As voters go to the polls Tuesday to choose their candidates for the U.S. House 10th District general election on Nov. 3, different issues weigh on the minds of candidates on both sides of the aisle, such as border security, the rising cost of living and cutting government spending.
There are 10 Republicans and three Democrats running. Robert Alvarez, an assistant professor of political science at Sam Houston State University, said he believes that in a crowded primary, things such as name recognition and fundraising will be the biggest deciding factors.
Although the redrawn 10th District lines encompass new counties and voters, the majority of it is still polling as solidly Republican. Smaller candidates with less name recognition face an uphill battle in securing votes.
“…(It’s) an open-seat race… on the Republican side, so the primary is the main event,” said Alvarez. “With that many candidates splitting the vote, a runoff is very possible.”
Alvarez added that because District 10 is a right-leaning district, Republican candidates will likely compete over who is most credible on border security and fiscal conservatism while still addressing economic concerns and striving for small government.
The Cook Political Report categorized the race as “solid Republican,” meaning the the winner of the Republican primary is expected to win easily in November.
Austin attorney Chris Gober, who leads the conservative law firm Lex Politica, has emerged as the leading candidate so far, having raised over $1 million during his campaign and earning endorsements from President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, according to Houston Public Media.
Richard Yawn, 79, a vice chair representative for the Walker County Republican Party, said he believes Gober stands a good chance of making a runoff because he’s been endorsed by Trump.
The Walker County GOP has not endorsed Gober or any candidate yet, but the party may decide to endorse someone for the general election in November, Yawn added. The Walker County Texas Democrats did not respond to a request for comment.
Gober’s financial backing is a telling sign that he is heads and shoulders over other candidates, at least on paper, and could surpass the 50% of votes needed to avoid a runoff, reports Legis1, a legislative data consolidation platform.
Other GOP candidates with financial support include Ben Bius, a Sam Houston State University alumnus who told The Houstonian that he believes Texans are better served by a Christian businessman such as himself when compared to an Austin trial lawyer or a lobbyist, and retired U.S. Maj. Rob Altman.
Altman, in an interview, cited his lifetime of service in various capacities, such as in the military, veteran’s advocacy and community service as a Scoutmaster as his qualifications in representing everyone in Texas’ 10th District.
Two other Republican candidates are Robert Brown, a retail management executive, and software engineer Brandon Hawbaker.
Brown’s biggest focus will be on limiting government overreach and curtailing lifetime politicians; his ideas for doing so include limiting legislation that does not benefit all people and introducing more stringent term limits, he said in an interview.
On the other hand, Hawbaker said in his interview that one of his major considerations is AI, not only in how it will affect job availability but also its potential implementation in looking for government inefficiencies and providing new solutions.
Republicans stand to gain five more U.S. House seats because of the redrawn Congressional boundaries, including the borders for the 10th District, if Texas voters follow similar election trends as the 2024 general election, according to The Associated Press.
On the other side of the political aisle, top Democrat candidates for the primary include U.S. Army officer Caitlin Rourk, who said wishes to address the rising cost of living, and Bernie Reyna, a veterinarian whose focus is raising minimum wage.
