas House of Representatives

Party		As of March 2026
	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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Super PACs/Organizations

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