With multiple Texas congressional districts being contested in November, Texas’ 9th Congressional District is one of the races receiving attention as Republicans seek to gain the seat.
The seat, previously held by Democratic Rep. Al Green, is now an open seat after Green moved to run in Texas’ new 18th Congressional District. The November election will pit Republican Alex Mealer against Democrat Leticia Gutierrez.
Mealer defeated Republican state Rep. Briscoe Cain in the Republican primary runoff.
Mealer graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served as an Army explosive ordnance disposal officer in Afghanistan. She later earned degrees from Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School. Mealer was also the Republican nominee for Harris County judge in 2022, when she lost to Democratic incumbent Lina Hidalgo.
According to Mealer’s Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Survey, she is campaigning on three key issues: advancing President Donald Trump’s America First agenda, including securing the southern border; keeping men out of women’s sports; and reducing government spending. She also says she wants to ensure law enforcement agencies are fully resourced and have the tools needed to protect their communities, as well as provide the Houston Ship Channel with federal support to maintain its commercial competitiveness.
Mealer has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, the National Border Patrol Council, and Republican Congressman Brian Babin.
Gutierrez, Mealer’s Democratic opponent, has not previously held elected office. Before entering the race, Gutierrez served as chief of staff for a Houston City Council member, worked as government relations director for Air Alliance Houston and led advocacy groups in Houston.
According to Gutierrez’s Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Survey, her three goals, if elected, would focus on making life more affordable for families, making government work for the people and ensuring Houston’s infrastructure can protect families from natural disasters.
The 9th Congressional District was significantly redrawn by the Texas Legislature in 2025. The new district moved away from its traditional Democratic base in southwest Houston and includes parts of eastern Harris County and Liberty County. Green, who represents the current 9th District, is instead running in the new 18th District.
Under the new boundaries, the district would have voted for Trump by 20.1 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, according to Scrutinel’s reaggregation of presidential results onto the 2026 district lines.
Inside Elections currently rates the district as a “Likely Republican,” with a partisan baseline of R+10.8 points. The rating was updated Sept. 17.
With no public polling measuring the two candidates directly, the November election will provide the first statewide test of how the newly drawn district’s electorate responds to Mealer and Gutierrez.
