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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in Texas's 26th congressional district

3 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
3
Incumbent
Brandon Gill
Parties
Republican · Democratic · Libertarian
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.

3 candidates · ballot order · Brandon Gill currently holds this 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.

  • Nothing documented in the sources reviewed.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 26th District since January 2025; elected in 2024 with 62.1%.
  • Founder of the conservative news site DC Enquirer.
  • Advanced from the March 3, 2026 Republican primary.
  • Has not held other elected office.

Arguments in favor

  • He answered the accusation about the campaign image directly, publishing screenshots of three other posts released the same day that did feature his wife and family, and rejecting the characterisation.

    — Brandon Gill, reported by Morning Honey and the American Bazaar

  • He is one of the most visible immigration hardliners of his intake, leading the opposition to the Dignity Act — "rank amnesty and everybody knows it" — and pressing for the deportation of Rep. Ilhan Omar.

    — Brandon Gill's own statements, reported by Newsweek and Fox News

Arguments against

  • He posted a fundraising image about wanting his children "to grow up in a country they recognize" that left out his Indian-American wife, Danielle D'Souza Gill — criticised as a white-supremacist framing and as "family values" hypocrisy.

    — The Daily Beast, India Weekly and the American Bazaar

  • It was the second time in a week his rhetoric on race drew national scrutiny: he spearheaded a petition to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar, told the British journalist Mehdi Hasan to "go back to the UK", and attacked Zohran Mamdani for eating rice with his hands.

    — The American Bazaar and Crooks and Liars

What we couldn’t verify

  • His committee assignments were not established from the sources found.
  • No Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee page about him by name was found, and no criticism of him from his general election opponents.
  • This district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting; how the new boundaries change his position was not established from the sources found.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:brandongillforcongress.comsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.comen.wikipedia.orgthedailybeast.comamericanbazaaronline.commorninghoney.com

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Moving toward universal health coverage, with Medicare negotiating drug prices, caps on out-of-pocket costs and support for rural hospitals.
  • Reducing health care, energy and education costs, and cracking down on price gouging.
  • Shifting school funding away from property taxes toward state and federal investment, and protecting public K-12 education.
  • Protecting Social Security and Medicare from cuts or privatisation, and opposing a higher retirement age.
  • Gun violence measures including background checks, red flag laws and first responder training.
  • Electricity grid reliability, workers' rights, civil rights protections and immigration reform.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Registered nurse with an MSN and AGACNP-BC certification; in patient care since 2009.
  • Graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University; also attended Tarrant County College and the University of Texas at Arlington.
  • Fort Worth native.
  • 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 Shook by name could be found: not from Brandon Gill or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, and not from north Texas news coverage. Because no case against him exists on the record, none is presented for him either, rather than showing his own campaign's case unanswered.
  • His positions and record were not stated in material available beyond his campaign site.
  • His fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:shookforcongress2026.comsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.com

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Nothing documented in the sources reviewed.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Libertarian Party nominee for the 26th District, certified for the November 3, 2026 ballot.

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 Gray by name could be found, and no published case for him beyond his own campaign site. As a Libertarian candidate he has drawn very little coverage. Because no case against him exists on the record, none is presented for him either.
  • His fundraising and any endorsements were not reported in material available.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:philgrayforcongress.orgsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.com

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.

Texas held its primary on March 3, 2026. Three candidates are on the November ballot: Republican incumbent Brandon Gill, Democrat Steven Shook and Libertarian Phil Gray. The district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting and covers southern and eastern Denton County plus Cooke and most of Wise counties. It gave Donald Trump 61.2% in 2024. Roster confirmed against the Texas Secretary of State's certified ballot. No candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: no published criticism of any of them by name from someone opposing them could be found, and setting out a case against one and not the others would tilt the page.

This is one contest on a longer ballot

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