Texas 9th District race 2026: Mealer vs. Gutierrez
General election, November 3, 2026 · U.S. House in Texas’s 9th District. Open — relocated by the 2025 map to east Harris + Liberty (Trump 59.5%)
Alex Mealer
Army bomb-disposal officer, Harvard-trained energy banker and 2022 Harris County judge nominee; Republican nominee for Texas's 9th District in 2026. Sourced.
Read the documented profile of Alex MealerLeticia Gutierrez
American community organizer; 2026 Democratic nominee for U.S. House in Texas’ 9th Congressional District
The general-election field as the board records it: Mealer (R) vs. Leticia Gutierrez (D)
The race at a glance
Board data as of . Ratings are the raters' own current calls; polls are the newest public ones with their field dates; money is what the committees reported. Nothing here is a forecast.
- Seat
- Open — relocated by the 2025 map to east Harris + Liberty (Trump 59.5%)
- Primary
- (certified): Mealer 11,343 (36.0%), Cain 9,886 (31.3%), Stockman 5,196; runoff : Mealer 15,625 (68.3%) def. Cain 7,257
- Ratings
- Cook Solid R (; PVI R+9); Sabato Safe R; IE Solid R; DDHQ Likely R
- Newest public polling
- general: NOT FOUND
- Reported money
- FEC : Mealer $2,080,514 / $362,040 COH; Gutierrez $55,358 / $18,658
- Notable
- Trump endorsed Mealer . Map upheld by SCOTUS summary reversal (No. 25-845).
Key dates in Texas
Read from the Texas Secretary of State. The full guide, with the official tools, is on the Texas page.
- Voter registration deadlineMonday, October 5, 2026. An application counts if it is postmarked by that date or received in the county voter registrar's office by that date. A voter registration application filled out online must still be printed and sent to the county voter registrar's office. votetexas.gov
- Early voting in person beginsMonday, October 19, 2026 — first day of early voting by personal appearance. votetexas.gov
- Deadline to apply for a ballot by mail (received, not postmarked)Friday, October 23, 2026. The Application for Ballot by Mail (ABBM) must be received — not just postmarked — by the early voting clerk in the county where you are registered, before the close of regular business or 12 noon, whichever is later. votetexas.gov
- Deadline to return a ballot by mail (received by)The early voting clerk must receive the ballot by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, if the carrier envelope is not postmarked; or by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 (the next business day), if the carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day at the location of the election. Different deadlines apply to overseas and military voters. sos.texas.gov
- Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026. sos.texas.gov
- Polling place hours on Election Day7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026, at all polling places statewide. votetexas.gov
Voting in Texas: dates, rules and official tools
Questions and answers
Who is running for the U.S. House in Texas’s 9th District in 2026?
Mealer (R) vs. Leticia Gutierrez (D) (as of Sep 15, 2026).
When is the election?
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Voter registration deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026. An application counts if it is postmarked by that date or received in the county voter registrar's office by that date. A voter registration application filled out online must still be printed and sent to the county voter registrar's office.
How do the raters see this race?
Cook Solid R (Sep 11; PVI R+9); Sabato Safe R; IE Solid R; DDHQ Likely R (as of Sep 15, 2026).
What do the polls show?
general: NOT FOUND (as of Sep 15, 2026).
How much money has been reported?
FEC Jun 30: Mealer $2,080,514 / $362,040 COH; Gutierrez $55,358 / $18,658 (as of Sep 15, 2026).