Is it possible for a Republican to win in UT and West Campus’s Austin-based 37th Congressional District?

Since its creation in 2021, the district has sent a Democrat to Congress in each election with an average of about three-quarters of the vote. In a Thursday interview with the Texan, Lauren B. Peña, the Republican Party’s 2026 nominee for the district, said there is a difference between those elections and the one that will take place in November.

“There has never been a Republican contender that’s fought this hard,” Peña said. “I’m not here because a party wanted me. I’m here because my constituents need me, and I need them.”

A mother of six and a constitutional conservative according to her website, Peña said she is not a traditional Republican candidate. She said she moved to public housing in 2020 after escaping human trafficking and has advocated in front of city officials and the state legislature for better conditions.

At the center of her campaign is an allegation that the elected Democrats who represent Austin have not been responsive enough to those concerns, including inaccessibility concerns for her disabled and elderly neighbors.

“I feel like oftentimes the (Democratic) Party here in Austin, and our elected officials, they claim I’m the exact demographic that they care about,” Peña said. “So it’s concerning that if I’m that exact demographic, why do you not care what I have to say?”

Peña faces challenges beyond the district’s Democratic lean. Her opponent, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who is running for this district after Republicans in the state legislature redrew his old district in 2025, has raised nearly 10 times the amount of money Peña has, according to the latest available filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Casar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Peña said she supports efforts to limit the federal government’s role in funding universities and give that authority to the states. She also favors limiting higher education programs that do not result in high-paying jobs.

“We can level the playing field somehow, but that takes things coming from an unbiased perspective,” Peña said. “The way we do that is we send the funds to the states because they’re going to have a better understanding of where the money needs to go.”

Peña said her background gives her a unique appreciation for law enforcement. She said Casar’s response to Sunday’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting incident in Austin came while he did not vote to approve an increase in ICE funding for devices like body cameras.

Casar voted against appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security in protest of ICE’s actions in large cities earlier this year.

Peña also said her background gives her a special perspective on education issues and on artificial intelligence, which she said helped her learn “the skills (she) needed to survive” when she was impoverished. Peña said Casar’s recent legislation, which pushes for significant regulations on the AI industry, is too restrictive.

“I do think that there needs to be restrictions as far as childhood sexual images, things like that,” Peña said. “Deep fakes, (those) need to be restricted, but if you restrict it even further, you’re going to penalize families in poverty that are getting this opportunity to become self-sufficient and gain the skills that they need.”

Despite her disagreements with members of the Democratic Party, Peña said she campaigns mostly to Democrats and at Democratic events because she disapproves of political polarization.

“I know that it’s allegedly the bluest district … in the state of Texas, but as I said, I love this district,” Peña said. “This is my home. I faced unimaginable crimes here, but I’ve also been able to pull myself out, and that experience that I gained, is invaluable to the entire United States.”