The candidates in Texas’s 35th Congressional District race are Democrat Johnny Garcia, a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy, and Republican Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran and San Antonio gym owner. Both won competitive primary runoffs on May 26, 2026, and will face each other in the general election on November 3, 2026, for an open seat with no incumbent.
Carlos De La Cruz, Republican Nominee
De La Cruz is a 20-year Air Force veteran, conservative activist, and San Antonio gym owner. He is the brother of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, who represents the neighboring 15th District and previously represented three of the counties — Guadalupe, Karnes, and Wilson — now folded into the redrawn 35th.1Texas Tribune. Carlos De La Cruz Congress Campaign
His platform centers on border security, supporting law enforcement, reducing government spending, backing veterans and seniors, and rolling back business regulation. He has spoken about wanting children in the district to “grow roots and then build their future right here in Texas.”2TPR. Trump-Backed Carlos De La Cruz Wins GOP Runoff He has expressed a desire to be “Trump’s wingman” in Congress.3American Bridge PAC. Carlos De La Cruz Profile
De La Cruz was endorsed in the primary by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and three members of the Texas congressional delegation, including his sister.4Texas Tribune. Texas 35th Congressional District Primaries He has also drawn significant outside spending: Defending Our Values, an AI-linked super PAC tied to a network backed by the AI firm Anthropic, spent nearly $480,000 supporting his candidacy ahead of the March primary.5Texas Tribune. Texas Congress AI Super PACs
Johnny Garcia, Democratic Nominee
Garcia was born and raised on the west side of San Antonio and has spent nearly two decades in Bexar County law enforcement, serving as a deputy, SWAT hostage negotiator, and public information officer for Sheriff Javier Salazar. He describes himself as an “old-school, law-and-order” Democrat.6Vote Johnny Garcia. Johnny Garcia for TX-35
His campaign focuses on everyday affordability, lowering healthcare costs, strengthening education and public safety, ending Trump-era tariffs, and banning members of Congress from trading stocks. He also supports increasing federal grant funding for local law enforcement.7Texas Tribune. Texas 35th Congressional District Primary Runoff
Garcia’s endorsements include the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which placed him on its “Red to Blue” list, the Blue Dog Coalition, BOLD PAC, the San Antonio AFL-CIO, the Texas AFL-CIO, the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar.8Spectrum News. A Look at the Democratic Runoff for Texas CD-35 During the primary, he received roughly $700,000 in ad support from a Blue Dog-aligned committee and another $700,000 from a group called Project 218.9NBC News. Democrat Johnny Garcia Wins Texas House Primary
How the District Was Redrawn
The 35th District that elected Rep. Greg Casar through 2024 ran along the Interstate 35 corridor connecting Austin and San Antonio. In 2025, the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature undertook a mid-decade redistricting effort at the urging of President Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott.10TPR. How Republicans’ Proposed Redistricting Would Impact San Antonio The new map removed Austin entirely and recentered the district on south, east, and northeast Bexar County together with Guadalupe, Karnes, and Wilson counties — conservative suburbs and exurbs of San Antonio.
According to a Democratic analysis, less than 10 percent of Casar’s former constituents remained in the redrawn district.11Texas Tribune. Texas Democrats Face Redistricting Dilemma Had the new lines been in place in 2024, Trump would have carried the district by roughly 10 points, and the Cook Political Report assigned Republicans a four-point advantage in the reconfigured seat.7Texas Tribune. Texas 35th Congressional District Primary Runoff A federal court challenge to the map is pending, but the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a lower-court injunction in December 2025, and the 2026 elections are being conducted under the new lines.12SCOTUSblog. Supreme Court Allows Texas to Use Redistricting Map Challenged as Racially Discriminatory Casar filed instead for the newly created 37th Congressional District in Austin, leaving the 35th open.
How Each Nominee Won the Runoff
The March 3, 2026, Republican primary drew ten candidates. De La Cruz and state Rep. John Lujan of San Antonio advanced to the May runoff.13San Antonio Report. Candidates Running for Congress in Bexar County Lujan was backed by Gov. Abbott, U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey, and the San Antonio Express-News, while De La Cruz carried Trump’s endorsement.4Texas Tribune. Texas 35th Congressional District Primaries De La Cruz won the runoff decisively with roughly 58 percent to Lujan’s 42 percent.14KSAT. Texas Congressional District 35 Runoff Election Results
The Democratic runoff was more turbulent. Housing activist Maureen Galindo finished first in the March primary with 29 percent, and Garcia advanced in second with 27 percent.15New York Times. Results: Texas U.S. House 35 Primary During the runoff, Galindo drew national condemnation for statements about Jewish people and Israel, including a claim that “Jews run Hollywood,” references to a “synagogue of Satan,” and an Instagram post proposing that the Karnes ICE Detention Center be converted into a prison for “American Zionists and former ICE officers.”16TPR. Garcia Defeats Galindo in Democratic Runoff for Redrawn TX-35 Galindo denied being antisemitic, saying her criticism targeted Zionism rather than Judaism.7Texas Tribune. Texas 35th Congressional District Primary Runoff House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Al Green, Rep. Greg Casar, and Texas Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico condemned the remarks.17New York Times. Maureen Galindo Texas Runoff Antisemitism
The runoff was also shaped by outside money. Lead Left PAC, a dark-money group formed on April 24, 2026, spent just over $1 million boosting Galindo without disclosing its donors.18Texas Tribune. TX-35 Outside Spending and GOP PAC19New Republic. Texas Democratic Candidate and Shady Far-Right Group17New York Times. Maureen Galindo Texas Runoff Antisemitism The Campaign Legal Center filed an FEC complaint against the group in May 2026.20Notus. Campaign Legal Center Complaint Against Lead Left PAC Project 218, the Blue Dog Coalition, and the DCCC spent a combined $1.7 million on ads attacking Galindo and supporting Garcia.
Garcia won the runoff by 27 points, taking roughly 64 percent to Galindo’s 36 percent.14KSAT. Texas Congressional District 35 Runoff Election Results
What’s at Stake in November
The general election is widely viewed as a test of whether the GOP’s 2025 redistricting can flip a historically Democratic seat. The partisan numbers favor De La Cruz, who carries Trump’s endorsement, his sister’s political network across the added counties, and substantial outside spending. The district’s voting-age population is approximately 52 percent Hispanic, and the DCCC has designated the seat a top battleground, betting that a law enforcement Democrat running as a centrist can outrun the district’s Republican lean.9NBC News. Democrat Johnny Garcia Wins Texas House Primary The broader Texas redistricting plan aimed to reduce the San Antonio area’s Democratic congressional delegation from three seats to one, and the 35th is the seat where that plan will be tested.10TPR. How Republicans’ Proposed Redistricting Would Impact San Antonio