Dr. Mary Elizabeth Klenz is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology with over 29 years of medical experience. She grew up in North Carolina and joined the Peace Corps after college, where she met her future husband in Southern Africa. She attended medical school at Duke University and completed residency training in OB/GYN at New York University. She spent 25 years practicing in the Rio Grande Valley (McAllen, Edinburg, Mission) before retiring and moving to a ranch outside Giddings, Texas with her husband Kyle. She is now running for Texas House District 17 as a Democrat, having won the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026 with 61% of the vote against Frank Gomez III (24%) and Robert Salter (15%).
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Klenz is a retired physician with a distinguished career in rural healthcare. After service in the Peace Corps and medical training at top institutions (Duke, NYU), she spent 25 years serving rural communities in South Texas, building deep understanding of rural healthcare challenges and resource management issues. She recently moved to a ranch in Giddings, Texas, placing her in District 17. Her background reflects a commitment to underserved populations and community health, making her candidacy focused on healthcare access, education, and resource management rather than partisan politics. She is relatively new to electoral politics.