Republicans control every lever of power in Washington D.C. right now, and Democrats’ best chances of slowing down their agenda is flipping the U.S. House in 2026.
So-called midterm elections typically yield big losses for the party in power in the White House, and the GOP’s slim House majority is much more precarious than the party’s relatively safe grip on the U.S. Senate.
That’s why President Donald Trump got Texas to redraw its maps outside of the Census cycle this year, creating five new GOP pickup opportunities that could help his party hold control of a chamber that’s been friendly to his agenda.
Bexar County is currently represented by three Democrats and two Republicans.
Thanks to redistricting, it will be down to just four lawmakers after 2026, and the heavily Democratic county’s congressional delegation could soon be more red than blue.
The new maps pushed two popular Democratic incumbents — U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) and Greg Casar (D-Austin) — out of this area by removing the Bexar County portion of Cuellar’s South Texas district and turning Casar’s Austin-to-San Antonio district into a more San Antonio-centric seat that resulted in him competing for a different district in Austin.
The remaining Democrat, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio), is seeking reelection in a redrawn 20th Congressional District that will encompass nearly all of downtown San Antonio instead of just the West Side.
Meanwhile, three other districts reach into Bexar County from other directions, but are larger in size and include territory that’s much friendlier to Republicans.
Of those, Texas’ 23rd Congressional District stretches west from San Antonio to El Paso, where U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) faces three GOP primary challengers as he seeks reelection to a seat that’s been made redder over time.
Texas’ 21st Congressional District, a Hill County-centric district that stretches into San Antonio’s North Side, has a long list of Republicans running to replace U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs), who is running for Texas Attorney General instead of reelection.
San Antonio will also have a new lawmaker in the redrawn 35th Congressional District on the city’s Southeast side — a seat that’s become a top target of both national parties, with long lists of Republicans and Democrats competing to be their party’s nominee in the March 3 primary.
These are the candidates running in each of Bexar County’s reshaped congressional districts, shown in the order they’ll appear on the March 3 primary ballot.
The November ballot could also include third-party candidates who choose their nominees through a different process, and independent candidates who collect signatures to get on the ballot after the primary.
Texas’ 20th Congressional District
After redistricting, this is San Antonio’s last reliably blue congressional seat, represented by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio).
It went from a primarily Westside district to one that spans more of the urban core, picking up many constituents who were previously represented by U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin) in Texas’ 35th Congressional District.
Castro is seeking an eighth term in 2026 and faces two little-known Democratic primary challengers who each ran in San Antonio’s 2025 municipal election. The winner will go up against Republican Edgardo Baez, a retired physician and first-time candidate, in November.
Democrats running in Texas’ 20th Congressional District
Kendra Wilkerson
Kendra Wilkerson is a teacher who has a background in sales and marketing.
John Atwood
John Atwood is an attorney who launched an unsuccessful campaign for San Antonio mayor in 2025.
Joaquin Castro
Joaquin Castro is an attorney who has represented Texas’ 20th Congressional District since 2013.
Republicans running in Texas’ 20th Congressional District
Edgardo Baez
Edgardo Baez is a U.S. Army veteran, retired medical professional, lawyer and published author.
Texas’ 21st Congressional District
The deep red district includes part of Northwest San Antonio, but also stretches up to the Hill Country to pull in some of the most conservative parts of the state.
Its political lean didn’t change much with redistricting, but its reach into Bexar County now covers some slightly different territory. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs) is running for Texas Attorney General instead of reelection this year, and a dozen Republicans lined to compete for his seat.
Two San Antonio-area candidates are in the mix: former Bexar County GOP Vice Chair Kyle Sinclair, and Weston Martinez, who ran unsuccessfully for Texas GOP party chair in 2024.
But the GOP primary field includes a number of higher-profile contenders likely to raise big money and interest, including Trey Trainor, a former chair of the Federal Election Commission, Michael Wheeler, a Trump appointee who serves as a senior adviser for the U.S. Small Business Administration, and former MLB player Mark Teixeira.
The GOP primary will likely advance to a May 26 runoff between the top two vote-takers, since the winner must have at least 50% of the vote.
Three Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination for a very uphill race in November.
Republicans running in Texas’ 21st Congressional District
Kyle Sinclair
Kyle Sinclair is a hospital executive who previously served as vice chair of the Bexar GOP.
Trey Trainor
Trey Trainor is an election attorney who twice chaired the Federal Election Commission.
Weston Martinez
Weston Martinez is a businessman who served on the Texas Real Estate Commission.
Mark Teixeira
Mark Teixeira is a former Major League Baseball player who lives in Dripping Springs.
Jason Cahill
Jason Cahill is a U.S. Navy veteran from Boerne who runs his own oil and gas company.
Jacques DuBose
Jacques DuBose is a U.S. Navy veteran and nonprofit executive who lives in Boerne.
Michael Wheeler
Michael Wheeler chaired the Kendall County GOP and advised the Small Business Administration.
Daniel W. Betts
Daniel Betts is a criminal defense attorney who lives in Dripping Springs.
Zeke Enriquez
Zeke Enriquez is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Bandera who has served as a GOP precinct chair.
Paul Rojas
Paul Rojas is an engineer who lives near New Braunfels and owns a firearms manufacturing business.
Heather Tessmer
Heather Tessmer is an attorney who built a law firm in San Antonio and now lives in Kendall County.
Democrats running in Texas’ 21st Congressional District
Kristin Hook
Kristin Hook is a biological scientist who worked at the National Institutes of Health.
Gary Taylor
Gary Taylor is a retired high school and community college math teacher.
Texas’ 23rd Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) is seeking a fourth term in a district that stretches from San Antonio to El Paso and includes the lion’s share of the U.S.-Mexico border.
He faces three Republican challengers, including YouTuber Brandon Herrera, who pushed him to a runoff in 2024, and former Congressman Quico Canseco, who held the seat for one term.
Under its new boundaries, the district has a similar political lean as it did the last time Gonzales was on the ballot, but its reach into Bexar County changes some.
Four Democrats are running for their party’s nomination, including candidates from all parts of the massive district.
Republicans running in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District
Tony Gonzales
Tony Gonzales is a U.S. Navy cryptologist from San Antonio who is seeking a fourth term in Congress this year.
Brandon Herrera
Brandon Herrera is a social media content creator who owns a small firearms manufacturing company.
Keith Barton
Keith Barton is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who now works as a branch manager at Texas First Rentals in San Antonio.
Democrats running in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District
Katy Padilla Stout
Katy Padilla Stout is a Carrizo Springs attorney on the Bexar County Child Welfare Board.
Santos Limon
Santos Limon is a civil engineer who grew up in Del Rio.
Gretel Enck
Gretel Enck lives in Marfa and had a 25-year career with the National Park Service.
Texas’ 35th Congressional District
This district is ground zero in the Trump Administration’s effort to squeeze more Republican lawmakers out of Texas in 2026.
Redistricting turned it from a solidly blue Austin-to-San Antonio district into a potential GOP pickup on San Antonio’s Southeast side, drawing progressive incumbent Greg Casar (D-Austin) out of the district and leaving him to compete for a more Austin-centric seat instead.
The reshaped district stretches east from San Antonio into three counties Trump won in 2024, spurring lots of interest among local Republicans who haven’t had many opportunities to move up.
The crowded GOP primary includes state Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio), former congressional staffer Josh Cortez, Carlos De La Cruz, the brother of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, Jay Furman, a retired Navy commander who ran in TX28 last cycle and a number of other lesser-known candidates.
Though the redrawn district would have supported Trump by 10 percentage points in 2024, national Democrats named the race a top battleground for 2026, and four candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination.
Republicans running in Texas’ 35th Congressional District
Jay Furman
Jay Furman is a retired U.S. Navy Commander who was the Republican nominee in TX28 last election cycle.
John Lujan
John Lujan is a former Bexar County sheriff’s deputy currently representing the South Side in the Texas House.
Mark Eberwine
Mark Eberwine is a San Antonio home inspector who was president of the Texas Association of Real Estate Inspectors.
Rob Lingsch
Rod Lingsch is a former U.S. Air Force pilot and pilot instructor.
Randy Adams
Randy Adams runs a car dealership in New Braunfels.
Ryan Krause
Ryan Krause owns an executive coaching business with his wife in Seguin.
Steven Wright
Steven Wright is a Texas Deputy Constable who relocated with his family from California to Comal County.
Josh Cortez
Josh Cortez is a former congressional staffer and Harvard Kennery School fellow from Guadalupe County.
Carlos De La Cruz
Carlos De La Cruz is a U.S. Air Force veteran who opened a kickboxing gym in San Antonio in 2018.
Democrats running in Texas’ 35th Congressional District
Johnny Garcia
Johnny Garcia is a veteran deputy with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and its current PIO.
Maureen Galindo
Maureen Galindo is a marriage and family therapist who lives in San Antonio.
John Lira
John Lira is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former federal employee who lives in San Antonio.