{"id":184398,"date":"2026-02-28T11:17:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/184398\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T11:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:17:07","slug":"redistricting-target-tx-35-attracts-crowded-primary-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/184398\/","title":{"rendered":"Redistricting target TX-35 attracts crowded primary races"},"content":{"rendered":"

Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy<\/a>, and give us feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Voters in Texas\u2019 new 35th Congressional District on Tuesday will cast their ballots in a pair of wide-open primaries to decide the Democratic and Republican nominees in the San Antonio-area seat, one of five overhauled last year to be more favorable for the GOP.<\/p>\n

There are 11 Republicans and four Democrats running in the primaries for the 35th District, both of which could go to May runoffs between the top two finishers if nobody wins a majority of the vote. The area\u2019s current representative, Democrat Greg Casar, was drawn out of his seat and is now running in the solidly blue 37th District.<\/p>\n

The new 35th\u2019s boundaries contain less than 10% of its former constituency and now cover parts of San Antonio and outlying eastern areas in Bexar, Guadalupe, Wilson and Karnes counties. If the updated lines had existed in 2024, the district would have gone to Donald Trump by about 10 points, though the nonpartisan Cook Political Report<\/a> gives congressional Republicans a four-point advantage. Democrats have set their sights on overcoming the GOP gerrymander that created the Hispanic-majority district, believing they could capitalize on a leftward shift of Hispanic voters since Trump took office.<\/p>\n

On the Republican side, the biggest watershed moment of the primary came when Trump endorsed Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz on the eve of early voting \u2014 a show of support that has often<\/a> helped decisively boost GOP candidates in contested Texas primaries.<\/p>\n

One of De La Cruz\u2019s main rivals is state Rep. John Lujan<\/a>, a San Antonio Republican who\u2019s betting he can overcome the Trump endorsement due to his familiarity among voters who elected him to his overlapping district<\/a> in the Texas House. <\/p>\n

Also among the apparent frontrunners are former Republican congressional staffer Josh Cortez, Navy veteran Jay Furman and entrepreneur Ryan Krause, each of whom have raised competitive amounts of campaign cash and bring varying political experience to the race. Furman was the 2024 nominee for the 28th Congressional District, which covers some of the new District 35; he lost by about 6 points to incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo. Krause most recently lost the 2020 and 2022 GOP primaries for the 15th District against Rep. Monica De La Cruz, the sister of Carlos De La Cruz. <\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s support of Carlos De La Cruz over Lujan was all the more notable because the seat was carved out by Republicans in the Texas Legislature, including Lujan, at the president\u2019s request. Re-elected to the Texas House in 2021 after flipping a traditionally Democratic seat<\/a>, Lujan currently represents southern and eastern portions of Bexar County, much of which is also part of the new congressional seat. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s gotten endorsements from Gov. Greg Abbott<\/a>, U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey<\/a> of Waxahachie, the San Antonio Express-News and dozens of his colleagues in the Legislature. Before he was elected, Lujan was a firefighter for 25 years and served as a deputy in the Bexar County Sheriff\u2019s Department. <\/p>\n

At a Lujan campaign rally two years ago, Abbott said Lujan was the only Republican who could win the state House race, noting that he had failed to win the district himself in his gubernatorial race. <\/p>\n

Lujan used his 2021 victory as a talking point during a Feb. 3 Republican candidate forum, saying that experience makes him the most qualified candidate to win against a Democrat in the general election. He also emphasized his willingness to work with lawmakers across the political aisle on bipartisan policies. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have to agree with them on everything, but we have to come to the table,\u201d Lujan said during the forum. \u201cYou got the far right pulling the Republicans, you got the far left pulling the Democrats, and they want to make us like Washington, D.C. \u2014 we need to keep it Texas.\u201d <\/p>\n

Lujan did not respond to an interview request. <\/p>\n

Carlos De La Cruz, a small business owner who spent 20 years in the Air Force, is pitching himself as a political outsider who is \u201cready to be President Trump\u2019s wingman in Congress,\u201d as he states on his website. He has been endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and three members<\/a> of Texas\u2019 congressional delegation.<\/p>\n

Carlos De La Cruz\u2019s sister, Monica De La Cruz, is running for reelection to Texas\u2019 15th District. Three counties represented by Monica De La Cruz over her terms in District 15 \u2014 Guadalupe, Karnes and Wilson \u2014 now fall under the 35th District, giving Carlos De La Cruz a potential edge in those areas due to his familiar surname. <\/p>\n

In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Carlos De La Cruz said his service in the Air Force is what sets him apart from other primary candidates. His political priorities include border security, supporting law enforcement, seniors and veterans, and reducing regulations that harm businesses, he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI could not be more proud of my sister. We come from humble beginnings, and no one knows better than I do how hard she works for the people she represents,\u201d Carlos De La Cruz read in the statement. \u201cIt will be an honor to serve alongside her in Congress.\u201d <\/p>\n

Cortez previously worked for Monica De La Cruz in her congressional office, after previously serving as a veterans liaison for former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. A native of Guadalupe County, he said he\u2019s the only candidate running who was raised in rural Texas and argued that his experience as a legislative staffer sets him apart from his opponents.<\/p>\n

Cortez added that he wants to tackle Texas\u2019 water crisis and protect the region\u2019s energy and agriculture from federal overreach. Other priorities, he told the Tribune, include bolstering border security, cutting government spending and \u201crestoring fiscal discipline while protecting our Social Security and Medicare.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI am an eighth-generation Texan from this area,\u201d Cortez said. \u201cThis is my background, this is my people and this is my home. I have the experience, and I have the head knowledge and the on-the-streets knowledge to know what is affecting our area.\u201d <\/p>\n

Fundraising hauls in this district have lagged behind those of other Texas congressional races, where some candidates have raised more than $1 million. <\/p>\n

As of Feb. 11, the last date covered by campaign finance disclosures, Furman had brought in the most money in the District 35 race at about $396,000 \u2014 $240,000 of which he personally lent to his campaign. Lujan comes in just behind Furman with about $370,000, and Carlos De La Cruz, Cortez and Krause all report similar amounts of at least $230,000. <\/p>\n

But overall, Republicans are outraising Democrats in the race, which could be one indication of where voters will give their support, said Walter Wilson, an associate professor of political science and geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf we think of money being a way to ascertain what people think is going to happen, clearly there\u2019s a lot more optimism on the Republican side for this district,\u201d Wilson said. <\/p>\n

Wilson added that one of the most important factors for who ultimately wins the seat in November will be the state of the economy. If there are worsening economic conditions by the summer, in Texas and nationally, that may bode well for Democrats\u2019 electoral prospects, he said. <\/p>\n

Besides Furman and Krause, other Republican candidates in the 35th District who have previously run for Congress include Vanessa Hicks-Callaway, a former field representative for Sen. Ted Cruz who lost primaries for Texas House in 2024 and 2020; Rod Lingsch, who received 10% of the vote in the 2024 primary for District 35; and Steven Wright, the District 35 nominee that year who lost handily to Casar in the then-Democratic leaning district.<\/p>\n

Furman said during the early February candidate forum that after coming back from Navy service, he found the U.S. border was the \u201cworst [he\u2019s] seen anywhere.\u201d He supports mass deportations and a moratorium on all asylum seekers, according to his campaign site. <\/p>\n

Furman also said during the forum he wouldn\u2019t support restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies<\/a>, citing his desire to protect patients from large health care companies and give them choice in the marketplace. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Affordable Care Act is the opposite of good health care,\u201d he said. \u201cRepublicans need to, as we increase our numbers in Congress, take a strong stand on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furman could not be made available for an interview by the time of publication. <\/p>\n

Other Republican primary candidates include businessman Randy Adams, home inspector Mark Eberwine and Coast Guard veteran and architect Larry La Rose, who ran for San Antonio City Council in 2025 and lost. <\/p>\n

In the Democratic primary, Marine Corps veteran and policy analyst John Lira and Bexar County sheriff\u2019s deputy Johnny Garcia have emerged as front-runners against two other candidates: housing justice organizer Maureen Galindo and gun club owner Whitney Masterson-Moyes. <\/p>\n

While Republicans redrew Texas\u2019 35th District to favor a GOP candidate, some Democratic Party leaders have said the seat could still be within reach. <\/p>\n

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, national Democrats\u2019 House campaign arm, added Texas\u2019 35th District to its \u201cDistricts in Play<\/a>\u201d list in December, a signal that party leaders in Washington will invest in the party\u2019s nominee in November. <\/p>\n

In an early February press call, Katherine Fischer, executive director of \u200b\u200bTexas Majority PAC, one of the state\u2019s biggest Democratic groups, said voters have soured on the Trump administration to the point that it could drag down Republican congressional candidates. She singled out District 35 as a seat that Democrats could win if there\u2019s a leftward shift among Hispanic voters, who make up 52% of the redrawn district\u2019s eligible voting population. <\/p>\n

Fischer\u2019s comments came a few days after Taylor Rehmet flipped a deep red North Texas Senate seat, thanks in part to Latino voters<\/a>, a traditionally Democratic bloc that has shifted to the right in recent cycles but shown signs of turning on Republicans since Trump returned to the White House. <\/p>\n

Garcia said the district is \u201cwithin striking range,\u201d especially if Democrats can win back the Latino voters they lost in 2024. The sheriff\u2019s deputy said he\u2019s running on a platform of improving everyday affordability, lowering health care costs and strengthening education and public safety. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to take the right type of Democrat\u00a0\u2014 an old-school, common-sense, law-and-order Democrat to win this race,\u201d Garcia said. <\/p>\n

Garcia started as a corrections officer with the Bexar County Sheriff\u2019s Office before becoming a SWAT hostage negotiator \u2014 an experience he said would help him work with representatives in Congress. <\/p>\n

He added that years working in construction and plumbing during college made him value labor jobs and helped him secure endorsements from groups such as the San Antonio AFL-CIO and Texas AFL-CIO, which both gave him a dual endorsement with Lira. <\/p>\n

Garcia is also backed by the centrist Democratic caucus Blue Dog Coalition and Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, a group that backs pro-Israel Democrats. The Blue Dog PAC put $5,000 into Garcia\u2019s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings. <\/p>\n

One of Garcia\u2019s opponents, Lira, said what sets him apart from the other Democratic candidates is his policy experience and his roots in the community as someone who was born and raised in the area. In 2022, he also ran in a new district made to favor Republicans, where he lost against incumbent GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales in the 23rd Congressional District. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m no stranger to running in districts that were built for Democrats to lose,\u201d Lira said. \u201cWe were being used as political pawns \u2014 my community, my school district, my church community, so I wanted to step up again and defend against this gerrymandering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lira previously was a part of the U.S. Small Business Administration and National Commission on Military, National and Public Service. He also worked for California Rep. Jimmy Panetta and on policy for veterans and military families under the Biden administration. He said his priorities include lowering the prices of everyday goods, stopping junk fees on credit cards, increasing home affordability and bringing accountability to the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s notched endorsements from organizations such as the National People\u2019s Power, the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio and the Austin Chronicle.<\/p>\n

Lira said he still thinks a Democrat can win in the redrawn district, especially if there\u2019s high turnout among left-leaning voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind this drawing,\u201d Lira said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t draw it red enough and are still giving us Democrats an opportunity with the right candidate to make it a turnout game and to defend this seat and keep it blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disclosure: University of Texas at San Antonio has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune\u2019s journalism. Find a complete\u00a0list of them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":184399,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[698,2143,2671,288,61610,2830,82,27,2850,29,28,6473],"class_list":{"0":"post-184398","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-bexar-county","9":"tag-central-texas","10":"tag-congress","11":"tag-elections","12":"tag-john-lujan","13":"tag-redistricting","14":"tag-san-antonio","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-texas-congressional-delegation","17":"tag-texas-headlines","18":"tag-texas-news","19":"tag-well-a-homepage"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}