Joshua Cortez (R), Carlos De La Cruz (R), John Lujan (R), and two other candidates are running in the Republican primary for Texas’ 35th Congressional District on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025. As of October 2025, Cortez, De La Cruz, and Lujan led in media attention.
The Texas Tribune’s Kayla Guo described the 35th district as “one of five blue seats that were dismantled under new lines passed by the Legislature last week with the goal of electing more GOP members of Congress from Texas.” Incumbent Greg Casar (D) is running for re-election in the new 37th Congressional District.
An Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales analysis of Texas’ 2025 redistricting said of the 2026 version of the 35th District that “it’s possible that Democrats could get over the hump here, though probably only in a blue wave election. We are therefore changing our rating for this seat from Solid Democratic to Likely Republican.” To learn more about redistricting in Texas ahead of the 2026 elections, click here.
Cortez is a former marketing professional and staffer to Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas). Cortez’s website describes him as a “proud lifelong Republican with strong Christian values…he has been consistently involved with the conservative causes.” Cortez says he is running because “I’m an eighth generation Texan, this is my background, this is my home. These are the people that I know and love, and I have the experience to be able to serve the people of the new 35th District.”
De La Cruz is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the founder and owner of a kickboxing gym. De La Cruz is the brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R). De La Cruz describes himself as a “proud Air Force veteran, small businessman, husband, father, and conservative Texan with deep San Antonio roots.” De La Cruz says he is running “to be President Trump’s wingman in Congress and take down the radical leftists who are destroying America.” Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R) said of her brother, “I know how hard Carlos has worked his entire life…He is a fighter, a devoted husband, a loving father, and the most patriotic man I know. I’m confident he will bring the kind of strong, conservative leadership Washington desperately needs.”
Lujan was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2021. Local political observers describe Lujan as a strong general election candidate, with the San Antonio Report quoting Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as saying at a 2024 Lujan campaign rally: “I have always lost John Lujan’s district…So has [U.S. Sen. Ted] Cruz and [U.S. Sen. John] Cornyn and every other statewide candidate. The only person who can win that race as a Republican is John Lujan.” Lujan says he “represents the very best of San Antonio and will be a dedicated voice for its citizens in Congress.”
Also running in the primary are Ryan Krause (R) and Steven Wright (R).
As of October 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball each rated the general election Likely Republican.