Texas House races test the GOP hold across South and Central Texas
AUSTIN, Texas - Republicans are defending three Texas House seats that Democrats hope to reclaim on Nov. 3. Races in the Corpus Christi area, the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio are testing whether the GOP can hold on to recent gains in Texas.
Texas House races to watch
Local perspective:
The following races feature two incumbents seeking reelection and an open-seat contest with a sharp divide over Texas’ private school vouchers. These candidates’ campaign websites also highlight issues such as water supplies, property taxes and health care costs as other areas of concern for Texans.
- In District 34, Republican Rep. Denise Villalobos faces Democrat Stephanie Saenz.
- In District 37, Republican Rep. Janie Lopez faces Democrat Oziel Ochoa Jr.
- In District 118, Republican Jorge Borrego and Democrat Kristian Carranza are competing to succeed Republican Rep. John Lujan.
Texas House District 34: Corpus Christi area
Republican candidate Denise Villalobos is seeking a second term in a Corpus Christi-area district she flipped to Republican control in 2024. She won that race with more than 10 percent of the vote. The oil and gas engineer emphasizes water infrastructure, public safety and local jobs on her campaign website. Villalobos’ campaign credits her with helping secure $46 million in state support for the region’s water system and another $4 million for drainage projects in Robstown and Petronila.
State Representative Denise Villalobos, a Republican from Texas, speaks during a "Get Out The Vote" event with Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, at the Corpus Christi Police Officers Association Hall in Corpus Christi, Texas, US, on Frida
Stephanie Saenz, a former public-school teacher with nearly 30 years of experience in education, is trying to return the seat to Democrats. She supports increased classroom funding, higher teacher pay, universal prekindergarten and expanded access to affordable health care.
The district had generally favored Democrats before Villalobos’ 2024 victory.
Both candidates have made water a campaign priority over how the Coastal Bend should secure reliable supplies for the region. Villalobos has promoted state support for water projects and proposed changes to how water infrastructure is managed. Saenz has called for investment in water security and resilient infrastructure while protecting the Coastal Bend’s natural resources.
This race offers a chance to reverse a recent Republican pickup, but for Villalobos, a second victory would strengthen her hold on a district her party only recently won.
Corpus Christi has credit ratings downgraded amid water crisis
The looming water crisis in Corpus Christi has led to the nation's largest credit agencies to downgrade the city's credit ratings or threaten to downgrade its ratings.
Texas House District 37: Rio Grande Valley race
Republican Rep. Janie Lopez is seeking a third term in the Rio Grande Valley district that she flipped to red in 2022. The district includes portions of Cameron County and all of Willacy County.
Lopez’s campaign calls for lower property taxes, investment in border security and higher pay for law enforcement officers. Her health care priorities include expanding access, lowering insurance premiums and capping prescription drug costs for people in need.
Oziel "Ozzie" Ochoa Jr. is a Harlingen school district special education administrator, who won the Democratic nomination in a May runoff with about 62% of the vote. Ochoa’s platform emphasizes lowering household costs, strengthening neighborhood public schools and making health care more affordable for families and seniors. He also lists reliable water supplies, flood protection, infrastructure, border security and public safety among his priorities.
Oziel "Ozzie" Ochoa Jr.
Both candidates emphasize affordability, education and health care, though their campaign websites outline different priorities for addressing those concerns.
Democrats are targeting District 37, but Lopez’s last victory in this district was not particularly close in 2024. The result of this district will help show whether Democrats can regain ground in this part of the Valley or whether Lopez can build on consecutive Republican victories.
102,000 Texas students got school vouchers in program’s first year
The first year of the Texas school-choice program saw 102,000 students awarded vouchers for the upcoming school year.
Texas House District 118: San Antonio open-seat race
This San Antonio-area contest is an open-seat race, with Republican candidate Jorge Borrego and Democrat candidate Kristian Carranza competing for a district that stretches across southern San Antonio and parts of eastern Bexar County.
This seat returned to Republican control in a 2021 special election and maintained by Republicans in the 2022 and 2024 general elections.
Democrat candidate Kristian Carranza (left) & Republican candidate Jorge Borrego (right)
Carranza is a Southside San Antonio native and former Democratic National Committee regional director who received nearly 50% of the vote in her 2024 loss.
Borrego is a former education policy director at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. He helped advance Gov. Greg Abbott’s private school voucher initiative. He won the Republican primary with about 53% of the vote, defeating attorney Desi Martinez, whom the district’s previous incumbent had recruited to run.
Borrego supports school vouchers and expanding parental choice, along with higher teacher pay and stronger financial accountability for school districts. Carranza opposes vouchers and advocates increased state funding for public schools, better teacher compensation and stronger accountability for private schools receiving public money.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by previous election coverage from FOX Local.