HOUSTON — Texas’ 9th Congressional District will be getting new representation for the first time in over two decades, flipping from a Democratic stronghold to a likely Republican pickup.

What You Need To Know

U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, has represented the Houston-area district in Washington since 2005

Mid-decade redistricting last summer combined Democratic parts of the district with the already Democratic 18th Congressional District, resulting in a new, and most likely Republican 9th District

Many Republicans and several Democrats are running for the seat, with state Rep. Briscoe Cain and veteran Alex Mealer emerging as early frontrunners on the Republican side

The March 3 primary will determine if candidates from either party will head to a May 26 runoff

U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, has represented the Houston area in Washington since 2005, but after the seat was redrawn last summer to be heavily Republican, Green opted to run for the neighboring 18th Congressional District, which remains solidly blue and includes much of his old district. 

Several candidates are vying for the new 9th District, which shifted from south Houston to east Harris County and the heavily Republican Liberty County. Under the redrawn lines, the district would have gone for President Donald Trump by 20 percentage points. Before the redraw, the district voted for Kamala Harris by 44 percentage points in 2024.

Frontrunners in the Republican primary are state Rep. Briscoe Cain and former Army Capt. Alex Mealer. 

Mealer received the coveted endorsement of President Donald Trump who said “A West Point Graduate, and Combat Decorated Army Bomb Squad Officer, Alex knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Defend our Country, Support our Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH” in a Truth Social post. 

Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Cain, saying in a social media post, “Briscoe is the proven conservative champion Texans need fighting for them in Washington.” This is one of only two Texas congressional races where the president and the governor have backed different candidates, the other being in the 35th Congressional District.

Both candidates paint themselves as conservative fighters and immigration hardliners, ready to bring economic growth to the district and help Trump enact his agenda in Washington. 

Mealer, a Harvard Law and Harvard Business School graduate and bomb squad veteran, first ran for public office in 2022, when she narrowly lost her bid for Harris County judge against Lina Hidalgo. Cain was first elected to his Deer Park area seat in the Texas Legislature in 2016, where he has consistently ranked among the most conservative members of the House. 

On the Democratic side, former astronaut Terry Verts ended his campaign for U.S. Senate to run for the seat, and after an unexpected Democratic victory in a special election for a Texas Senate seat in North Texas, Democrats are targeting the 9th Congressional District as another potential upset.

A total of nine candidates are running for the Republican nomination, including Crystal de Leon-Sarmiento, Dan Mims and former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman.   

With so many candidates on the March 3 Republican primary ballot and six on the Democratic ballot, it is highly likely that no candidate will secure the over 50% of the vote necessary to prevent a runoff. In that case, the two candidates with the most votes from each party will advance to the May 26 primary runoff.