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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in Texas's 9th 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
Open seat
Parties
Democratic · Republican
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 · open 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.

  • Protecting children's health in communities affected by industrial pollution.
  • Safety and dignity for immigrants in the district.
  • Accountability over immigration enforcement actions; she has pledged to continue Rep. Sylvia Garcia's push for answers in the case of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
  • Environmental justice.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Fifteen years as a community organiser and advocate on children's health, immigrant rights and environmental justice.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Won the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.

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 Gutierrez by name could be found: not from Alex Mealer or her campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, and not from Houston news coverage, which centred on the Republican runoff. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either, rather than showing her own campaign's case unanswered.
  • She is an environmental justice advocate with Air Alliance Houston and has held no elected office.
  • Her fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:leticiaforcongress.comsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.comen.wikipedia.orghoustonpublicmedia.org

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Advancing the administration's agenda alongside House Republicans.
  • Protecting the Houston Ship Channel and Port Houston, which she calls the largest petrochemical complex in the country.
  • Using federal resources against cartel activity and illegal immigration.
  • Support for law enforcement.
  • Flood mitigation around Lake Houston, which she says remains unaddressed more than seven years after Hurricane Harvey.
  • Election administration she describes as easy to vote and hard to cheat, and American rather than Chinese leadership in artificial intelligence.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Army combat veteran; explosive ordnance disposal work in Afghanistan.
  • Graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point; joint JD/MBA from Harvard.
  • Former oil and gas and finance executive; small business owner.
  • Republican nominee for Harris County judge in 2022.
  • Won the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.

Arguments in favor

  • She served in the U.S. Army's bomb disposal units in Afghanistan before running for office, and carries Donald Trump's endorsement along with support from House Republican leadership.

    — Alex Mealer's campaign, reported by the Texas Tribune and Houston Public Media

  • She beat a sitting state representative in the runoff for the new district, having led the crowded first-round field.

    — Runoff result reported by the Texas Tribune and The Texan

Arguments against

  • She is inexperienced, insufficiently conservative and does not live in the district — a "political opportunist" backed by well-funded donors from out of state, against an opponent who has lived in the redrawn district most of his life.

    — Briscoe Cain, the state representative she defeated in the Republican runoff

  • She has not been outspoken on abortion: running for Harris County judge she tacked to the middle and avoided stating a position on it.

    — Briscoe Cain, reported by Spectrum News

What we couldn’t verify

  • She has held no elected office, so there is no voting record to set against her campaign's positions.
  • Her response to the residency and abortion criticisms was not established from the sources found.
  • No criticism of her by name from Leticia Gutierrez's campaign or from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was found; the case above comes from her Republican runoff opponent.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:alexandramealer.comsos.state.tx.uspolitics1.comen.wikipedia.orgspectrumlocalnews.comtexastribune.orgtexastribune.org

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.

This district has no incumbent. Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting moved the 9th District from south Houston, where Democrat Al Green represented it, to the eastern side of the Houston area; Green ran instead in the redrawn 18th District. Democrat Leticia Gutierrez and Republican Alex Mealer won their March 3, 2026 primaries. 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

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