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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in Texas's 21st congressional district

2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.

Candidates
2
Incumbent
Open seat
Parties
Republican · Democratic
State primary
Mar 3

Candidates appear in ballot order. We do not rank them, score them, or recommend one — here is how this is put together, and here is what the office actually does.

2 candidates · ballot order · open seat

Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Lowering costs for Texans.
  • Public safety.
  • Defending what he describes as Americans' freedoms.
  • Supporting the administration's America First agenda.
  • Educational freedom and school choice.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Fourteen seasons in Major League Baseball, including five with the Texas Rangers; three All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger awards; 2009 World Series champion with the New York Yankees.
  • Twice a finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award and winner of the 2018 Heisman Humanitarian Award.
  • Georgia Tech graduate.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for the open seat.

Arguments in favor

  • He cleared a fifteen-candidate field outright with 61% of the vote, avoiding a runoff, with Donald Trump's endorsement behind him.

    — Primary result reported by KSAT and KUT; endorsement reported by the Texas Tribune

  • He is running on a hardline immigration position, gun rights and banning transgender athletes from school sports, after a career outside politics as a World Series-winning Major League player who began with the Texas Rangers.

    — Mark Teixeira's campaign

Arguments against

  • He does not live in the district: his home in Bee Cave was outside the 21st under both the old and new boundaries. "If you are running for this seat and you don't live in District 21, you are running for yourself."

    — Daniel Betts, a Republican primary opponent, at the San Antonio debate reported by the San Antonio Report

  • Volunteers opposing him handed out flyers at a January debate highlighting his comments a decade ago about athletes needing to be outspoken on climate change — evidence, they argued, that his conservatism is recent.

    — Opposition volunteers at the San Antonio debate, reported by the San Antonio Report

What we couldn’t verify

  • Members of Congress are not required to live in the district they represent; Teixeira's response to the residency criticism was not established from the sources found.
  • He has held no elected office, so there is no voting record to set against his campaign's positions.
  • No criticism of him by name from Kristin Hook's campaign or from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was found.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:teixeiraforcongress.comsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.comen.wikipedia.orgsanantonioreport.orgtexastribune.orgtpr.org

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • An economy that works for everyone.
  • Improving health care access.
  • Restoring abortion rights.
  • Investing in public schools.
  • Border security alongside immigration reform.
  • Strengthening voting rights, protecting the environment and defending human rights abroad.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Science and technology adviser in the U.S. Senate, working on anti-corruption measures and bipartisan legislation.
  • Worked at the National Institutes of Health on expanding health care access.
  • Worked at the U.S. Government Accountability Office on oversight of taxpayer funds; served as an elected union leader there.
  • Holds a PhD in science.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary.

Arguments in favor

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

Arguments against

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

What we couldn’t verify

  • No published criticism of Hook by name could be found: not from Mark Teixeira or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, not from her Democratic primary opponents, and not from Austin or San Antonio news coverage, which centred on the fifteen-candidate Republican primary. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either, rather than showing her own campaign's case unanswered.
  • She has held no elected office; she is a scientist by background.
  • Her fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:drkristinhook.orgsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.comsanantonioreport.org

Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.

This seat is open: Republican incumbent Chip Roy ran for Texas Attorney General rather than for re-election. Republican Mark Teixeira and Democrat Kristin Hook won their March 3, 2026 primaries. The district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting and takes in the Hill Country — Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Boerne — along with New Braunfels, San Marcos and northwest San Antonio. It gave Donald Trump 60.3% in 2024. Roster confirmed against the Texas Secretary of State's certified ballot. Neither candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: no published criticism of either candidate by name from someone opposing them could be found, and setting out a case against one and not the other would tilt the page.

This is one contest on a longer ballot

A Texas ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.

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