The candidates and ballot details for this 2026 U.S. House race, with the original election records attached.
The Stated Record analysis: Toss-up
Updated September 3, 2026
Who is running?
Printed ballot candidates
Eric FloresRepublican
Vicente GonzalezDemocratic
Chris RoyalLibertarian
Eddie EspinozaGreen
Source: Texas Secretary of State final ballot certification
Checked September 2, 2026
Voter guide
The candidates, side by side
Background comes from government or official office records, and from the campaign's own biography where the bullet says so. Goals are summarized from each campaign's own platform page and stay attributed to the campaign. The record lines are official votes, sponsorships, and filings with the government source attached. Money is shown as filed, by the type the FEC records for the contributing committee, and is not evidence of why any position was taken. Money rows are itemized receipts from political committees; transfers from joint fundraising committees and the conduit entries for earmarked individual contributions sit on their own rows and are not additive with the rest; other memo entries, reimbursements, and receipts from organizations that are not political committees are excluded; each candidate's note gives the filing window and the reconciliation to the FEC summary.
Holds no public office. His campaign says he served as a city attorney and municipal judge, then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Texas's McAllen criminal division, and is now a partner at the law firm O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo. Eric Flores for Congress
His campaign says he enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard while at the University of Texas at Austin, was commissioned as an infantry officer, and commanded soldiers on the southern border during Operation Guardian Support. Eric Flores for Congress
A lower cost of living, by opposing federal spending that fuels inflation, cutting red tape and supporting affordable housing. Eric Flores for Congress
Shorter VA wait times, wider access to care in the district, and fully funded veterans' benefits and disability claims. Eric Flores for Congress
No cuts to seniors' earned benefits, and benefits that keep pace with the true cost of living. Eric Flores for Congress
Federal investment in water infrastructure and long-term regional water planning. Eric Flores for Congress
Federal money for roads, bridges and the ports of Corpus Christi and Brownsville, and broadband in rural areas. Eric Flores for Congress
What the official record shows
He has never held elected office, so there is no official record of votes or bills to list. The posts his campaign describes were appointed ones; the smuggling-ring card shows one case he prosecuted. A State Bar profile he appears to have supplied says he served as municipal judge for the City of Alton; it is not an official record of the post. U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, State Bar of Texas, Eric Flores for Congress
Campaign money from other committees, by type
Transfers and contributions from joint fundraising committees 8 committees
The rows are lines 11B, 11C and 12 of his committee's 2025-2026 filings through June 30, 2026, grouped by the FEC's recorded type of the contributing committee, memo entries set aside. Each line reconciles to the committee's own summary: party committees $5,000.00, other committees $312,302.20, and transfers from joint fundraising committees $489,753.88. The transfer row is $14,752.20 larger than line 12 because it also holds what joint fundraising committees gave on line 11C. Donations individuals made through WinRed are individual contributions and are not in the table. Also not in the table: $576,500 he has lent his campaign from his own funds, all of it outstanding at June 30, 2026. The rows sum to 807,056.08 dollars.
The sitting member for the 34th district since 2023. Congress.gov records five terms, the first three for the 15th district beginning in 2017. Congress.gov
His campaign says he left high school, earned a GED in 1985, then degrees from Del Mar College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a law degree from what is now Texas A&M University School of Law, and founded his own law practice in 1997. Vicente Gonzalez for Congress
Congress.gov records 53 bills and resolutions sponsored by him across five Congresses. One became law, naming a post office in Brownsville. Congress.gov
Job growth, support for small businesses, and training that leads to better-paid work. Vicente Gonzalez for Congress
What the official record shows
Voted No on passage of the American Health Care Act, the House bill to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act. It passed 217-213 and did not become law. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
The rows are lines 11B, 11C and 12 of his committee's 2025-2026 filings through June 30, 2026, grouped by the FEC's recorded type of the contributing committee, memo entries set aside. Each line reconciles to the committee's own summary: party committees $4,788.47, other committees $1,307,061.11, and transfers from joint fundraising committees $557,428.66. Donations individuals made through ActBlue are individual contributions and are not in the table. Also not in the table: the $425,000 still owed to him on a $750,000 loan he made to the committee in 2022, which is not a receipt of this cycle. The rows sum to 1,869,278.24 dollars.
Holds no public office. In a 2024 candidate survey he said he studied philosophy at Southwest Missouri State, served in the Army at the Pentagon and with the 1st Infantry Division, earned a law degree in 1990, was called up for Desert Storm, and moved to Harlingen in 1993. Ballotpedia
In the same survey he said he had worked in law, title insurance and teaching, and had retired from teaching that year. Ballotpedia
A federal government that balances its budget every year, which he says would end inflation and raise living standards. Chris Royal for Congress
A national government kept to the few functions he reads in the Constitution, on the Libertarian view that its principles come from the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Chris Royal for Congress
In 2024: an end to federal spending increases, as his answer to inflation. Ballotpedia
In 2024: energy independence, and full Social Security benefits for those who paid in. Ballotpedia
What the official record shows
He has never held public office, so there is no official record of votes, bills or decisions to list. His site and his survey answers make no claim about a record of his own for this column to test. Chris Royal for Congress, Ballotpedia
Campaign money from other committees, by type
There is no money table because there is no committee. The FEC carries a candidate record for him with no principal committee and no filing of any kind, and marks him as not having raised funds. A candidate who raises or spends no more than $5,000 does not have to register one. Federal Election Commission
Holds no public office. His campaign says he enlisted in the Army at 19, drove a Bradley fighting vehicle in Desert Storm and earned a combat infantry badge, then taught in Rio Grande Valley public schools for 26 years. Espinoza For Congress
He writes that he studied political science at what is now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on the GI Bill, and has been a climate and environmental activist since retiring from teaching. Espinoza For Congress
He was the Green Party's nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner in 2024 and won 301,793 votes statewide, 2.75 per cent. Texas Secretary of State
Military spending cut in half, with the money invested at home. Espinoza For Congress
Medicare for All, with no co-pays or premiums, including vision, hearing aids, dental care and prescriptions. Espinoza For Congress
A ban on LNG exports and on fracking, and investment in solar, wind and batteries. Espinoza For Congress
Free college and trade school, and an end to federal standardized-testing mandates. Espinoza For Congress
What the official record shows
He has never held public office, so there is no official record of votes, bills or decisions to list. His 2024 statewide candidacy is a result, not a record of conduct, and is under background. Espinoza For Congress, Texas Secretary of State
Campaign money from other committees, by type
There is no money table because there is no money report. His committee has filed a statement of organization and four notes to the FEC, each saying the campaign had not reached the $5,000 at which a report is required. It has never filed a report of receipts and disbursements. Federal Election Commission, Federal Election Commission
Holds no public office. His campaign describes him as a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and former Texas Army National Guard infantry captain, now a partner in a law firm that defends municipalities and school districts.
Facebook chris.royal.3781A personal account, listed on his Ballotpedia page. His own site links no social accounts, so this is the only one the desk found.
X: not foundNo X account is linked from his site or listed on his Ballotpedia page.
Instagram: not foundNo Instagram account is linked from his site or listed on his Ballotpedia page.
Holds no public office. His campaign describes him as a Desert Storm veteran and a retired public school teacher who taught in the Rio Grande Valley for 26 years.
X @Espinoza4TXPublic profile linked by the campaign site. A profile link is not a complete historical archive.
Instagram @espinoza4txPublic profile linked by the campaign site. Post availability and account metadata can change.
Facebook Espinoza4TXPublic profile linked by the campaign site. Post availability and account metadata can change.
Profile links show what is public now, not a complete archive. Each link was confirmed through the campaign site unless a note says otherwise. Individual social posts enter the evidence record only with a post URL, date, context, and review note.
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Issue comparison
What each campaign says
These are attributed platform positions, not promises The Stated Record has verified or endorsed.
His campaign says families are struggling with grocery, gas, insurance and housing costs, and that he will oppose federal spending that fuels inflation, cut red tape for families and small businesses, and support affordable housing.
His campaign says people who work hard should be able to afford a stable life, and commits him to policies that reduce financial strain on working families. His accomplishments page names votes on the child tax credit, energy costs and drug prices.
His site says the federal government has a spending problem neither party will correct, and asks what the economy would be like if the government had to balance its budget every year. In 2024 he put it more bluntly: stop federal spending to stop inflation.
His platform would cut military spending in half and invest the money at home, and says localising energy, food and water in the Valley is the best answer to affordability.
His campaign says he will oppose any effort to cut seniors' earned benefits, fight to keep them in line with the true cost of living, support wider access to affordable prescription drugs, and push for stronger protection against elder fraud.
His campaign commits him to safeguarding the programmes that give seniors financial security and health care, and names two votes: for the Social Security Fairness Act in 2024 and against the 2025 reconciliation act.
In his 2024 candidate survey he said seniors should receive the Social Security benefits they are entitled to because they paid into the system. His current site does not address it.
His campaign says he will fight to cut VA wait times and widen access to care across the district, support fully funding veterans' benefits and disability claims, and champion mental health and suicide prevention for veterans.
His campaign says veterans should have the benefits, health care and resources they earned, and that he is working to stop the deportation of honorably discharged veterans and to bring health care closer to home.
His priorities page has no health-care section. Under seniors it supports wider access to affordable prescription drugs, and under veterans wider access to VA care.
His campaign supports a health-care system that works in cities and rural areas alike, including prevention, mental health and long-term care, and says no family should choose between medical care and basic needs.
His campaign lists U.S. energy independence among his priorities, and says he will fight for federal investment in water infrastructure, protect farm and city water supplies, and push for long-term regional water planning.
His issues page has no energy or environment section. His accomplishments page counts securing permits for LNG projects at the Port of Brownsville among what he has done for the region's economy.
His current site does not address energy. In his 2024 survey he said he wants to be on the side of energy independence, and called electric cars over-rated.
His platform would ban LNG exports and fracking, invest in solar, wind and utility-scale batteries, make the oil and gas industry clean up flaring, produced water and abandoned wells, and improve drainage and flood control.
His campaign lists securing the border and supporting law enforcement among his priorities, and describes his work as a federal prosecutor of human smugglers.
No position on the border or on policing was found on his issues page, which sets out seven subjects without either. His accomplishments page concerns immigration only in its work on deported veterans.
His current site does not address it. In his 2024 survey he said immigration would not be a problem if the president simply executed the laws already on the books.
No border position was found on his site. His platform lists common-sense gun control, and says he holds the 2026 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction.
No education position was found on his campaign site, whose priorities page does not include it. Under small business it supports workforce development that connects South Texans to local jobs.
His campaign says every student deserves a quality education regardless of background or zip code, and names his support for Head Start, Title I, special education, career and technical education, and Pell Grants.
His current site does not address it. In his 2024 survey he said parents should have the right to know what is taught to their children and a voice in changing the curriculum.
His current site does not address it. In his 2024 survey he said officials caught taking money under the table or stock tips should be barred from future government work.
His campaign says he rejects support from all political action committees, takes no corporate PAC money, would overturn Citizens United, and opposes lobbying by unregistered foreign agents.
The number of cards varies with what each candidate's official record supports, and every card carries the same required parts: what they say, what the official record shows, one label from the fixed list, and its limit. Each card is labeled narrowly, by rule. A single vote, sponsorship, or filing can match one claim without proving a candidate's whole record, and a card never says why someone did something.
He signed his statement of candidacy for Texas's 34th district, as a Republican, on July 16, 2025. The first congressional redistricting bill of 2025, H.B. 4 of the first called session, was filed two weeks later, on July 30. The map that was enacted, H.B. 4 of the second called session, was signed by the Governor on August 29, 2025.
Limit: The filing came before any new map was filed or enacted, which is what he says. It did not come before a new map was expected: the Governor had put a revised congressional plan on the special session's agenda on July 9, a week before he filed.
His committee's first report covers July 1 to September 30, 2025, which takes in the five weeks and six more. It reports $300,479.29 of contributions for the whole quarter, no transfers, and $250,000 in loans from him, for $550,479.29 of total receipts. Of the loans, $100,000 is dated July 31 and $150,000 September 5, a week after the release. Contributions itemized after August 29 come to $94,757.65. Two nominee funds that now carry his name were set up in December 2024 and January 2025 as funds for whoever won the Republican nomination: one reported $7,767.57 of receipts for July to September, the other $12,850.48 for July to December. His committee listed no joint fundraising committee until January 30, 2026.
Limit: The FEC does not date contributions under $200, so the exact amount raised by August 29 cannot be read. It does not need to be: every contribution of the quarter falls $139,520.71 short of the figure. Adding the only loan made before the release and both nominee funds' receipts still leaves about $19,000 short, though the second fund's figure runs to December and neither fund was his campaign's until March 2026. The figure can be reached only by counting money his committee did not have by that date.
A U.S. Attorney's release of July 30, 2024 names him as the prosecutor of a smuggling ring that moved 2,459 migrants and laundered $2.9 million. Its two leaders were ordered to serve 240 months in federal prison. The release says the judge agreed it was one of the largest alien smuggling takedowns the district had seen in recent history.
Limit: The release says one of the largest in recent history, not the largest. The FBI led the investigation with help from other agencies; he prosecuted the case. It was read from an archived copy because justice.gov sent a bot-check page.
His campaign says that in 2025 he voted against what it calls the Big, Ugly Bill, which it says cuts hundreds of billions from Medicare and from programmes seniors rely on.
The House Clerk records him voting Nay on passage of H.R. 1 on May 22, 2025 (Roll Call 145, 215-214) and No on concurring in the Senate amendment on July 3 (Roll Call 190, 218-214). It became Public Law 119-21 on July 4.
Limit: He voted against the bill both times it came to a recorded vote in the House, which is the claim. What the law does to Medicare and to programmes for seniors is the campaign's description and is not assessed here.
His campaign says that in 2024 he shepherded passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, now law, so retirees receive the full value of their benefits.
“In 2024, he shepherded passage of the Social Security Fairness Act — now law — so retirees receive the full value of their retirement benefits”
The Act is law: H.R. 82 became Public Law 118-273 on January 5, 2025, repealing the government pension offset and the windfall elimination provision. Its sponsor was Garret Graves of Louisiana. Gonzalez cosponsored the Act in each of the four Congresses he served before it passed: in 2018 (H.R. 1205), 2019 (H.R. 141), 2021 (H.R. 82, as an original cosponsor) and 2023, when he joined the final version on January 24, one of 330. When Graves filed a discharge petition on September 10, 2024 to force a floor vote, Gonzalez signed it that day, the 103rd signature. He voted Yea when it passed the House 327-75 on November 12, 2024 (Roll Call 456).
Limit: Every step the record shows goes the way he says, across four Congresses, and the petition was the step that got the bill to the floor. "Shepherded" claims more than that: he sponsored no version, was not an original cosponsor of the one that became law, and was one of 218 members whose signatures forced the vote. Nothing in the record shows him managing the bill.
He voted Yea on the House bill, H.R. 3967, on March 3, 2022 (Roll Call 57, 256-174), and Yea on S. 3373, the vehicle that became law, on July 13, 2022 (Roll Call 309, 342-88). It became Public Law 117-168 on August 10, 2022.
Limit: He voted for it at both House votes, including the one on the bill that became law. He was one of 342 members voting for final passage and was not a sponsor.
He has sponsored the Repatriate Our Patriots Act, on noncitizens released from the armed forces under honorable conditions, in four Congresses: H.R. 3429 in 2017, H.R. 1078 in 2019, H.R. 4382 in 2021 and H.R. 717 in 2023. Each was referred to committee and went no further. In December 2022 his amendment to the Veteran Service Recognition Act was agreed to 213-207 (Roll Call 502) and he voted Yea on the bill, which passed the House 220-208 (Roll Call 503) and ended in the Senate.
Limit: Six years of sponsorship and one House-passed bill he amended are evidence of the work the claim describes. None became law. The claim is in the present tense, and Congress.gov records no bill of his on the subject in the current Congress.
His campaign says he delivered federal funding to update local Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, so veterans and community members have safe spaces to gather.
“He delivered federal funding to update local Veterans of Foreign Wars posts”
The explanatory statements for three years' appropriations laws each list a VFW post project with him as the House requester. For fiscal 2022, $304,454 for the Brooks County VFW, the Lopez Williams Post, from the Agriculture Department's rural community facilities account (page H1729). For fiscal 2023, $750,000 for a new building for Post 8788 (page S9538), and for fiscal 2024, $850,000 for a new building for Post 2410 (page S2158), both from HUD's Community Development Fund. The three laws are Public Laws 117-103, 117-328 and 118-42, and the three rows come to $1,904,454.
Limit: Three posts in three years, each in an enacted statement with his name in the House requester column, which is where a member's community project funding is recorded. Two of the three paid for new buildings rather than updates to old ones. The statements allocate the money; whether USDA and HUD have paid it out was not checked. Two of the three tables are printed as page images, so those rows were read by eye.
On November 19, 2021 he voted Yea on the Build Back Better Act (Roll Call 385, 220-213). As passed by the House it would have barred group health plans and individual insurance from charging more than $35 a month for selected insulin products from 2023. That bill did not become law. On August 12, 2022 he voted Yea on the Inflation Reduction Act (Roll Call 420), which limits Medicare cost-sharing for covered insulin products and became Public Law 117-169.
Limit: The 2021 vote is as he describes it. The cap he voted for in 2021 reached private insurance; the cap that became law a year later covers Medicare only. Both votes split almost entirely by party; in 2021 one Democrat, Jared Golden of Maine, voted No.
The official text of the Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act names him among those who introduced it, twice. H.R. 6101 of December 1, 2021 reads "Mr. Carter of Georgia (for himself and Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas) introduced the following bill", and H.R. 1613 of March 17, 2023 names him first after Carter; Congress.gov lists Carter as sponsor and Gonzalez as an original cosponsor of both. The bill curbs spread pricing by pharmacy benefit managers in Medicaid, and that provision passed the House as section 202 of the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act on December 11, 2023, 320-71, with his Yea (Roll Call 708). In 2025 he was an original cosponsor of the PBM Reform Act (H.R. 4317) and both Pharmacists Fight Back bills (H.R. 6609 and 6610). Three of the PBM Reform Act's six sections, on Medicare drug plans and employer health plans, became law almost word for word as sections 6223, 6224 and 6701 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75). He voted Yea when the House passed that act on January 22, 2026 (Roll Call 45) and Nay on the final House vote on February 3 (Roll Call 53). In all he has cosponsored more than twenty drug-price bills, among them the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act in 2019, and voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, whose Medicare drug-price negotiation became law in 2022.
Limit: The bill text uses his verb: it names him among the members who introduced the bill, though Carter was its sponsor and Gonzalez the lead cosponsor. None of the 55 items Congress.gov lists him as sponsoring concerns drug prices. The bill is aimed at what Medicaid pays for drugs, not at the price a patient pays. The Medicaid bill did not become law, and its spread-pricing section is not in the 2025 reconciliation act or the 2026 appropriations act. That act did carry most of the PBM Reform Act, though he voted against its final version.
His campaign says that since coming to Congress he has voted down Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Social Security.
“Since coming to Congress, Vicente has voted down extremist Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Social Security”
In his first year he voted No on the American Health Care Act, the House bill to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act, which passed 217-213 on May 4, 2017 (Roll Call 256) and did not become law. He also voted Nay at all three House votes on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, from November 16 to December 20, 2017 (Roll Calls 637, 692 and 699). It became Public Law 115-97, whose section 11081 cut the Affordable Care Act's penalty for going without coverage to zero from 2019.
Limit: Two measures, four recorded votes, all in the direction the claim states; they do not score his whole record, and the Medicare and Social Security halves of the sentence are not tested by them. Both passed the House despite his votes: the first died in the Senate and the second became law, so "voted down" describes his votes, not the outcome.
Votes on the child tax credit, energy costs and drug prices
Matches stated direction
What they say
His campaign says he voted to extend the child tax credit, fund lower energy and utility costs, reduce prescription drug prices and make it illegal for insurers to charge older people more.
“Vicente voted to extend the child tax credit, deliver funding to lower energy and utility costs, reduce prescription drug prices and make it illegal for insurers to charge older people more”
On November 19, 2021 he voted Yea on the Build Back Better Act (Roll Call 385, 220-213). Its section 137102(a)(1), headed "Extension of child tax credit", would have carried the enlarged credit into 2022; the bill passed the House and did not become law. Earlier that year he voted Yea on the American Rescue Plan Act, on February 27 and on its final House vote on March 10 (Roll Calls 49 and 72), which enlarged the credit for 2021. He voted Yea on the Inflation Reduction Act on August 12, 2022 (Roll Call 420); it sets up Medicare negotiation of certain drug prices and funds home energy rebates, and became Public Law 117-169.
Limit: Three of the four clauses match votes he cast. His vote to extend the child tax credit was on a bill that did not become law, so the enlargement that did become law lasted one year. The fourth clause, on insurers charging older people more, was not matched to any vote; the desk did not find which one it means.
He introduced the Student Loan Relief Act as its only sponsor, as H.R. 8514 in 2020 and H.R. 6708 on February 11, 2022. The 2022 text directs the Secretary of Education to cancel or repay the lesser of $25,000 or a borrower's outstanding federal student loan balance. Both were referred to committee and went no further.
He sponsored the Affordable Homeownership Access Act in 2020 (H.R. 5614) and 2021 (H.R. 5013), and the MORE Opportunities for Homeownership Act on February 23, 2026 (H.R. 7647). All three were referred to the Financial Services Committee; none has had a vote.
Limit: Sponsorship is what the claim says, and it is on the record. None of the bills has advanced, so nothing here shows homeownership becoming more accessible.
What the record does show is project by project. The explanatory statement for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which became Public Law 119-75, lists ten Community Development Fund projects with him as the House requester, from $250,000 to $2,000,000 and together $8,265,467, among them a Donna sports complex, a Harlingen animal shelter and a Baffin Bay boat ramp in Kleberg County.
No federal record totals what a member has brought home. Requested projects are listed by name in each year's explanatory statements, but formula grants, agency awards, and highway, port and disaster money carry no member's name, so a career figure of $8 billion cannot be rebuilt from official sources and this desk does not try.
Limit: The one statement read here covers four of that year's twelve appropriations bills, three of them enacted in this law, and earlier years were not totalled. His accomplishments page also says he secured permits for LNG projects at the Port of Brownsville and delivered hundreds of millions for the ship channel; those permits are issued by federal regulators and the channel work by the Army Corps of Engineers, and neither record names a member.
On February 15, 2024 he voted Yea on the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act, H.R. 7176 (Roll Call 52, 224-200), one of nine Democrats who did. It would have repealed restrictions on gas exports and imports and required the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to treat them as in the public interest when approving export terminals. It passed the House and did not become law. In November 2022 he was an original cosponsor of the LNG For Allies Act, H.R. 9355, which would have sped up approval of gas exports to U.S. allies.
Limit: LNG terminal permits come from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which the Natural Gas Act gives sole power to approve them. Neither bill names the Brownsville projects, so his record shows support for LNG exports in general, not these permits.
His committee, Espinoza for Texas, has filed no report of receipts and disbursements. It has filed four notes to the FEC instead, on January 29, March 25, April 11 and July 12, 2026, each saying the campaign had not reached the $5,000 at which a report is required. A search of every federal committee's itemized disbursements for 2025-2026 returns no payment to his committee.
Limit: Two records point the same way: his own statements that he has raised less than $5,000, and the absence of any PAC's report of giving to him. A federal PAC must itemize a contribution to a candidate however small, so the second is the stronger. Neither reaches a state or unregistered group, and neither is a filed statement of where his money came from, because he has filed none.
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Campaign finance
FEC snapshot through Jun 30, 2026
Principal campaign committees only. Receipts and disbursements are the election-cycle-to-date figures, Column B on each filing's summary page; cash on hand and debt are period-end figures. All are carried by reports covering the same period. Money is not a score of candidate quality or voter support.
The Governor signed H.B. 4 of the second called session, redrawing Texas's congressional districts from the 2026 elections. The district now takes in Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg and Willacy counties and part of Nueces County.
The Secretary of State's final certification lists four candidates for the 34th district: Eric Flores (Republican), Vicente Gonzalez (Democratic), Chris Royal (Libertarian) and Eddie Espinoza (Green).
Texas Secretary of State. The final ballot certification for the November 3, 2026 general election, signed by Deputy Secretary of State Dave Nelson on August 28, 2026. Its U. S. REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 34 block lists ERIC FLORES (REP), VICENTE GONZALEZ (DEM), CHRIS ROYAL (LIB) and EDDIE ESPINOZA (GRE), in that order, which is the ballot order this desk follows. The block appears under five counties: Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces and Willacy. The whole 5,919,631-byte file was read.
Congress.gov. Resolved from Congress.gov's listing of current Texas members for the 119th Congress, which gives G000581 for Gonzalez, Vicente, district 34. Used for his office, party and five terms: the 115th to 117th Congresses for the 15th district and the 118th and 119th for the 34th.
Congress.gov. The whole list, 55 items across the 115th to 119th Congresses: 53 bills and resolutions and two floor amendments. One became law, H.R. 6244 of the 118th Congress, which named a post office in Brownsville. None of the 55 concerns the price of prescription drugs.
Congress.gov. The whole list, 1,612 items, read to find the strongest support for his drug-price claim. More than twenty titles concern the price or coverage of prescription drugs, insulin or pharmacies, among them the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3, 116th Congress) and the Affordable Insulin Now Act (H.R. 1488, 118th).
Vicente Gonzalez for Congress. Campaign-controlled source; the page carries the line "Political Adv. Paid for by the Vicente Gonzalez for Congress Committee", and it is the website his committee filed with the FEC. It links X, Instagram and Facebook accounts under votevicente. Positions and claims are attributed, not independently verified facts.
Vicente Gonzalez for Congress. Campaign-controlled source and the page where he makes claims about his own record: seven sections on the economy, jobs, seniors, veterans, women's rights, health care and education. Every quoted sentence on this desk was matched against the live page.
Vicente Gonzalez for Congress. Campaign-controlled source. Seven subjects: affordability, seniors, women's rights, education, veterans, health care and jobs. It states goals rather than proposals, and names no bill. There is no section on the border, energy or campaign finance.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of May 4, 2017; the question was on passage; it passed 217-213. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of February 27, 2021; the question was on passage. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of March 10, 2021; the question was on the motion to concur in the Senate amendment, the House's final vote. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of November 19, 2021; the question was on passage; it passed 220-213. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of March 3, 2022; the question was on passage; it passed 256-174. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of July 13, 2022; the question was on passage of the Senate bill as amended; it passed 342-88. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of August 12, 2022; the question was on the motion to concur in the Senate amendment; it carried 220-207. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of December 6, 2022; the question was on agreeing to his amendment, A002; it was agreed to 213-207. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of December 6, 2022; the question was on passage; it passed 220-208. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of November 12, 2024; the question was on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill; it carried 327-75. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of May 22, 2025; the question was on passage; it passed 215-214. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of July 3, 2025; the question was on the motion to concur in the Senate amendment; it carried 218-214. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Congress.gov. Used for the fact that the bill became Public Law 119-21 on July 4, 2025. What the law does to Medicare or to programmes for seniors, which his campaign describes, is not assessed here.
Congress.gov. Sponsor Garret Graves of Louisiana; 330 cosponsors. Gonzalez joined as a cosponsor on January 24, 2023, three weeks after introduction, and is not an original cosponsor. Became Public Law 118-273 on January 5, 2025.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. The motion Garret Graves filed on September 10, 2024 to discharge the rule for H.R. 82, and its signatures. Gonzalez is signature 103, dated September 10, 2024, the day it opened. Its signature dates run from September 10 to September 19, 2024.
Congress.gov. Sponsor Mark Takano. Passed the House on March 3, 2022 and the Senate with an amendment on June 16; the Act itself was enacted through S. 3373.
Congress.gov. The vehicle that became Public Law 117-168 on August 10, 2022, after the House passed it on July 13 and the Senate agreed to the House amendment on August 2.
Congress.gov. Sponsored by Gonzalez on February 1, 2023 with 20 cosponsors; referred to the Judiciary Committee and went no further. The text concerns noncitizens released from the armed forces under honorable conditions.
Congress.gov. Sponsor Mark Takano. Passed the House on December 6, 2022 and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee the next day, where it ended. Gonzalez's amendment, requiring regulations within 90 days of enactment, was agreed to before passage.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. The engrossed text of November 19, 2021. Section 30604 would have barred group health plans and individual insurance from charging more than $35 a month for selected insulin products from 2023; sections 27001 and 139401 carry the same rule for other plan types. This version did not become law.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. Enacted text. Section 11001 sets up Medicare price negotiation for certain high-priced drugs; section 11406 limits Medicare cost-sharing for covered insulin products; section 50121 funds home energy rebates.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. Introduced text. Gonzalez is its only sponsor, on February 11, 2022. It directs the Secretary of Education to cancel or repay the lesser of $25,000 or a borrower's outstanding federal student loan balance. Referred to committee; no further action. He had introduced the same title in the 116th Congress as H.R. 8514.
Congress.gov. Sponsored by Gonzalez on August 13, 2021; referred to the Financial Services Committee. He had introduced the same title in the 116th Congress as H.R. 5614.
Congressional Record, U.S. Government Publishing Office. Submitted by Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, January 22, 2026, pages H1353 to H1909. Its community project funding tables list ten Community Development Fund projects with Gonzalez in the House requester column, from $250,000 to $2,000,000 and together $8,265,467. The statement covers four of the year's twelve bills, Divisions A to D; Division C, Homeland Security, is not in Public Law 119-75. Projects in the other bills are listed elsewhere and were not totalled.
Federal Election Commission. Principal campaign committee only, covering April 1 to June 30, 2026, received July 15, 2026 and read from OpenFEC on September 23, 2026 as the most recent report of the period. The $425,000 of debt is what remains of a $750,000 loan he made to the committee from his own funds on August 31, 2022.
Federal Election Commission. Read with tools/fec-money/money.py on September 23, 2026: 6 rows on line 11B, 645 on line 11C and 261 on line 12, memo entries set aside, each line's sum equal to the committee's own summary total for the cycle through June 30, 2026. No line 11A row, individual contributions, was read.
Eric Flores for Congress. Campaign-controlled source; the page carries "PAID FOR BY ERIC FLORES FOR CONGRESS" and is the website his committee filed with the FEC. It links an X account, @EricDFloress, an Instagram account, @eric4texas, and a Facebook page.
Eric Flores for Congress. Campaign-controlled source. Eight subjects: South Texas and the Coastal Bend, the cost of living, infrastructure, water, veterans, seniors, farmers and ranchers, and small business. There is no section on health care, education or the border, though the home page lists securing the border among his priorities.
Eric Flores for Congress. Campaign-controlled source, used for his biography. A U.S. Attorney's release backs part of his account of his prosecutions; the Top Ten conviction and the two awards were not checked.
Eric Flores for Congress. Campaign-controlled index of press releases, most of them PDFs, and outside articles. Twenty-three releases from July 25, 2025 to August 26, 2026 were read. Most of their content is about his opponent and is out of scope here.
Eric Flores for Congress. Campaign press release dated August 29, 2025, a PDF linked from the campaign's news page and carrying its paid-for line. It says the campaign raised over $440,000 during its first five weeks, and quotes him: "I committed to running for District 34 before the map changed." The verifier reads both sentences from the PDF's text layer (checks flores-release-440k and flores-release-map-quote, pinned to the file's SHA-256 5f04aedfcb6efea4bc82300bc4ecdbbaa7996fa5897cdf239dbd77e9297ceff4).
Federal Election Commission. His first statement of candidacy, file 1903953, signed July 16, 2025: Republican, House of Representatives, Texas district 34, designating Eric Flores for Congress as principal committee.
Federal Election Commission. The committee's first report, covering July 1 to September 30, 2025, filed October 15, 2025 and not amended. Line 6(a), total contributions other than loans: $300,479.29. Line 13(a), loans made by the candidate: $250,000. Total receipts: $550,479.29. OpenFEC's itemized rows date the loans July 31 ($100,000) and September 5 ($150,000), and date $94,757.65 of itemized contributions after August 29.
Federal Election Commission. Principal campaign committee only, covering April 1 to June 30, 2026. The amendment of September 10, 2026 is the version the FEC marks most recent; its totals are the same as the original filed July 15. The $591,622.27 of debt includes $576,500 he has lent the committee from his own funds in seven loans between July 31, 2025 and February 25, 2026.
Federal Election Commission. Read with tools/fec-money/money.py on September 23, 2026: 1 row on line 11B, 108 on line 11C and 1,241 on line 12, memo entries set aside, each line's sum equal to the committee's own summary total for the cycle through June 30, 2026. No line 11A row, individual contributions, was read.
Federal Election Commission. A fund registered in December 2024 as GTM Nominee Fund: TX-34, before Flores was a candidate, to hold money for the district's eventual Republican nominee, a committee supporting more than one candidate (Form 1 of March 31, 2025, file 1889737). A Form 1 amendment of March 10, 2026 (file 1952757) made it a committee authorized by Flores and gave it his name. It reported $7,767.57 of receipts for July 1 to September 30, 2025, and transferred $102,674.25 to his campaign on March 16, 2026, after the primary.
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas. Press release of July 30, 2024, updated July 31, 2024. justice.gov sent this desk a bot-check page, so the release was read from the Internet Archive snapshot of May 24, 2026: http://web.archive.org/web/20260524195908/https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/south-texas-smugglers-ring-leaders-sentenced-transporting-nearly-2500-people-29m.
State Bar of Texas. An undated profile hosted by the State Bar, written in the third person and apparently supplied by him. It says he then ran a firm in Mission with his wife and served as municipal judge for the City of Alton. It is not an official record of either post.
Texas Legislature Online. The congressional map that was enacted: filed August 15, 2025, passed the House on August 20 and the Senate on August 23, signed by the Governor on August 29, effective December 4, 2025.
Office of the Texas Governor. Release of July 9, 2025 announcing the proclamation for the special session beginning July 21. One of its 18 items is a revised congressional redistricting plan.
Chris Royal for Congress. A one-page site built on a website builder, much of it marked under construction. It carries no paid-for line, so it was identified by its name, its Libertarian content and its closing request to vote for Chris Royal in November; it is the address search results give for his campaign. It links no social account. Read September 23, 2026.
Ballotpedia. Carries his own answers to Ballotpedia's candidate survey, given in 2024 when he was running for this seat as an independent. They are his words but they are two years old, and he was not on the 2024 general-election ballot. Used for his biography and for positions where his current site says nothing, each marked with its year. The page lists a personal Facebook account.
Federal Election Commission. The FEC carries a candidate record for him for 2020, 2022 and 2026, Libertarian, Brownsville, with no principal committee, no filing of any kind and has_raised_funds false. A candidate who raises or spends no more than $5,000 is not required to register.
Texas Secretary of State. U.S. Representative District 34: Vicente Gonzalez (DEM) 70,896 votes, 52.73 per cent; Mayra Flores (REP) 59,464, 44.23 per cent; Chris Royal (IND) 4,079, 3.03 per cent.
Texas Secretary of State. U.S. Representative District 34: Vicente Gonzalez (DEM) 102,780 votes, 51.29 per cent; Mayra Flores (REP) 97,603, 48.71 per cent. Railroad Commissioner: Eddie Espinoza (GRE) 301,793 votes, 2.75 per cent. The district was redrawn in 2025, so the 2024 result is for different lines.
Espinoza For Congress. A WordPress site with no paid-for line. It was identified as his by the address the Green Party of Texas gives for his campaign and by the committee email on his FEC statement of organization, espinoza4tx. It links X, Facebook and Instagram accounts under Espinoza4TX. The page contrasts him with his opponents; that material is out of scope here.
Federal Election Commission. Signed September 13, 2025: Green Party, House of Representatives, Texas district 34, designating Espinoza for Texas, C00919688, as principal committee.
Federal Election Commission. Five filings: a statement of organization on September 13, 2025 and four miscellaneous submissions, on January 29, March 25, April 11 and July 12, 2026. There is no report of receipts and disbursements. An OpenFEC search of every federal committee's itemized disbursements for 2025-2026 returned no payment to this committee.
Federal Election Commission. Its text: campaign fundraising is under the $5000 threshold for reporting. Filed in the week July quarterly reports were due.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. The introduced text of December 1, 2021 reads "Mr. Carter of Georgia (for himself and Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas) introduced the following bill". It amends section 1927(e) of the Social Security Act to require pass-through pricing in Medicaid contracts with pharmacy benefit managers. Congress.gov lists Carter as sponsor and Gonzalez as the only original cosponsor; referred to the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. The introduced text of March 17, 2023 reads "Mr. Carter of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Ms. Stefanik, Ms. Ross, Mr. Allen, and Mr. Auchincloss) introduced the following bill". Congress.gov lists Gonzalez first of five original cosponsors, 37 cosponsors in all; referred to the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. The engrossed text. Section 202, "Improving transparency and preventing the use of abusive spread pricing and related practices in Medicaid", amends the same section 1927(e) as the Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act. The bill passed the House on December 11, 2023 and went no further. No spread-pricing provision was found in Public Law 119-21 or Public Law 119-75, searched by "spread pricing" and "1396r-8".
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of December 11, 2023; the question was on suspending the rules and passing the bill as amended; it passed 320-71, with one Present. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Congress.gov. Sponsored by Buddy Carter of Georgia on July 10, 2025; Gonzalez is an original cosponsor, one of 70 cosponsors. The bill itself went no further, but its sections 2, 3 and 4 became law in Public Law 119-75.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. Enacted text, approved February 3, 2026. Division J carries sections 2, 3 and 4 of H.R. 4317 as sections 6223, 6224 and 6701 (the last adding ERISA section 726 and tax code section 9826). H.R. 4317's two Medicaid sections, 5 and 6, are not in it; "spread pricing" does not appear.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of January 22, 2026; the question was on passage; it passed 341-88. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of February 3, 2026; the question was on concurring in the Senate amendments; it passed 217-214. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581.
Congress.gov. Sponsored by Rodney Davis; 305 cosponsors. Gonzalez is an original cosponsor, dated January 4, 2021, the day of introduction. Placed on the Union Calendar; did not become law.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of November 16, 2017; the question was on passage; it passed 227-205. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of December 19, 2017; the question was on agreeing to the conference report; it passed 227-203. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of December 20, 2017; the question was on concurring in the Senate amendment; it passed 224-201. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581, which Congress.gov's by-state listing for the 119th Congress gives for him.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. Enacted text, approved December 22, 2017. Section 11081, "Elimination of shared responsibility payment for individuals failing to maintain minimum essential coverage", sets the Affordable Care Act's individual-mandate penalty to zero per cent and $0 for months after December 31, 2018.
Federal Election Commission. Registered on January 9, 2025 as TX-34 Republican Nominee Fund 2026, a committee supporting more than one federal candidate (Form 1, file 1862331). Its year-end report (file 1937486) covers July 1 to December 31, 2025 and shows $12,850.48 of receipts, all transfers from other committees. A Form 1 amendment of March 12, 2026 (file 1952815) renamed it and made it a committee authorized by Eric Flores.
Federal Election Commission. The committee's original Form 1. Affiliated committees: none. The committee's next Form 1, of January 30, 2026 (file 1939775), is the first to list a joint fundraising representative, Defend Our Majority (C00895821); OpenFEC lists no Form 1 between the two.
Congressional Record, U.S. Government Publishing Office. Congressional Record of March 9, 2022, Book III. The Agriculture division's community project funding table, printed as page images, has on page H1729 (PDF page 21, rotated) the row: Rural Development | Community Facilities | Brooks County VFW | VFW Lopez Williams Post | TX | 304,454 | House requester Gonzalez, Vicente | Origination H. Column headings: Agency, Account, Project, Recipient, Location, Amount Provided, Requestor(s) House and Senate, Origination. PDF SHA-256 9215a670933407a8d7346ee63dfe8b803494d5993a15ae3e5a65b254b3093821. H.R. 2471 became Public Law 117-103. Re-read on September 23, 2026 by OCR of the page turned upright; the row is as given.
Congressional Record, U.S. Government Publishing Office. Submitted by Senator Leahy, December 20, 2022. The Transportation-HUD community project funding table has on page S9538 (PDF page 214, rotated) the row: Department of Housing and Urban Development | Community Development Fund | New VFW Post 8788 | Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8788 | TX | 750,000 | House requester Gonzalez, Vicente | Origination H. The GovInfo HTML prints the table as an image; the PDF carries a text layer. PDF SHA-256 82b45ef2eb706be327fc45884d3072aea3c40d689f1b2d08536841c196c90332. H.R. 2617 became Public Law 117-328.
Congressional Record, U.S. Government Publishing Office. Submitted by Senator Murray, March 5, 2024, covering Divisions A to F. The Transportation-HUD community project funding table has on page S2158 (PDF page 936, rotated) the row: Department of Housing and Urban Development | Community Development Fund | Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2410 | New VFW Post 2410 Building | TX | 850,000 | House requester Gonzalez | Origination H. The same page lists four more Gonzalez projects, $5,850,000 together. The HTML prints the table as "[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED]"; the page was read from the PDF image. PDF SHA-256 5f46243e2976b003c79c7a36e4713b90f49a1016e6fa846c7592a6767fc0e8d2. H.R. 4366 became Public Law 118-42. Re-read on September 23, 2026 by OCR of the page turned upright; the row is as given.
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Recorded vote of February 15, 2024; the question was on passage; it passed 224-200. Democrats voted 9-200. Read from the Clerk's roll-call XML by Gonzalez's member ID, G000581.
U.S. Government Publishing Office. The engrossed text. Section 2 strikes the Natural Gas Act's separate export and import approval (section 3(a)-(c)), leaves the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission alone to approve export and import facilities, including LNG terminals, and requires it to deem those exports and imports consistent with the public interest.
Congress.gov. Sponsor August Pfluger of Texas, introduced November 22, 2022; Gonzalez is an original cosponsor. The introduced text, BILLS-117hr9355ih on GovInfo, would amend the Natural Gas Act to expedite approval of gas export applications to certain allies. It was referred to committee.
Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act. Subsection (e)(1) gives the Commission exclusive authority to approve or deny an application for the siting, construction, expansion or operation of an LNG terminal.
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The details
Election facts. Original sources.
Election date
November 3, 2026
Launch rating
Cook Political Report: Toss Up; dated August 25, 2026
Ballot source updated
Final certification generated August 28, 2026; reviewed September 2, 2026.
Candidate field
Printed candidates checked against official election records.