WASHINGTON — Even though it’s been less than six months since the presidential election, the campaign trail for the 2026 midterms has already begun.

What You Need To Know

  • Democrats target 35 Republican-held House seats in 2026, aiming to flip a South Texas district

  • Monica De La Cruz, the first woman and Republican elected in her district, will face another Democratic challenge

  • The National Republican Congressional Committee is also targeting the neighboring Democratic districts in South Texas

This week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a list of 35 Republican-held House seats it hopes to flip in 2026, and one of them is in Texas.

Democrats need to net gain three seats in order to obtain the majority. 

U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, first secured her South Texas seat in 2022, after Texas’ 15th Congressional District was redrawn to favor conservatives. 

The district stretches from the Rio Grande Valley to the suburbs of San Antonio, and has over 775,000 residents, with over 81% of the population identifying as Hispanic, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. 

In both of her victories, De La Cruz has faced Democratic opponent Michelle Vallejo. Back in 2022, she became the first woman and first Republican to represent the district.

Last year, De La Cruz won reelection with 57% of the vote—the slimmest margin a Republican representative won by in the state.

De La Cruz’s district sits between two border districts, both represented by Democrats—the 28th Congressional District and the 34th Congressional District. The National Republican Congressional Committee included those two districts–represented by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, respectively–in its list of 26 Democratic districts across the country it is targeting to flip in the next election.

This announcement comes as U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced he will be seeking reelection. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hinted that he would like to run against Cornyn in the 2026 Republican primary, and on Tuesday night, he announced he is entering the race.