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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in Texas's 7th 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
Lizzie Fletcher
Parties
Democratic · Republican · Green
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 · Lizzie Fletcher 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.

  • Flood control and mitigation, which her campaign lists first — a defining Houston issue.
  • Transportation and infrastructure investment.
  • Jobs and the Houston economy.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 7th District since January 2019; re-elected in 2024 with 61.2%.
  • First Democrat to hold the seat in more than fifty years and the first woman to represent it.
  • Lawyer by profession.
  • Advanced from the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary; appears on the ballot as Lizzie Pannill Fletcher.

Arguments in favor

  • The city's paper of record backed her over a well-funded progressive challenger, and she has assembled a broad slate of 2026 endorsements from labour and local officials.

    — Houston Chronicle editorial board endorsement, and endorsements listed by her campaign

  • She raised $1.2 million for this race against $52,000 for her Republican opponent, in a district the Cook Political Report treats as safely Democratic.

    — Fundraising figures reported by the Houston Chronicle

Arguments against

  • She would not call for a ceasefire in Gaza: Houston DSA organised a letter drop and demonstration against her demanding one, pointing to her AIPAC endorsement and to AIPAC-sponsored trips, and endorsed the primary challenger who made the war central to his campaign against her.

    — Houston DSA

What we couldn’t verify

  • The ceasefire criticism dates from the 2024 primary cycle; no criticism of her by name from her 2026 general election opponents or from the National Republican Congressional Committee was found.
  • Her committee assignments were not established from the sources found.
  • This district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting; how the new boundaries change her position was not established from the sources found.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:lizziefletcher.comsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.comen.wikipedia.orghoustondsa.orghoustonchronicle.comlizziefletcher.com

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Defending Houston's energy economy and opposing subsidies for competing energy sources.
  • Affordability through reduced federal spending and regulatory relief.
  • Market-based health care reforms that expand competition rather than government provision.
  • Federal resources for Houston law enforcement, with authority left to local agencies.
  • Cutting the federal budget and eliminating programmes he considers failed.
  • Shifting decisions from federal bureaucracy to state and local government.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Filed for candidacy in December 2025 and won the Republican nomination on March 3, 2026.
  • 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 Hale by name could be found: not from Lizzie Fletcher or her campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, not from his Republican runoff opponent, and not from Houston 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.
  • The Houston Chronicle editorial board endorsed him in both the Republican primary and the runoff, describing him as a young idealist working for a management consulting firm in an uphill race.
  • He reported $52,000 raised against Fletcher's $1.2 million.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:halefortexas.comsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.comhoustonchronicle.comcommunityimpact.com

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Lower housing costs through expanded affordable housing and resilient construction.
  • Universal single-payer health care.
  • A $25 minimum wage indexed to inflation.
  • Flood mitigation, bayou restoration and expanded public transit in Houston, with participatory budgeting.
  • Repealing Citizens United, public funding of elections and ranked choice voting.
  • Ending foreign military spending.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Community advocate; Green Party nominee for the 7th District.
  • Takes no corporate PAC money.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Certified for the November 3, 2026 ballot by the Texas Secretary of State.

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 Ngabo 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.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:espoirfortexas.comsos.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: Democratic incumbent Lizzie Fletcher, Republican Alexander Hale and Green Party candidate Espoir Ngabo. The district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting and covers a diverse southwestern stretch of Houston and part of Fort Bend County; it voted 60.3% for Kamala Harris 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 the three 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

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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