Skip to content
Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in Texas's 3rd 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
Keith Self
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 · Keith Self 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.

  • Opposition to what he describes as the threat of Sharia law; he co-founded and co-chairs the Sharia-Free America Caucus and has introduced a resolution condemning it.
  • Stripping tax-exempt status from non-profits that take money from citizens of foreign adversary nations, through his GUARD Act.
  • Veterans Affairs accountability, including recovering bonuses and relocation payments from former VA employees.
  • Freedom Caucus fiscal positions on federal spending.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 3rd District since January 2023; re-elected in 2024 with 62.5%.
  • Member of the House Freedom Caucus.
  • Collin County judge, 2007 to 2018.
  • U.S. Army, 1975 to 2003; West Point engineering degree (1975) and a graduate degree from the University of Southern California (1981).
  • Co-founder and co-chair of the Sharia-Free America Caucus with Chip Roy.
  • Introduced the GUARD Act (March 2026) and the VA Bonus and Relocation Recovery Act (February 2026).
  • Defeated Mark Newgent in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary.

Arguments in favor

  • He communicates constantly with the district's Republican base, active on social media and in conservative media, and holds town halls in a controlled format rather than avoiding constituents altogether.

    — TX3D News, comparing the two campaigns' communications

  • He has reached beyond his base, visiting a McKinney mosque during the campaign.

    — Keith Self's campaign, reported by Context Corner

Arguments against

  • Chairing a Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing, he introduced Rep. Sarah McBride as "Mr. McBride", repeated it when asked to introduce "a duly elected representative the right way", and then adjourned the hearing. Rep. Bill Keating asked whether he had "no decency".

    — Rep. Bill Keating, reported by KERA News and the Texas Tribune

  • He will not face his opponent directly: a hand-delivered March debate invitation to his staff went unanswered, as did two invitations from The McKinney Podcast — from a member who is "highly active on social media" and "regularly appears in right-leaning media spaces". His mosque visit was "a total publicity stunt" by someone with no history of engaging Muslim constituents.

    — Evan Hunt, and an opinion piece by R.J. Morales in TX3D News

What we couldn’t verify

  • Self's office had issued no detailed response to the "publicity stunt" characterisation as of publication, and no stated reason for declining to debate was found.
  • His committee assignments beyond the Foreign Affairs Europe subcommittee were not established from the sources found.
  • 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:govtrack.uskeithself.house.govballotpedia.orgtexastribune.orgballotpedia.orgkeranews.orgtx3dnews.comcontext-corner.com

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Constitutional limits on executive power: he opposes using emergency powers to impose taxes, opposes any president serving beyond two terms, and opposes political interference in military leadership.
  • Lowering prescription drug costs and removing what he calls wasteful intermediaries, while keeping public-private health care partnerships.
  • Fully funding public schools and merit-based teacher pay increases; opposition to voucher programmes.
  • Border security paired with streamlined legal immigration and enforcement aimed at criminals rather than working families.
  • A congressional stock trading ban, campaign finance reform and action against partisan gerrymandering.
  • Strong NATO alliances and opposition to unnecessary trade wars; support for Israeli security alongside Palestinian self-determination.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel; over twenty years' service as a B-1 bomber weapons systems officer with multiple combat deployments and an instructor role at Red Flag.
  • Executive positions in defence and aerospace, including at Raytheon.
  • Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, with a year at the London School of Economics, and a master's in international relations from American Military University.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Advanced from the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.

Arguments in favor

  • He is running a district-facing campaign rather than a national one: community events in McKinney, local partnerships and voter engagement, with messaging built on specific local events and individual stories.

    — TX3D News, comparing the two campaigns' communications

  • He has pressed publicly for the two candidates to answer the same questions in the same room, hand-delivering a debate invitation in March and backing two more from The McKinney Podcast.

    — Evan Hunt's campaign, reported by TX3D News

Arguments against

  • His shift on Israel policy "opens Hunt to the same charge he is leveling at Self — that his engagement is driven more by electoral math than conviction."

    — Context Corner

What we couldn’t verify

  • 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 Keith Self's campaign or from the National Republican Congressional Committee was found.
  • His fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:electevanhunt.comcontext-corner.comballotpedia.orgballotpedia.orgtx3dnews.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. Republican incumbent Keith Self beat Mark Newgent for the nomination; Evan Hunt won the Democratic primary without a runoff. The district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting and covers much of Collin and Hunt counties plus the Interstate 30 corridor east to Mount Pleasant; it is rated R+10. Roster confirmed against the Texas Secretary of State's certified ballot for the November 3, 2026 general election. Neither candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: Hunt criticises Self by name, but no published criticism of Hunt by name could be found, and setting out a case against one candidate 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.

See my full Texas ballot

Voting in Texas

Confirm this with the official source

Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Texas Secretary of State.

Other 2026 races in Texas

Before you vote

How do I find out what's on my ballot?

How do I check if I'm registered to vote?

How do I research candidates I've never heard of?

Should I vote early, by mail, or on Election Day?