2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 36 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas, one from each of the state's 36 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 presidential election, as well as 2016 [United States House of Representatives elections|other elections] to the House of Representatives, 2016 [United States Senate elections|elections to the United States Senate] and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on March 1.
District 1
Incumbent Republican Louie Gohmert, who had represented the district since 2004, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 77% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+24.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Louie Gohmert, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Anthony Culler
- Simon Winston, rancher
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Shirley McKellar, Army veteran, non-profit businesswoman and nominee for this seat in 2012 [United States House of Representatives elections in Texas#District 1|2012] & 2014 [United States House of Representatives elections in Texas#District 1|2014]
General election
Results
District 2
Incumbent Republican Ted Poe, who had represented the district since 2004, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 68% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+16.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Ted Poe, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Pat Bryan, retired IT technician
General election
Results
District 3
The incumbent was Republican Sam Johnson, who had represented the district since 1991. He was re-elected with 82% of the vote in 2014.The district had a PVI of R+17.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Sam Johnson, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Dave Cornette
- John Slavens, certified public accountant
- Keith Thurgood, retired U.S. Army major general
Declined
- Scott Turner, state representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Adam Bell, small business owner
Eliminated in primary
- Michael Filak
General election
Results
District 4
Incumbent Republican John Ratcliffe, who had represented the district since 2014, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Ratcliffe, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Lou Gigliotti, auto racing part company owner and candidate for this seat in 2012 United States [House of Representatives elections in Texas#District 4|2012] & 2014
- Ray Hall
Democratic primary
No Democrats filed to run.Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Cody Wommack
General election
Results
District 5
The incumbent was Republican Jeb Hensarling, who had represented the district since 2012. He was re-elected with 85% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+17.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jeb Hensarling, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
No Democrats filed to run.Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Ken Ashby
General election
Results
District 6
The incumbent was Republican Joe Barton, who had represented the district since 1985. He was re-elected in 2014 with 61% of the vote. The district had a PVI of R+11. His re-election margin increased to 68.7 percent in the 2016 primary.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Joe Barton, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Collin Baker
- Steven Fowler, business owner
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Ruby Faye Woolridge, minister, counsellor, and educator
Eliminated in primary
- Don Jaquess, business owner and candidate for this seat in 2012
- Jeffrey Roseman
Withdrawn
- David Cozad, software engineer and nominee for this seat in 2010 and 2014
General election
Results
District 7
Incumbent Republican John Culberson, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Culberson, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Maria Espinoza, anti-immigration activist
- James Lloyd, energy lawyer and former White House national security aide
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- James Cargas, energy attorney and nominee for the seat in 2012 and 2014
General election
Results
District 8
Incumbent Republican Kevin Brady, who had represented the district since 1997, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Kevin Brady, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Andre Dean
- Craig McMichael, network engineer, Marine Corps veteran and candidate for this seat in 2014
- Steve Toth, former state representative
Democratic primary
No Democrats filed to run.General election
Results
District 9
Incumbent Democrat Al Green, who had represented the district since 2004, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Al Green, incumbent U.S. representative
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jeff Martin
General election
Results
District 10
Incumbent Republican Michael McCaul, who had represented the district since 2005, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Michael McCaul, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Tawana Walter-Cadien, consultant, registered nurse, MMA Surgery supervisor, quality assurance director and nominee for this seat in 2012 & 2014
Eliminated in primary
- Scot Gallaher, energy consultant
General election
Results
District 11
The incumbent, Republican Mike Conaway, had represented the district since 2005. He was re-elected with 90% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+31.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mike Conaway, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
No Democrats filed to run.Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Nicholas Landholt
General election
Results
District 12
Incumbent Republican Kay Granger, who had represented the district since 1997, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 71% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+19.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Kay Granger, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Bill Bradshaw
General election
Results
District 13
Incumbent Republican Mac Thornberry, who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 84% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+32.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mac Thornberry, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
No Democrats filed to run.General election
Results
District 14
Incumbent Republican Randy Weber, who had represented the district since 2013, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Randy Weber, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Keith Casey, candidate for the 36th district in 2012
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Michael K. Cole, educator and nominee for this seat in 2014
General election
Results
District 15
Incumbent Democrat Rubén Hinojosa, who had represented the district since 1997, decided to retire. He was re-elected in 2014 with 54% of the vote. The district had a PVI of D+5.Democratic primary
No candidate received 50% of the vote, so the top two candidates, Vicente Gonzalez and Juan "Sonny" Palacios Jr., faced a run-off election, which Gonzalez won by a large margin.Candidates
Nominee
- Vicente Gonzalez, attorney
Eliminated in primary
- Dolly Elizondo, former Hildago County Democratic Party chair
- Juan "Sonny" Palacios Jr., Edinburg school board member
- Joel Quintanilla, former Hidalgo County commissioner
- Ruben Ramirez, attorney and candidate for this seat in 2012
- Randy Sweeten, accountant
Withdrawn
- Johnny Partain, candidate for this seat in 2012
Declined
- Rubén Hinojosa, incumbent U.S. representative
Republican primary
No candidate received 50% of the vote, so the top two candidates, Tim Westley and Ruben Villarreal, faced a run-off election, which Westley won by 29 votes.Candidates
Nominee
- Tim Westley, pastor
Eliminated in primary
- Xavier Salinas, Edinburg school board member
- Ruben Villarreal, former mayor of Rio Grande City
General election
Results
District 16
Incumbent Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who had represented the district since 2013, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Beto O'Rourke, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Ben Mendoza, candidate for this seat in 2012
General election
No Republican ran for this seat, leaving only Libertarian and Green party opposition.Results
District 17
Incumbent Republican Bill Flores, who had represented the district since 2011, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Bill Flores, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Ralph Patterson, former chair of the McLennan County Republican Party
- Kaleb Sims, businessman
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- William Matta
General election
Results
District 18
Incumbent, Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee, who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Sheila Jackson Lee, incumbent U.S. representative
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Lori Bartley, small business owner and certified mediator
Eliminated in primary
- Sharon Fisher, retired small business owner
- Reggie Gonzales,
- Ava Pate, cosmetologist
Results
No candidate achieved 50% of the vote, so Lori Bartley and Reggie Gonzales faced each other in a run-off, which Lori Bartley won by a margin of 58–42.General election
Results
District 19
Incumbent Republican Randy Neugebauer, who had represented the district since 2003, opted to retire. He was re-elected in 2014 with 77 percent of the vote. The district had a PVI of R+26.Republican primary
Mayor Glen Robertson announced in January 2015 that he was considering running against Neugebauer in the 2016 Republican primary. He cited unhappiness with what he said was Neugebauer's failure to bolster the cotton industry. In March, Robertson said that he would not run for Congress and instead run once more for mayor.After Neugebauer decided to retire, Robertson entered the congressional race and withdrew from consideration for another term as mayor.
Candidates
Nominee
- Jodey Arrington, former official in the George W. Bush administration, former vice chancellor at Texas Tech University and candidate for state senate in 2014
Eliminated in primary
- Jason Corley, business owner
- Greg Garrett, president and CEO of Platinum Bank
- John Key, veterinarian and retired US Army colonel
- Donald May, doctor
- Glen Robertson, mayor of Lubbock
- Michael Bob Starr, retired Air Force colonel
- DeRenda Warren, director of nursing at BrightStar
Withdrawn
- Don Parrish, farmer
Declined
- Randy Neugebauer, incumbent U.S. representative
Results
None of the nine candidates obtained a majority in the Republican primary on March 1. Robertson led the field but had to face a run-off challenge against Arrington.Run-off results
Arrington had trailed Robertson by fewer than one thousand votes in the first round, but he won the run-off.General election
Results
District 20
Incumbent Democrat Joaquín Castro, who had represented the district since 2013, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 76% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of D+6.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Joaquín Castro, incumbent U.S. representative
General election
Results
District 21
Incumbent Republican Lamar Smith, who had represented the district since 1987, ran for re-election. The district had a PVI of R+11.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Lamar Smith, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Matt McCall, small business owner and candidate for this seat in 2014
- John Murphy, software engineer
- Todd Phelps, businessman
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Thomas Wakely, hospice chaplain
Eliminated in primary
- Tejas Vakil, commercial real-estate company owner
General election
Results
District 22
Incumbent Republican Pete Olson, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Pete Olson, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mark Gibson, attorney and candidate for this seat in 2014
Eliminated in primary
- A. R. Hassan
General election
Results
District 23
Incumbent Republican Will Hurd, who had represented the district since 2015, ran for re-election. He was elected in 2014, when he narrowly unseated the Democratic incumbent Pete Gallego. The district had a PVI of R+3.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Will Hurd, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- William Peterson
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Pete Gallego, former U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Lee Keenen, doctor
General election
Campaign
Hurd publicly declined to endorse Donald Trump, explaining that Trump must earn his support. On May 6, 2016, Hurd said, “Until the presumptive nominee shows he can respect women and minorities and presents a clear plan to protect our homeland, I am going to reserve my endorsement. I hope in the next seven months he can show this because I am not supporting Hillary Clinton.”Debates
- , October 27, 2016
Results
District 24
Incumbent Republican Kenny Marchant, who had represented the district since 2013, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+13.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Kenny Marchant, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jan McDowell, accountant
General election
Results
District 25
Incumbent, Republican Roger Williams, who had represented the district since 2013, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 60% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+12.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Roger Williams, incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Kathi Thomas, small business owner, former precinct chair for Hays County Democrats and nominee for state senate in 2006
General election
Results
District 26
Incumbent Republican Michael C. Burgess, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Michael C. Burgess, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Micah Beebe, realtor
- Joel A. Krause, small business owner
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Eric Mauck
General election
Results
District 27
Incumbent Republican Blake Farenthold, who had represented the district since 2011, ran for re-election. He was re-elected in 2014 with 64% of the vote. The district had a PVI of R+13.Republican primary
John Harrington, president and founder of firearms retailer Shield Tactical, announced a primary challenge of Farenthold in May 2015. The Texas Tribune reported that Harrington had the capacity to self-fund a race. In August 2015 he announced that he was withdrawing because of lingering effects of a motorcycle crash.Candidates
Nominee
- Blake Farenthold, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Gregg Deeb, retired Marine lieutenant colonel
Withdrawn
- John Harrington, president and founder of firearms retailer Shield Tactical
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Raul Barrera, court security officer at Corpus Christi's Federal Courthouse
Eliminated in primary
- Ray Madrigal, business owner
- Wayne Raasch, candidate for state representative in 2010 [Texas House of Representatives election|2010]
Declined
- Nelda Martinez, mayor of Corpus Christi
- Solomon Ortiz Jr., former state representative
General election
Results
District 28
Incumbent Democrat Henry Cuellar, who had represented the district since 2005, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Henry Cuellar, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- William Hayward, ostrich rancher and Republican nominee for this seat in 2012
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Zeffen Hardin, Marine Corps veteran
General election
Results
District 29
Incumbent Democrat Gene Green, who had represented the district since 1993, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Gene Green, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Adrian Garcia, former sheriff of Harris County
- Dominique Garcia, small business owner and real estate agent
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Julio Garza, insurance agent
Eliminated in primary
- Robert Schafranek
General election
Results
District 30
Incumbent Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson, who had represented the district since 1993, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Eddie Bernice Johnson, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Barbara Mallory Caraway, former state representative and candidate for this seat in 2012 and 2014
- Brandon J. Vance, admissions counselor
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Charles Lingerfelt, teacher and principal
General election
Results
District 31
Incumbent Republican John Carter, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Carter, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Mike Sweeney, software company founder and president
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mike Clark, technology sector employee
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
General election
Results
District 32
Incumbent Republican Pete Sessions, who had represented the district since 2003, and previously represented the 5th district from 1997 to 2003, ran for re-election against no Democratic opponent.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Pete Sessions, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Paul Brown, Marine Corps veteran
- Russ Ramsland, co-owner of Allied Security Operations Group
- Cherie Myint Roughneen
Democratic primary
No Democrats filed to run.General election
Results
District 33
Incumbent Democrat Marc Veasey, who had represented the district since 2013, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Marc Veasey, incumbent U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
- Carlos Quintanilla, business owner, activist and candidate for this seat in 2012
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mark Mitchell, physician, attorney, and business owner
Eliminated in primary
- Bruce Chadwick
General election
Results
District 34
Incumbent Democrat Filemon Vela Jr., who had represented the district since 2013, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Filemon Vela Jr., incumbent U.S. representative
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Rey Gonzalez Jr., attorney
Eliminated in primary
- William "Willie" Vaden
General election
Results
District 35
Incumbent Democrat Lloyd Doggett, who had represented the district since 2013, having served in Congress since 1995. He was elected with 63% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of D+11.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Lloyd Doggett, incumbent U.S. representative
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Susan Narvaiz, former mayor of San Marcos and nominee for this seat in 2012 & 2014
General election
Results
District 36
Incumbent Republican Brian Babin, who had represented the district since 2015, when Steve Stockman vacated the seat after a failed campaign for the United States Senate, ran for re-election. He was elected with 76 percent of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+25.Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Brian Babin, incumbent U.S. representative
Withdrawn
- Dwayne Stovall, bridge construction contractor, school board member from Cleveland, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2014 and the Texas House of Representatives in 2012