Mark Teixeira is a former Major League Baseball player and World Series champion who played for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Yankees. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Georgia Tech. Teixeira retired from baseball in 2016 and moved back to Texas in 2021. He is making his first-ever run for elected office. In the March 3, 2026 Republican primary, he won decisively with 60.9% of the vote, avoiding a runoff. He has received significant endorsements from President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Mark Charles Teixeira was born in Annapolis, Maryland and grew up in a military family (father was Navy veteran). He began his professional baseball career with the Texas Rangers in 2001 after being drafted in the first round. He later played for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Yankees, with whom he won the 2009 World Series championship. He was a three-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger award winner, and five-time Gold Glove winner. Teixeira retired from baseball after the 2016 season and moved back to Texas in 2021, settling in Bee Cave in Central Texas with his wife Leigh and three children. Before entering politics, he worked in private business and has been active in Republican and Christian communities in the Austin area.