Texas House District 21 2026

Compare candidates running in this Texas federal race. Review their positions, voting records, campaign promises, and donor information.

Dan McQueen

Party: Independent

Kristin Hook

Party: Democrat

Mark Teixeira

Party: Republican

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Texas House District 21

Election: Nov 3, 2026Updated: Apr 10, 2026
📊Polling
No recent public polling available for the general election matchup. District voting history shows Trump won 60.3% in 2024 and Cruz won 57.7%, while the incumbent Roy won with 61.9% in 2024.
safe r— Cook Political Report - Cook Partisan Voter Index R+11

This district is solidly Republican with a Cook Partisan Voter Index of R+11. The seat has been held by Republicans since 1978. While the district spans more San Antonio-centric areas post-redistricting, the Republican advantage is substantial. A Democratic flip here would be remarkable but unlikely given historical voting patterns.

Dan McQueenI
Kristin HookD
Mark TeixeiraR

Summary

Dan McQueen is a former mayor of Corpus Christi, Texas who is running as an independent candidate in the general election. He is a Navy veteran with a bachelor's degree in professional aeronautics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and a master's degree in computer information systems. McQueen previously ran for Congress as a Republican candidate in the 35th Congressional District in 2022, losing head-to-head to Democrat Greg Casar. He served as mayor of Corpus Christi, assuming office in 2016, but resigned after just one month in January 2017. He is now attempting to run for the 21st District seat as an independent, running separately from the primary process.

Dr. Kristin Hook is a biological scientist with a PhD in animal behavior from Cornell University and a former middle school science teacher through Teach for America. She was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas by a single mother who did not attend college, making her the first in her family to earn a PhD. Hook has extensive experience in federal government, having served as a policy fellow in Senator Elizabeth Warren's office, a biologist at the National Institutes of Health, and a biologist at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. She moved back to Texas in 2022 and is now based in San Marcos. Hook was the Democratic nominee for this district in 2024, losing to incumbent Chip Roy by 25 percentage points with 36% of the vote. In March 2026, she won the Democratic primary with 60% of the vote in a three-way race against Regina Vanburg and Gary Taylor.

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.

View Dan McQueen's Full Profile →View Kristin Hook's Full Profile →View Mark Teixeira's Full Profile →

Campaign Promises

Defense
  • Focus on veterans and military support
Healthcare
  • Address substance abuse and addiction
Economy
  • Promote technology, transportation, and education for job creation
Economy
  • Fight for affordability for working families
  • Ensure fair taxes on wealthy and corporations
Education
  • Expand opportunity through education and training
Other
  • Demand accountability for powerful interests
  • Protect civil and reproductive rights
  • Support workers' rights to organize
Healthcare
  • Protect and expand healthcare access
Immigration
  • Secure the southern border and deport illegal immigrants
Economy
  • Cut federal spending and government waste
Other
  • Support energy dominance
  • Defend Second Amendment rights
  • Support Trump's America First agenda
Education
  • Ban transgender athletes from school sports
  • Support parental rights in education

Key Issue Positions

Veterans and Military
Prioritize care and wellbeing of combat veterans and War Fighters
McQueen emphasizes his military background and commits to military support programs
Substance Abuse and Addiction
Support alternative programs and community organizations for recovery
McQueen promotes Break Addiction Partnership (BAP) and similar organizations
Economic Development
Focus on technology and skills training rather than social programs
McQueen explicitly rejected reliance on social programs, stating 'I am the example in the future of computer science and aeronautics, not social programs'
Economy and Affordability
Focus on making economy work for all working people, not billionaires
Hook frequently emphasizes class economics, stating the greatest division in the country is 'not left versus right, it's top versus bottom' (quoting Molly Ivins). She pledges to fight for workers and working families.
Reproductive Rights and Women's Health
Opposes Texas abortion ban and supports reproductive freedom
Hook cited that Texas' strict abortion ban that makes no exceptions for rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomalies is harming women and families in the district, putting mothers at grave risk
Healthcare Access
Expand public healthcare, protect ACA, allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices
Hook has personally struggled with rising healthcare costs, reducing coverage and skipping medications. She worked on healthcare expansion at NIH.
Science and Climate Change
Trust scientific evidence and support Green New Deal
As a PhD-trained scientist, Hook states 'I trust the experts and know that the science is irrefutable' on climate. She supports bold, large-scale federal climate action and helped secure over $20B in environmental justice provisions in major federal laws during her Senate work.
Immigration
Humane immigration reform while acknowledging voter concerns
Hook opposes the 'demonization' of immigrants while acknowledging immigration is important to Texans. She notes immigrants are over 20% of Texas' workforce and supports policies to help them work and contribute.
Immigration and Border Security
Hardline enforcement approach with deportations and cartel suppression
After an ICE agent fatally shot Minneapolis resident Renee Good, Teixeira posted on X 'I stand with ICE,' demonstrating his support for aggressive enforcement.
Government Spending
Reduce federal spending and government waste
Supports DOGE expansion and cutting regulations to grow the economy
Education
Parental rights and school choice
Supports school vouchers and opposing DEI programs. Has aligned with Gov. Abbott's school voucher push.

Top Donors

No donor data available.

Individual small donors
Unknown exact totalSmall donor, grassroots funded
Hook's campaign emphasizes being '100% people-powered to fight corruption head on.' FEC data shows she raised funds through early 2026, but campaign has focused on grassroots fundraising rather than major PAC support
Labor unions and worker organizations
Unknown exact totalOrganization contributions
Hook has received support from labor organizations given her strong worker advocacy platform
Self-funding (Mark Teixeira personal loan)
$2,500,000Candidate personal funds
Teixeira loaned $2.5 million of his own money to his campaign as of February 2026, providing significant financial advantage
Individual donors
$545,000Individual contributions
Pulled in $545,000 from other donors as of February 2026
Total raised through December 2025
$3,045,129.73Mixed
Total receipts by committee from July-December 2025

Contradictions

No contradictions documented.

No contradictions documented.

Claim: Teixeira now presents himself as a 'lifelong conservative' and pledged to defend Trump's America First agenda
Contradiction: Critics have highlighted past comments where Teixeira spoke about climate change and athletes needing to be outspoken about environmental issues, with opponents casting doubt on authenticity of his conservative credentials

What Opponents Say

No opponent claims documented.

Mark Teixeira (Republican)

Teixeira made no direct personal attacks on Hook during the campaign, focusing instead on his own platform

Both campaigns focused on their own positions rather than attacking the opponent

Kristin Hook (Democratic primary, 2024/2026)

Hook criticized the gerrymandering of the new congressional map, stating 'At the request of Trump, Texas Republicans gerrymandered our map to try to rig the midterm elections.'

Hook's campaign emphasized concerns about redistricting rather than directly attacking opponents

Endorsements

No endorsements listed.

James Talaricoindividual
Joaquin Castroindividual
Lloyd Doggettindividual
San Antonio Central Labor Councilorganization
Austin Central Labor Councilorganization
Bexar County Young Democratsorganization
Stonewall Democrats of San Antonioorganization
Tejano Democrats, Bexar Countyorganization
Liberal Austin Democratsorganization
The Progressive Voter Networkorganization
Wendy Davisindividual
Erin Zwienerindividual
Donna Howardindividual
Gina Ortiz Jonesindividual
Ron Nirenbergindividual
José Menéndezindividual
Josey Garciaindividual
Julie Oliverindividual
President Donald Trumpindividual
Governor Greg Abbottindividual
Nine Texas Congressional Republican delegatesorganization
Texas Farm Bureauorganization
Oil & Gas Workers Associationorganization
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordanindividual
U.S. Rep. Steve Scaliseindividual
Kyle Sinclairindividual