Texas’s 35th Congressional District is a redrawn, San Antonio–anchored U.S. House seat that became one of the most closely watched races of the 2026 midterms after a mid-decade Republican redistricting turned a safely Democratic district into a competitive one. The open-seat race pits Democrat Johnny Garcia, a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy, against Republican Carlos De La Cruz, a retired Air Force veteran endorsed by Donald Trump.
Where the District Sits Now
Under PlanC2333, the map the Texas Legislature passed in August 2025, the 35th no longer reaches into Austin. It is anchored in San Antonio and stretches southeast to take in Guadalupe, Wilson, and Karnes counties, all of which supported Trump by wide margins in 2024.1Texas Tribune. John Lujan Congress 35th Congressional District GOP Redistricting Had the redrawn district existed in 2024, Trump would have carried it by roughly 10 percentage points.2San Antonio Report. Trump GOP Redistricting Texas San Antonio Congress Maps
The prior configuration, drawn after the 2020 census, ran from parts of Austin south through Hays County, San Marcos, New Braunfels, and into northeastern San Antonio, covering portions of Travis, Williamson, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, Bexar, and several surrounding counties.3U.S. Census Bureau. Congressional District 35, Texas Map The district’s population is about 873,000, roughly 53 percent Hispanic, 28 percent white, and 11 percent Black, with a median household income around $73,300.4Census Reporter. Congressional District 35, TX
How the Map Got Redrawn
The 2025 map drew immediate court challenges. Plaintiffs led by the League of United Latin American Citizens sued in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleging an unconstitutional racial gerrymander in violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.5National Redistricting Foundation. NRF Supported Plaintiffs File Preliminary Injunction to Block Implementation of New Texas Gerrymander
On November 18, 2025, a three-judge federal panel issued a 160-page opinion blocking the map for 2026, with Judge Jeffrey Brown writing that “substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.” The panel ordered the state to use the 2021 lines.6Texas Tribune. Texas Redistricting Ruling Lawsuit El Paso Court 2026 Midterms Texas appealed, and on December 4, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6–3 emergency stay allowing the state to use PlanC2333 while the appeal proceeds.7LULAC. LULAC Statement on Supreme Court Allowing Texas to Use 2025 Redistricting Maps The majority found Texas “likely to succeed on the merits” and invoked the Purcell principle against last-minute election changes.8Cornell Law Institute. Abbott v. LULAC, No. 25A608 The Court has not yet scheduled oral arguments on the merits. For now, the new map governs the 2026 primary and general elections.
Why the Seat Is Open
The incumbent, Democrat Greg Casar, does not appear on the 2026 ballot in the 35th. The redrawn district retained only about 10 percent of his prior constituents and placed 250,000 of them in the newly configured 37th District. Casar announced on August 25, 2025, that he would run in the 37th instead.9KUT. Austin TX Congressman Greg Casar Campaign US House District 37 Casar had won the seat in 2022 after Lloyd Doggett, who first won the district in 2012, moved to the 37th following the previous round of redistricting.10GovTrack. Rep. Lloyd Doggett
The 2026 Candidates
Carlos De La Cruz, 46, is a retired Air Force veteran who served 20 years, including post-9/11 deployments to the Middle East and drug interdiction assignments at the southern border. Before politics he owned a kickboxing gym in San Antonio. He is the brother of U.S. Representative Monica De La Cruz of South Texas.11San Antonio Report. Carlos De La Cruz 2026 Candidate for Texas 35th Congressional District His platform centers on border security, cutting government spending, pro-growth tax policy, small business support, expanding AI innovation, and rolling back clean energy regulations.12Texas Public Radio. Trump-Backed Carlos De La Cruz Wins GOP Runoff
Johnny Garcia, 39, is a lifelong San Antonio resident who spent most of his career at the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, rising from jail guard to SWAT crisis negotiator and later serving as the sheriff’s communications director.13San Antonio Report. Johnny Garcia Political Rise TX35 Congressional Race He identifies as a Blue Dog Democrat and campaigns on law enforcement funding, opposition to tariffs, a ban on stock trading by members of Congress, and easing costs for healthcare and groceries.14JACPAC. Johnny Garcia The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee placed him in its “Red to Blue” program in May 2026.15DCCC. Johnny Garcia Added to DCCC Red to Blue Program
How the Primaries Shook Out
The Republican runoff on May 26, 2026, became a proxy fight between Trump, who endorsed De La Cruz, and Governor Greg Abbott, who backed state Representative John Lujan.16New York Times. Results Texas US House 35 Runoff De La Cruz won decisively with about 58 percent (roughly 18,800 votes) to Lujan’s 42 percent (roughly 13,900 votes).17KSAT. Texas Congressional District 35 Runoff Election Results
The Democratic side was more turbulent. Housing activist Maureen Galindo finished first in the March 3 primary, ahead of Garcia.18CNN. Maureen Galindo Texas Israel Democrats Before the runoff, Galindo drew condemnation from Democrats including Representatives Al Green and Casar and Senate nominee James Talarico over remarks critics called antisemitic, among them a written claim that Jewish leaders hold “dominant economic and political (and media) power” and a proposal to convert a local ICE detention center into a “prison for American Zionists.”19Washington Post. Texas Democrats Reject House Candidate Who Called for Imprisoning Zionists A newly formed group called Lead Left PAC also spent nearly $1 million on ads and mailers backing her; the PAC did not disclose donors, and its website metadata was linked to WinRed, the Republican fundraising platform, prompting accusations that Republicans were trying to boost a weaker general-election opponent.20Texas Tribune. Texas 35th Congressional District Democrat Republican Primary Runoff Garcia won the May 26 runoff with about 64 percent (roughly 12,800 votes) to Galindo’s 36 percent (roughly 7,300 votes).17KSAT. Texas Congressional District 35 Runoff Election Results
What to Watch in November
The Cook Political Report gives congressional Republicans a four-point advantage in the redrawn district. Democrats argue the large Hispanic population and Garcia’s law-enforcement background give them a credible path if Latino turnout, historically softer in midterms, holds up. Republicans point to the district’s new 10-point Trump lean and De La Cruz’s presidential endorsement. The contest is widely treated as a direct test of whether the 2025 map does what its drafters intended: convert a Democratic seat into a Republican one.