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Texas’ 9th Congressional District GOP runoff: Who is running and what to know

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By Kayla Guo, The Texas Tribune
May 5, 2026

Former Harris County judge candidate Alex Mealer and state Rep. Briscoe Cain are facing off in the Republican runoff for Texas’ 9th Congressional District, a newly drawn red-leaning seat in east Harris County that includes some of the state’s major industry powerhouses.

Mealer and Cain finished atop a nine-person field in the March 3 Republican primary, but neither cleared the 50% threshold to win the nomination outright. Whoever wins the May 26 runoff will face Leticia Gutierrez, a community organizer and the Democratic nominee.

The district is one of five previously blue seats Texas Republicans redrew last summer to favor the GOP. Democrat U.S. Rep. Al Green currently represents the 9th District; with the new lines encompassing almost entirely new territory, Green is running instead in the neighboring 18th District.

The new 9th District includes parts of Houston’s heavily Hispanic East End, and cities in the eastern part of Harris County. Dark-red Liberty County was also drawn into the district.

The seat’s new representative will be tasked with advocating for local residents and some of the region’s biggest economic engines, including the Houston Ship Channel and the numerous refineries and petrochemical production facilities nearby.

Mealer has won the support of many Washington power players, including President Donald Trump, and vastly outraised her opponent. Cain, meanwhile, has leaned into his roots in the district and won support from numerous Texas elected officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott and dozens of his state House colleagues. Both are running on their conservative, Trump-aligned bona fides.

  • Population race/ethnicity: 62.1% Hispanic, 25.1% white, 10.4% Black, 1.9% Asian
  • 2024 presidential results in district: Trump +20 (Trump 59.5%, Harris 39.6%)
  • Counties in district: Harris, Liberty
  • Cities in district: Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Deer Park, La Porte
Campaign site

Alex Mealer

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Total raised: $1.6 million
  • Total spent: $1.1 million
  • Cash on hand: $534,000

💰 Notable donors and outside spending support this cycle:

Experience:

  • Former U.S. Army captain
  • West Point and Harvard graduate
  • Former public safety chair for Harris County METRO
  • 2022 Republican nominee for Harris County judge

Endorsements:

  • President Donald Trump
  • National Border Patrol Council
  • U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio

Policy stances:

  • Locking in more funding for the Houston Ship Channel and Port Houston
  • Strengthening border security by expanding funding for law enforcement
  • Securing U.S. elections through election integrity legislation
  • Obtain state and federal funds to complete flood mitigation projects around Lake Houston
  • Support America as a technological leader by securing sensitive data and investing in infrastructure and energy

In the news:

How to contact or learn more:

Alex Mealer for Congress
P.O. Box 1007
Pasadena, TX 77501
info@alexandramealer.com
Link to campaign site

Campaign site

Briscoe Cain

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Total raised: $522,000
  • Total spent: $394,000
  • Cash on hand: $127,000

💰 Notable donors and outside spending support this cycle:

  • Citizens for American Strength, a super PAC: $117,000
  • Mayes Middleton, state senator and GOP candidate for Texas attorney general
  • Numerous Texas House GOP colleagues
  • Elisabeth Burrows, wife of House Speaker Dustin Burrows

Experience:

  • Texas House member since 2017, representing District 128
  • Attorney
  • Texas State Guard captain

Endorsements: 

  • Gov. Greg Abbott
  • Oil & Gas Workers Association
  • National Rifle Association

Policy stances:

  • Strengthening border security, including by fully funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, expanding deportation operations and finishing construction of the wall
  • Supporting Texas’ oil and gas industry, including by fighting against policies that favor wind and solar energy and by investing in the Port of Houston
  • Defending the Second Amendment, including by allowing firearms in places of worship, reducing license to carry fees, banning red flag laws and advancing permitless carry
  • Supporting cryptocurrencies by establishing a national Bitcoin reserve and promoting stablecoins

In the news:

How to contact or learn more:

Briscoe Cain for Congress
P.O. Box 7 Deer Park, Texas 77536
Briscoe@BriscoeCain.com
Link to campaign site

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

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