Overview:

The redrawn TX35 is a key piece of President Donald Trump’s plan to pick up additional Republican seats in Texas in 2026.

State Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio), who delivered Republicans a big win in a tough state House district several years ago, has filed a treasurer’s report to run in Texas’ 35th Congressional District.

“You don’t get an opportunity like this very often,” Lujan told the San Antonio Report on Wednesday night. “I’m big into service, and what a great opportunity to answer the call.”

The redrawn district is a key piece of President Donald Trump’s plan to pick up additional Republican seats in Texas in 2026.

It’s currently bright blue, looping together urban territory from from Austin to San Antonio, and represented by outspoken progressive U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin).

But after redistricting, it will cup San Antonio’s South Side, stretching east to include several counties Trump won in 2024. It’s split between white and Latino voters, and about half of the voters live in Bexar County.

Credit: Courtesy / Texas Majority PAC

Lujan, 63, has been a favorite of Texas GOP leaders who put big money into his state House races as part of their push to prove that Hispanic voters are trending red.

The charismatic former firefighter ran several times before getting to serve in the Legislature, winning special elections and getting knocked out in the general election.

He finally held his state House seat in a November election in 2022, in a district that both Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott lost that same year.

“I have always lost John Lujan’s district,” Abbott said at a campaign rally for Lujan in Universal City last year. “So has [U.S. Sen. Ted] Cruz and [U.S. Sen. John] Cornyn and every other statewide candidate. The only person who can win that race as a Republican is John Lujan.”

Lujan again held the seat in November, despite serious blowback for suggesting in an interview that he’d push his hypothetical daughter to have her rapist’s baby.

District 118 incumbent Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio) and challenger Kristian Carranza (D) face off in a debate hosted by the San Antonio Report and the Greater San Antonio Chamber at the Estancia Del Norte hotel. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report

Lujan said Wednesday that he had been considering running for a state Senate seat earlier this year, but decided it wasn’t the right opportunity, and announced plans to seek reelection in Texas House District 118 instead.

“Then when the maps came out, I really studied them, and as I looked into them, [TX35] just took in my whole 118 district,” Lujan said. “I thought, ‘Man, what a blessing for this to happen like this, where I can have an opportunity to serve at a greater level.’”

Other Republicans considering the redrawn district include: Commissioner Grant Moody (Pct. 3), Councilman Marc Whyte (D10) and business owner Chris Schuchardt, who challenged Moody in a GOP primary in 2024.

Candidate filing for the March primary opens Nov. 8.

Democrats are also in search of a candidate for the race, as Casar now plan to run for a more Austin-centric district instead.

A super PAC helping Texas Democrats produced an analysis of the new district suggesting it was likely out of reach for their party under the new lines, though some local Democratic consultants disagree.

Although it includes more Democrats than Republicans, the Democrats vote at a much lower propensity, leaders of the Texas Majority PAC said.

An opening in HD118

In gerrymandered Texas, Lujan’s state House district is one of the only districts Republicans and Democrats fight over each year.

Democrat Kristian Carranza, who raised big money but lost to Lujan last year, is running again in 2026.

“If Rep. Lujan wants to leave HD-118 behind, that’s his choice,” Carranza said on social media. “I’m running to make sure our community finally has someone who puts us first.”