A former Major League Baseball player is one step closer to Congress after beating out 11 contenders in the Republican primary in the 21st Congressional District. Mark Teixeira won the race with 60.9% of the vote, according to the Texas Secretary of State's website.
Because Texas requires a candidate to receive more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff, the crowded field made a first-round victory a significant hurdle. Teixeira cleared that threshold, clinching the nomination outright.
Teixeira will now face the Democratic primary winner, Kristin Hook. She received 60% of the votes in the Democratic primary, according to the Texas Secretary of State's website.
The seat is currently held by Republican Chip Roy, who has represented the district since 2018. Instead of running for reelection this year, Roy ran for Texas attorney general. No Republican candidate for AG managed to get more than 50% of the vote, so Roy will face Mayes Middleton in a runoff election for that position in May.
The 21st District includes parts of Hays and Bexar counties, and all of Real, Kerr, Kendall, Gillespie, Comal, Blanco and Bandera counties. The district has reliably favored Republicans in recent elections.
No Democrat has represented the district since 1978. Former President Donald Trump carried it by 23 percentage points in 2024, so Teixeira is favored to win in November.
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