Sarah Eckhardt launches bid for House seat
Former Travis County judge and current state Senator Sarah Eckhardt is looking for a job change. The democrat from Austin launched a congressional bid for the House seat being vacated by Republican Michael McCaul.
AUSTIN, Texas – Former Travis County judge and current state Senator Sarah Eckhardt is looking for a job change.Â
The Austin democrat launched a congressional bid for the House seat being vacated by Republican Michael McCaul.
Austin Democrat Sarah Eckhardt announces bid
What we know:
Mansfield Dam, and another that forms Lake Livingston in east Texas, were built with a unifying goal. On Monday, Austin Democrat Sarah Eckhardt used the massive undertakings to symbolize her bid for the District 10 congressional seat.
“And since then, we’ve been sharing the water, we’ve controlled the floods, and we’ve generated clean energy to power our homes for more than 80 years. We’re not going to agree on everything. But just like those original 13 colonies, we can work together to build things that last as long as Mansfield dam, not just until the next election cycle,” said Eckhardt in her campaign announcement video.
Political analysts speak out
What they’re saying:
Political analysts Mark Jones, with Rice University, and Brian Smith, with St. Edwards University, spoke about Eckhardt’s bid.
“It would be tough, you know, even for a moderate Democrat to even come close in District 10,” said Jones.
There could be an opportunity and the volatile political climate on the national stage could provide an opening, according to Smith.
“Politically, there’s going to be no better time in her career than to run in 2026,” said Smith.
Texas Congressional District 10 is an open seat. Incumbent republican Michael McCaul is not running, but the area is still considered a GOP strong hold.
“Well, the difficulty for Sarah Elkhardt is she has a track record in this Texas Senate of being the most liberal member of it,” said Jones.
That voting record, which dates back to her time with the Travis County Commission, according to Smith, will have to be abandoned.
“And really try to move to the middle. She’s not going to face a lot of serious primary challenges from the left. So, she’s not going to have to go and really move left. She is going to get those votes. So that’s going to enable her to move more to the center,” said Smith.
Elkhardt’s current seat in the state Senate isn’t up for reelection. Her run isn’t necessarily a high-risk political decision. But Jones pointed out the run could be a look ahead.
“Potentially it will set her up in terms of a potential candidacy in the future should district boundaries change or should she decide to try to take a stab at defeating Greg Casar in the Austin-based district,” said Jones.Â
Smith noted an interview Eckhardt gave in 2022 to Ballotpedia.
“And she said, if my talents matched the moment, I would consider it meaning running for higher office. So, she’s putting her words into action,” said Smith.Â
The District 10 race in November could also be part of a political perfect storm.
“I think we’re in a situation that if somehow Sarah Elkhardt wins in this open seat race in November 2026, we probably won’t notice it that much, because Republicans will be doing so poorly in statewide races that we could see the first Democratic victory statewide in Texas since 1994,” said Jones.
History could be at a point for a political U-Turn.
“It looks like 2026 is a case where we’re seeing a lot of change. We saw this in Texas in the 1980s when a lot of those old conservative Democrats retired and were replaced by conservative Republicans. You have a generational shift, and it does happen,” said Smith.
What’s next:
Eckhardt joins two others going for the Democratic nomination. The GOP primary for congressional D-10 currently has 10 candidates.Â
The controversial GOP redistricting that shifted district 10 away from Houston could put the youth vote from UT and Texas A&M into play. But turnout is the big question for Eckhardt.Â
Smith and Jones pointed out that Democrats may have better shots for election night upsets in districts that were re-drawn around Houston and in south Texas.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski