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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in Texas's 5th 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
Lance Gooden
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 · Lance Gooden 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.

  • Opposing what he calls the Washington swamp.
  • Opposing socialism.
  • Protecting what he describes as God-given freedoms.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative since January 2019; re-elected in 2024 with 64.1%.
  • Member of the Texas House of Representatives before Congress.
  • Advanced from the March 3, 2026 Republican primary.

Arguments in favor

  • "People are sick of the swamp and the growing calls for socialism in America. I promised to fight both in Congress and that's what I've done" — a record he frames as conservative results rather than talking points.

    — Lance Gooden's campaign

  • He answers the ethics referral head-on: "These are bogus spending allegations perpetrated by dishonest unelected OCC bureaucrats, and as the fifth Texas GOP ally of the president to endure one of these attacks, I am confident the House Ethics Committee will confirm their baseless nature."

    — Lance Gooden, quoted by Fox News

Arguments against

  • The House Ethics Committee announced in July 2026 that it is investigating him, following a referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct made on June 10. Gooden says the matter is finance-related. The committee will announce its course of action on or before November 9 — after the election.

    — House Committee on Ethics, reported by the Texas Tribune and The Hill

  • This is not the first such complaint: in 2021 the Campaign Legal Center alleged to the Office of Congressional Ethics that he appeared "to have purchased 12 assets with a total value ranging from approximately $60,019 and $376,000 without disclosing the transactions" in 2020, in breach of House rules and the STOCK Act.

    — Campaign Legal Center complaint, reported by the Texas Tribune

What we couldn’t verify

  • The nature of the current investigation has not been disclosed by the Ethics Committee, and its outcome will not be announced before the election.
  • The disposition of the 2021 Campaign Legal Center complaint was not established from the sources found.
  • His campaign site names no specific legislative achievement; what he claims to have delivered for East Texas was not established from the sources found.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:lancegooden.comen.wikipedia.orgpolitics1.comsos.state.tx.ustexastribune.orgfoxnews.comethics.house.gov

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Fair taxation, so that corporations and wealthy individuals contribute proportionally.
  • Medicare for All as a universal right.
  • Fully funding public schools and competitive teacher pay.
  • A $25 minimum wage and expanded Social Security benefits.
  • Clean air, water and land across Texas.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Has not held elected office.
  • Runs her campaign without corporate PAC money or major donors.
  • Won the Democratic nomination on March 3, 2026 in a field that also included Forrest Lumpkin and Ruth Torres.
  • Endorsed by the Texas AFL-CIO, Stonewall Democrats, Asian American Democrats of Texas, Moms Demand Action and the National Women's Political Caucus.

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 Hockett by name could be found: not from Lance Gooden or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, and not from north or east Texas news coverage. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either, rather than showing her own campaign's case unanswered.
  • Her positions and record were not stated in material available beyond her campaign site.
  • Her fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:chelseyhockettforcongress.compolitics1.comsos.state.tx.usgovexperts.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 Lance Gooden advanced; Chelsey Hockett won the Democratic nomination in a field that also included Forrest Lumpkin and Ruth Torres. The district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting and covers the southeastern Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex from Mesquite out to Palestine and Athens. One certified write-in candidate, Travis Edwards, will not appear as a printed choice on the ballot and is not profiled here. 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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