Mark Teixeira Wins Election to U.S. House in Texas
Together, we can build a better future for our families, our neighbors, and every community across Texas 21,
Mark Teixeira said in a statement posted on X.
Former Major League Baseball All-Star Mark Teixeira has won election to the U.S. House in Texas’s 21st Congressional District. Democrat Kristin Hook—a former federal scientist who previously worked for the Government Accountability Office and the National Institutes of Health—was defeated by the former New York Yankees and Texas Rangers slugger. Teixeira ran for the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Chip Roy, who decided not to seek reelection. Teixeira previously won the Republican primary for Congress with more than 61% of the vote in March.
The 21st Congressional District covers a deeply conservative area west of both Austin and San Antonio. Shortly after state lawmakers approved a 2026 redistricting map designed to benefit the GOP, Teixeira launched his candidacy. In his congressional campaign announcement, Teixeira pledged to work with President Donald Trump to secure the border and end radical woke indoctrination.
Baseball Career Precedes Political Bid
Teixeira began his career with the Rangers as the No. 5 pick in the 2001 MLB draft. Throughout his 14 seasons in the majors, he earned three All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and captured a World Series championship with the Yankees in 2009. Teixeira and his family moved back to Texas in 2021 after he retired from baseball.
Thank you to my family, friends, campaign staff, and the countless supporters who stood with us during this campaign. We could not have won this race without every person who knocked on doors, worked the polls, hosted events, and pitched in to help the cause. I am truly grateful… pic.twitter.com/64fcE7z3DJ
Sports Figures in Other Congressional and Gubernatorial Contests
In other races, former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, a Republican, lost her U.S. Senate race in Minnesota to Democrat Peggy Flanagan. Tafoya campaigned against transgender women playing women’s sports. She made her political bid after working as a sideline reporter for NBC’s Sunday Night Football
and Monday Night Football
on ESPN and ABC, and later hosting a political podcast.
Former college football coach Tommy Tuberville, a Republican, won the Alabama gubernatorial race, defeating Democrat Doug Jones. Tuberville previously unseated Jones in a U.S. Senate race six years prior. Tuberville, who coached at Auburn and three other major college programs, entered politics by winning a U.S. Senate seat in 2020 and chose not to seek a second term. During his time in the Senate, Tuberville aligned closely with President Donald Trump, who endorsed Tuberville in 2020 and backed his run for governor.
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