Who's running in Texas's 31st 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.
3 candidates · ballot order · John Carter 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.
Defence appropriations and support for Fort Hood and the district's military installations.
Conservative fiscal policy through the Appropriations Committee.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 31st District since January 2003; re-elected in 2024 with 64.5%.
Former Williamson County district judge.
Member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Advanced from the March 3, 2026 Republican primary.
Appears on the ballot as John Carter.
Arguments in favor
Twelve terms of seniority buys the district appropriations: his Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act passed the House, and he secured federal funding for a Williamson County water project in January 2026.
— Office of Rep. John Carter, reported by KVUE
Donald Trump endorsed him for a thirteenth term despite the crowded field of Republicans lining up against him.
— Trump endorsement reported by the Austin American-Statesman
Arguments against
At 84 and seeking a thirteenth term, "it's time for him to pass the baton" — voters worry he "might become too unhealthy to where he can't serve anymore", and nine Republicans filed against him, the most crowded primary field of his career.
— Republicans challenging him, quoted by the Austin American-Statesman
He declined to attend town hall meetings in March 2025, and constituents held a "people's town hall" without him.
— Temple Daily Telegram, Killeen Daily Herald and KXXV
What we couldn’t verify
Carter's own response to the age criticism was not established from the sources found.
Whether he has held an in-person town hall since March 2025 was 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.
Health care: addressing rural hospital closures in Texas and protecting Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Defending the Department of Veterans Affairs against staffing cuts.
Regulating artificial intelligence and securing critical infrastructure, his professional field.
Affordable housing, food costs and corporate monopoly power.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Army veteran; served as a paratrooper.
Cybersecurity architect at Dell Technologies with more than twenty years of experience; former LAN systems administrator at the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Resident of Georgetown.
Won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary.
Has not held elected office.
Appears on the ballot as Justin Early.
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 Early by name could be found: not from John Carter or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, and not from central Texas news coverage, which centred on the ten-way Republican primary. 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.
Removing corporate influence from politics; he refuses PAC donations from military contractors and lobbyists.
Addressing what he calls systemic corruption that puts donors ahead of constituents.
Running outside the two-party system, which he argues is compromised by corporate funding on both sides.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Army Ranger, 75th Ranger Regiment; four combat deployments in Afghanistan.
Political analyst working on anti-war and human rights issues.
Green Party nominee, certified for the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Has not held elected office.
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 Stoker by name could be found, and no published case for him beyond his own campaign site. As a Green Party 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.
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 John Carter, Democrat Justin Early and Green Party candidate Greg Stoker. The district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting and runs from the northern Austin exurbs, including Georgetown, up to Killeen, Temple and Fort Hood. It gave Donald Trump 60.1% in 2024. Roster confirmed against the Texas Secretary of State's certified ballot. No candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: criticism of Carter by name is published, but none of Early or Stoker could be found, and setting out a case against one candidate and not the others 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.