Incumbent
Tony Gonzales announced his resignation on April 13. He previously admitted to having an affair with a female staff member, who later committed suicide by
self-immolation, and was subsequently subject to a
House Ethics Committee investigation beginning in March 2026. Prior to his announcement, Gonzales was expected to face an expulsion vote alongside Democratic representative
Eric Swalwell, who was accused of sexual assault. Swalwell similarly announced his resignation on April 13, hours before Gonzales' announcement. Ultimately, Gonzales filed his resignation on April 14, with it taking effect at 11:59 PM EST that night. Prior to the election, Gonzales had already withdrawn his candidacy in the regular election after entering a runoff in the Republican primary with
Brandon Herrera. Per Texas election law, all candidates will run in a jungle primary, with a runoff election between the top two candidates should no candidate receive more than 50% of the vote. Governor
Greg Abbott is expected to either call an emergency special election before the regular election or schedule the special election on November 3, 2026, concurrent with the regular election. == Candidates ==