{"id":452123,"date":"2026-09-30T13:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/452123\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T13:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:26:19","slug":"the-battle-for-the-u-s-house-runs-through-south-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/452123\/","title":{"rendered":"The battle for the U.S. House runs through South Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story is part of the\u00a0San Antonio Report\u2019s 2026 Voter Guide<\/a>. You can view all of the candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The battle for the U.S. House runs straight through San Antonio and South Texas this year, where millions of dollars are flowing to five key congressional races.<\/p>\n

Their outcomes will help determine whether a Democrat-controlled House puts the brakes on President Donald Trump\u2019s agenda \u2014 or continued GOP leadership gives him another two years of majority power.<\/p>\n

Since Trump\u2019s return to office, Republicans in the House and Senate have largely green-lit his aggressive immigration enforcement tactics<\/a>, unpopular war in Iran<\/a> and cuts to the social safety net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yet the GOP\u2019s razor-thin House majority is so precarious<\/a> this midterm election, Republicans placed an unusual gamble on South Texas to try to keep it.<\/p>\n

Voters here swung hard toward Trump in 2024<\/a>, and at the president\u2019s urging, last year Republicans redrew Texas\u2019 congressional maps<\/a> to pack more GOP-friendly seats into this part of the state. <\/p>\n

Now five of the most competitive races in the entire country are in San Antonio or South Texas, where Republicans hope to hold onto those new supporters.<\/p>\n

Republicans are trying to defeat two Democratic incumbents, U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo)<\/a> and Vicente Gonzalez (D-McAllen)<\/a>, and flip a third Democrat-held seat, TX35, which was completely reshaped to take advantage of Trump\u2019s South Texas gains.<\/p>\n

\u2018The whole enchilada\u2019: House Speaker says all eyes are on San Antonio\u2019s new congressional district<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s as they work to defend two other seats, one of which is represented by U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Edinburg)<\/a>, and the other is vacant since embattled Republican Tony Gonzales resigned<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cRedistricting shook the box up across Texas, but the place that has been most shaken up is San Antonio,\u201d said Republican strategist Craig Murphy. \u201cThat makes it very hard to predict. There is no track record [in these reshaped districts].\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the new maps, each of the five redrawn districts would have supported Trump by 10 to 18 points in 2024.<\/p>\n

Yet neither party considers them safely red in an election where Democrats across the country are polling about 8 points ahead<\/a> on the generic ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Republicans] may have \u2014 depending on what election night looks like in a few weeks \u2014 inadvertently created a bunch of swing districts,\u201d as New York Times White House Correspondent Maggie Haberman sized it all up in this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you mash an R+18 district with a D+8 [year], you get kind of a watered-down purplish district. And if the mood is not good for Republicans, that\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

After redistricting, 43% of Bexar County residents are in a new congressional district<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are the five Texas congressional races that could determine the U.S. House majority in the 2026 midterm election.<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 15th Congressional District<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How it voted in 2024: Trump +17.9%<\/a><\/p>\n

Republicans are on playing defense in this district, where U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz\u2019s<\/a> (R-Edinburg) district is seeking a second term.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the reddest of the South Texas seats being targeted this year, yet the nonpartisan Cook Political Report calls the race a toss-up<\/a>, in part because De La Cruz is running against a popular Tejano music singer in Democrat Bobby Pulido<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Republicans redrew the districts, De La Cruz said she wound up with 80% new territory<\/a>, which means she has work to do introducing herself, even as an incumbent.<\/p>\n

De La Cruz lost some of the area west of San Antonio that was used to create the new GOP-friendly 35th Congressional District, where she has helped elevate her brother as the GOP nominee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Texas\u2019 15th Congressional District<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Monica De La Cruz <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tMonica De La Cruz worked as an insurance agent before she was elected to Congress in 2022.<\/p>\n

Republican Party<\/p>\n

Incumbent<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Bobby Pulido <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tBobby Pulido is a Tejano music singer from Edinburg, Texas.<\/p>\n

Democratic Party<\/p>\n

Challenger<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 23rd Congressional District<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How it voted in 2024: Trump +14.8%<\/a> <\/p>\n

This perennial target was effectively taken off the map when Republicans made it redder after the 2020 Census.<\/p>\n

Yet Democrats once again see an opportunity, in part due to GOP turmoil.<\/p>\n

Republican Tony Gonzales resigned<\/a> in April after admitting to an affair with a staffer.<\/p>\n

Now Republicans are embracing<\/a> Brandon Herrera<\/a>, a social media star with a penchant for controversy<\/a>, who had pushed Gonzales to a primary runoff<\/a> before the resignation.<\/p>\n

Herrera automatically became the Republican nominee<\/a> when Gonzales dropped out, and faces Democrat Katy Padilla Stout<\/a>, a child welfare attorney and first-time candidate.<\/p>\n

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott could have called a special election to fill the seat before November, but risked losing in a year when Democrats have pulled off shocking special election upsets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The San Antonio-to-El Paso district remains deeply red, but national Democrats reserved ads<\/a> here for the fall anyway, hoping to capitalize on a favorable environment.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Texas\u2019 23rd Congressional District<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Brandon Herrera <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tBrandon Herrera is a social media content creator who owns a small firearms manufacturing company.<\/p>\n

Republican<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Katy Padilla Stout <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tKaty Padilla Stout is an attorney who serves on the Bexar County Child Welfare Board.<\/p>\n

Democrat<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Ben Mendoza <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tBen Mendoza is a professional mediator in El Paso, where he has run for city council and mayor.<\/p>\n

Independent<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 28th Congressional District<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How it voted in 2024: Trump+ 10.4%<\/a><\/p>\n

The GOP has had its eye on U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo)<\/a> since Trump started making gains here, but a well-funded opponent fell flat in 2022.<\/p>\n

Now Republicans have a reshaped district to help their candidate, and a top recruit in Webb County Judge Tano Tijenira<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But Trump took some of the wind out of their sails when he pardoned Cuellar<\/a> from charges of bribery, money laundering and conspiracy. The president reportedly hoped the moderate Democrat<\/a> would switch parties, which didn\u2019t wind up happening.<\/p>\n

New maps could make San Antonio\u2019s congressional delegation more red than blue<\/a><\/p>\n

Cuellar\u2019s district used to stretch all the way up to San Antonio, but Republicans cut that portion off to give their party a better shot. Cuellar says he thinks this map is actually better for him, because it expands the district into his home base.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Texas\u2019 28th Congressional District<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Tano Tijerina <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tWebb County Judge Tano Tijerina has a background in ranching and played minor league baseball.<\/p>\n

Republican Party<\/p>\n

Challenger<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Henry Cuellar <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tHenry Cuellar served in the Texas House and as Texas Secretary of State before he was elected to Congress. <\/p>\n

Democratic Party<\/p>\n

Incumbent<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Marl\u00f3n Dur\u00e1n <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tMarl\u00f3n Dur\u00e1n is a progressive activist and professional translator.<\/p>\n

Green Party<\/p>\n

Challenger<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 34th Congressional District<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How it voted in 2024: Trump+ 10.1%<\/a><\/p>\n

Democrats are trying to defend U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez<\/a> (D-McAllen) in one of the toughest districts in the country, considered a toss-up<\/a> by Cook Political Report.<\/p>\n

Of the five targeted Texas races, this district one is considered the most purple, based on its 2024 performance. <\/p>\n

Gonzalez drew a tough opponent in Republican Eric Flores<\/a>, who is getting help from Trump<\/a> and national Republicans who opened a campaign office<\/a> to help him. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re locked in a four-way race with a Green Party candidate and a Libertarian Party candidate.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Texas\u2019 34th Congressional District<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Eric Flores <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tEric Flores is a U.S. Army veteran who served as a city attorney and municipal judge in Alton, Texas.<\/p>\n

Republican Party<\/p>\n

Challenger<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Vicente Gonzalez <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tVicente Gonzalez is an attorney who has served in Congress since 2017. <\/p>\n

Democratic Party<\/p>\n

Incumbent<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Eddie Espinoza <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tEddie Espinoza is a U.S. Army veteran who taught in Rio Grande Valley public schools for 26 years.<\/p>\n

Green Party<\/p>\n

Challenger<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Chris Royal <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tChris Royal is an attorney who taught at Brownsville ISD.<\/p>\n

Libertarian Party<\/p>\n

Challenger<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How it voted in 2024: Trump+ 10.4%<\/a><\/p>\n

This is an entirely new district that Republicans created for themselves when they redrew the congressional maps last year. <\/p>\n

They broke up progressive U.S. Rep. Greg Casar\u2019s (D-Austin) seat, which looped downtown San Antonio and Austin into a single deep-blue district<\/a>. In its place, Republicans created a district that starts in San Antonio but stretches east to include more rural territory in Karnes, Wilson and Guadalupe counties.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no incumbent on the ballot because Casar, who lives in Austin, moved over to run in a different district that\u2019s closer to his home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead Republicans and Democrats are both leaning on political newcomers<\/a>, who aren\u2019t well-known to voters, but have received big help from national PACs trying to influence who controls the U.S. House in 2026.<\/p>\n

Republicans nominated Carlos De La Cruz<\/a> \u2014 the brother of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Edinburg) \u2014 and Trump helped lift him from obscurity in a tough GOP primary<\/a>. Democrats nominated longtime Bexar County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Johnny Garcia<\/a> after party leaders spent big to defeat<\/a> a more progressive primary opponent.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Carlos De La Cruz <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tCarlos De La Cruz is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran who once owned a kickboxing gym in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

Republican<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Johnny Garcia <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tJohnny Garcia is a veteran deputy with the Bexar County Sheriff\u2019s Office and its current PIO.<\/p>\n

Democrat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story is part of the\u00a0San Antonio Report\u2019s 2026 Voter Guide. You can view all of the candidates…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452124,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[8519,132,134,133,13909,27900,75410,71971,15660,61611,75429,5023,112924,73669,54950,32624,92,155416,81652,3028,31814],"class_list":["post-452123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-2026-election","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-bobby-pulido","tag-brandon-herrera","tag-carlos-de-la-cruz","tag-eric-flores","tag-henry-cuellar","tag-johnny-garcia","tag-katy-padilla-stout","tag-monica-de-la-cruz","tag-november-2026-elections","tag-tano-tijerina","tag-texas-23rd-congressional-district","tag-texas-35th-congressional-district","tag-top-story","tag-tx23","tag-tx35","tag-typedaily","tag-vicente-gonzalez"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452123","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=452123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}