Texas' 26th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes rural Cooke County to the north and some of Wise County to the West and includes parts of Denton County, including Flower Mound, Lewisville and parts of Corinth, Carrollton, Little Elm and The Colony.[5] The current Representative is Michael C. Burgess. The district is best known as the seat of former House Majority Leader Dick Armey.
| Texas's 26th congressional district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Texas' 26th congressional district - since January 3, 2023. | |||
| Representative |
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| Distribution |
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| Population (2022) | 835,578[2] | ||
| Median household income | $105,363[3] | ||
| Ethnicity |
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| Cook PVI | R+13[4] | ||
History
The district was created as a result of the redistricting cycle after the 1980 census, due to the population growth in Texas and Denton County, specifically in its southern sector. Since its creation, the district has been based in Denton County, one of Texas' fastest-growing counties.
Democrat Tom Vandergriff was the first person to represent the district, winning in 1982. Vandergriff narrowly lost to Republican Dick Armey in 1984, and the seat has continuously been held by Republicans ever since. Indeed, since Vandergriff's defeat in 1984, no Democrat has crossed the 40 percent mark. As Denton County has become overwhelmingly Republican in recent years (all but one county officeholder is Republican, as are all members of the Texas Legislature representing the county), the 26th district is considered a "safe seat" for the GOP.
Since the 2010 redistricting, the 26th district has included most of Denton County (except the southeast portion) and a portion of north central Tarrant County.
However, the district has been trending Democratic in recent years. Donald Trump carried it by 14 points in 2020, while Mitt Romney had carried it by 37 in 2012.
After the 2020 census, rapid growth resulted in significant changes in the composition of the district. For the first time since the district's creation, the City of Denton, the county seat of Denton County, will not be a part of the district. It was instead shifted to the Panhandle-based 13th district. The 26th also lost its small share of Frisco. To make up for the loss of population, portions of Wise County and all of Cooke County will become part of the district. Lewisville will become the largest city in the district.
Denton had become increasingly friendly to Democrats in recent years, and voting trends suggested that under the previous map, the 26th could have potentially become competitive. The redrawn 26th, on the other hand, is considered slightly more Republican than its predecessor.[6]
Election results from presidential races
| Year | Office | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | Bush 71 – 27% |
| 2004 | President | Bush 65 – 35% |
| 2008 | President | McCain 58 – 41% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 68 – 31% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 60 – 34% |
| 2020 | President | Trump 56 – 42% |
List of members representing the district
Recent election results
2004 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Burgess (incumbent) | 180,519 | 65.75 | -9.1 | |
| Democratic | Lico Reyes | 89,809 | 32.71 | +9.9 | |
| Libertarian | James Gholston | 4,211 | 1.53 | +0.1 | |
| Majority | 90,710 | 33.0 | |||
| Turnout | 274,539 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | -9.5 | |||
2006 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Burgess (incumbent) | 94,219 | 60.21 | -5.54 | |
| Democratic | Tim Barnwell | 58,271 | 37.23 | +4.52 | |
| Libertarian | Rich Haas | 3,993 | 2.55 | +1.02 | |
| Majority | 35,948 | 22.97 | |||
| Turnout | 156,483 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | -5.03 | |||
2008 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Burgess (incumbent) | 194,849 | 60.19 | -0.02 | |
| Democratic | Ken Leach | 117,895 | 36.42 | -0.82 | |
| Libertarian | Stephanie Weiss | 11,002 | 3.40 | 0.85 | |
| Majority | 76,954 | 23.77 | +0.8 | ||
| Turnout | 323,746 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | -0.02 | |||
2010 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Burgess (incumbent) | 120,683 | 67.08 | +6.89 | |
| Democratic | Neil Durrance | 55,182 | 30.67 | -5.75 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Boler | 4,049 | 2.25 | -1.15 | |
| Majority | 65,501 | 36.41 | +12.64 | ||
| Turnout | 179,914 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | +6.89 | |||
2016 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Burgess (incumbent) | 211,730 | 66.4 | -0.68 | |
| Democratic | Eric Mauck | 94,507 | 29.6 | -1.07 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Boler | 12,843 | 4.0 | +1.75 | |
| Majority | 117,223 | 36.8 | +0.39 | ||
| Turnout | 319,080 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | -0.68 | |||
2018 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Burgess (incumbent) | 185,551 | 59.4 | -7.0 | |
| Democratic | Linsey Fagan | 121,938 | 39.0 | +9.4 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Boler | 5,016 | 1.6 | -2.4 | |
| Majority | 59,613 | 20.4 | -16.4 | ||
| Turnout | 312,505 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | -7.0 | |||
2020 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael C. Burgess (incumbent) | 261,963 | 60.6 | |
| Democratic | Carol Iannuzzi | 161,009 | 37.3 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Boler | 9,243 | 2.1 | |
| Total votes | 432,215 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2022 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Burgess (incumbent) | 183,639 | 69.2 | |
| Libertarian | Mike Kolls | 81,384 | 30.7 | |
| Total votes | 265,023 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Historical district boundaries
See also
References
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present