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With Texas’ new congressional map on the verge of full passage, local elected Republican officials are eyeing bids in districts newly drawn to favor the GOP.

The redistricting has created a rare possibility for Republicans in numerous metro areas to advance their careers when they would typically be stuck waiting for members of Congress to retire – or be forced to run in less favorable terrain.State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, kicked off the frenzy Thursday, filing a declaration of candidacy for the newly drawn 9th Congressional District, anchored east of Houston. That seat, currently held by Democratic Rep. al Green,was moved from southern Houston to the eastern parts of Harris County and Liberty County,going from a district that voted for Kamala Harris by 44 percentage points to one that Donald Trump would have carried by 20 points.

But with three of the newly created seats lacking an incumbent and two South Texas districts redrawn to be more favorable to Republicans, operatives expect a flurry of candidates to jump into races that trump hopes yield five new GOP members of Congress.

South Texas

Republicans were targeting two South Texas seats held by Democrats even before the map was redrawn to fold more GOP voters into those districts.

Texas’ 28th Congressional District, centered in Laredo, and the 34th Congressional District, which includes Brownsville and McAllen, were two of just 13 districts nationwide to elect a congressional Democrat while being carried by Trump. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen – two of the House’s most moderate democrats – were able to hang on to their heavily Hispanic seats in 2024.

Under the current boundaries, the 28th Dist

Potential Candidates Emerge as Texas Congressional Seats Open

City Council is nonpartisan, Whyte, an attorney first elected in 2023, represents the only conservative-leaning district in the city and previously ran, unsuccessfully, for the Texas House as a Republican.

“I’m certainly looking at it,” Whyte said in a text message.

State Rep. John Lujan, a Republican and former Bexar County sheriff’s deputy who represents a number of towns outside San Antonio, and Kristin Tips, a San Antonio funeral director who heads the Texas Funeral Service Commission, are also contemplating running, according to a source familiar with the district.

Austin Republican rep. Chip Roy’s proclamation that he is running for attorney general also leaves a vacancy in his Central Texas-based 21st Congressional District, which includes parts of San Antonio and Bexar County. that seat could see enormous interest – Roy was one of 18 Republicans who ran in the 2018 primary, the last time the seat was open.

The Republicans contemplating a run in the 35th Congressional District may also be interested in the 21st District. Whyte said he is looking at both.

Bexar County GOP vice Chair Kyle Sinclair, who has run in different san Antonio-area congressional seats in the past two cycles, said he is also exploring running in both the 35th and 21st Congressional districts.In a statement, Sinclair noted that he has relationships with the GOP grassroots and at the state and federal levels, and argued his “background could serve the community well.”

“Additionally, I am committed to securing necessary resources – such as federal disaster relief funds, and support for local rebuilding efforts following the devastating July 2025 floods – to continue the Hill Contry recovery,” Sinclair said.

Dallas

The redrawn 32nd Congressional District is the safest republican seat that GOP map-drawers created. Currently a geographically compact district that contains about a third of the city of Dallas and some northern and eastern suburbs,the district was redrawn to become far more rural.

Publication Date: 2025/08/23 06:58:33