State Representative Briscoe Cain and former Harris County judge candidate Alex Mealer are emerging as the leading contenders for a newly established Republican-leaning congressional seat in eastern Harris County, an area that encompasses some of Texas’ most significant economic sectors.
Cain, who has served part of this region in the Texas House for close to ten years, and Mealer, the GOP nominee who faced off against Democratic County Judge Lina Hidalgo in 2022, are part of a crowded field of nine Republicans vying for the 9th Congressional District. This seat, currently held by U.S. Representative Al Green, is among the five Democratic districts reshaped by Republican lawmakers in a bid to secure them in the upcoming elections. Much of the new 9th District is unfamiliar territory for Green, prompting him to pursue a run in the adjacent 18th District instead.
Political strategists predict a competitive race between Cain and Mealer, as both candidates have garnered substantial fundraising and endorsements within the crowded Republican field. While Cain has built a strong support base among local Republican leaders and has successfully campaigned in areas like La Porte and his hometown of Deer Park since 2016, Mealer has outpaced him in fundraising and attracted backing from conservative organizations in Washington.
Cain has received endorsements from numerous Texas elected officials, including Governor Greg Abbott and 48 of his House colleagues, as well as various local precinct chairs and groups such as the Oil and Gas Workers Association — a crucial endorsement in a district that includes the Houston Ship Channel and surrounding refineries. He is a recognized figure in his state House district, which fully overlaps with the new congressional district, and frequently highlights his ranking as the most conservative member of the Texas House according to Rice University studies.
In the Texas Legislature, Cain has been a prominent advocate for anti-abortion measures amid the state’s stringent regulations on the procedure and was initially responsible for carrying the contentious 2021 bill that reformed the state’s election laws. His relationships with some far-right members of the Texas GOP became strained in 2023 when he acted as one of the House impeachment managers in the case against Attorney General Ken Paxton, though he continues to align with the conservative faction within the chamber.
During a recent candidate forum organized by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Cain highlighted his commitment to MAGA culture war issues. “I believe America is at a turning point,” he declared to attendees. “I believe we’re witnessing a revival of bold Christian conservative warriors who are unafraid of speaking the truth and pushing back against the woke mind virus that’s trying to destroy this country.”
Mealer, a graduate of West Point and a former Army captain with a background in energy finance, narrowly lost the 2022 election for Harris County judge by less than 2 percentage points. Throughout that campaign, she attracted significant support from influential Republican donors, including prominent Houston businessman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and various local business leaders.
Since her unsuccessful bid for Harris County judge, Mealer has challenged the 2022 election results and has held positions as chair of the Texas GOP’s 2024 Victory Fund and as a board member for Houston’s METRO transit authority, where she chaired the public safety committee. She has received endorsements from several law enforcement organizations, including the National Border Patrol Council and local police unions, as well as support from the Houston Region Business Association, local elected officials in Deer Park and Baytown, and Harris County’s only Republican commissioner.
Mealer has also secured backing from influential figures in Washington, including House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, a conservative firebrand from Ohio, and the affluent conservative group Club for Growth. In late January, Jordan attended a campaign rally with Mealer in Pasadena, further solidifying her standing in the race. His campaign and leadership PAC have raised substantial funds from Texas, more than any other state.
Drawing on her business experience, Mealer positions herself as the ideal candidate for a district she claims is “the most important district to our national economy in Texas,” advocating for increased federal investment compared to what was allocated during the Biden administration. “The infrastructure is not keeping up with what is needed to compete,” she asserted at the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce forum. “If you can keep the Houston Ship Channel firing, you will keep job growth throughout the district.”
The District’s Profile
The forthcoming Republican primary represents the first real test for voters in the newly configured district, which was redrawn by the Texas Legislature last summer to transform it from a safely blue seat into a more suburban district that favored President Donald Trump by 20 percentage points in the 2024 election.
This new 9th District incorporates portions of Houston’s heavily Hispanic East End, including Magnolia Park, as well as cities in the eastern region of Harris County, such as Baytown, Deer Park, and Pasadena. Additionally, Republican-leaning Liberty County has been added to the district.
The next representative will be tasked with advocating for some of the region’s key economic assets, including the Houston Ship Channel and the high concentration of refineries and petrochemical facilities located nearby. Republican lawmakers have designed the district to feature narrow Hispanic majorities while remaining favorable to GOP candidates, a strategy that hinges on the recent shift of Hispanic Texans to the right in elections and lower voter turnout among Hispanic populations compared to conservative white voters.
Over half of the eligible voting population in the 9th District is Hispanic, with approximately 44% of registered voters in the district bearing Spanish surnames. In the 2024 general election, 37% of those who voted had a Spanish surname.
The new 9th Congressional District has recorded some of the lowest voter turnout in Texas, ranking 33rd out of the state’s 38 congressional districts for turnout rate in 2024. In the last midterm election of 2022, only 36% of registered voters participated, with the figure dropping to a mere 8% in the Republican primary.
Candidates seeking to represent the district are therefore appealing to a diverse range of primary voters, including right-wing activists who have propelled hardline conservatives like Cain into office, a strong contingent of oil and gas business interests, and a multifaceted majority-Hispanic constituency that, while overlapping with some of these groups, is also trending away from the Republican Party, according to recent polling data.
Inside the Contest
Mealer has significantly outpaced Cain in fundraising this election cycle, raising over $600,000 and maintaining a campaign war chest more than double Cain’s. The race has also witnessed substantial outside spending, predominantly benefiting Mealer. The Veterans Duty Fund, a super PAC, has invested nearly $900,000 in advertising that emphasizes Mealer’s military service, while Win It Back PAC, aligned with Club for Growth, has spent close to $300,000 on anti-Cain mailers and an additional $105,000 on media advertisements.
Cain, an attorney by profession, has raised approximately $190,000 through a joint fundraising committee linked to his leadership PAC, most of which has already been expended.
Mealer has criticized Cain for accepting campaign contributions from the developer of Colony Ridge, a controversial development in Liberty County that has faced scrutiny from Republicans for selling land to undocumented immigrants.
In contrast, Cain has highlighted his deep-rooted connections to the district, emphasizing his upbringing there and the fact that his parents worked in the local refineries. Mealer, originally from California, moved to Texas in 2012.
Cain has also pointed to his legislative record on economic and social issues, pledging to uphold conservative principles in Washington. At the Pasadena forum, he outlined his top priorities if elected, which include codifying Trump’s executive orders on immigration — asserting that “we’ve got to clean up our immigration system and deport every illegal immigrant here in this country” — and making housing more affordable by dismantling regulations he claims inflate housing costs.
Mealer indicated her intention to urge Congress to reclaim its budgetary authority to control deficit spending while simultaneously securing increased funding for law enforcement and enhancing Houston’s infrastructure, such as improving the depth of the port and roadway capacity.
Currently, none of the nine members of Congress representing Harris County serve on the influential House Appropriations Committee.
While the White House and House Republican leadership have participated in several Texas House primaries this election cycle, they have yet to take a stand in the 9th District. With nine candidates on the Republican ballot for the March 3 primary, the contest is likely to lead to a runoff in May between the top two candidates unless one can secure over 50% of the vote.
Although the Republican primary is anticipated to be the determining factor for the 9th District, Democrats, encouraged by their recent victory in a state Senate special election in Tarrant County fueled by significant shifts in Hispanic precincts, believe they still have a viable chance. If the new district had been in place in 2024, Senator Ted Cruz would have won by 11 points, while he narrowly lost to former Representative Beto O’Rourke by 1 point in 2018.
Democrats are fielding a competitive lineup, featuring retired astronaut Terry Virts, community organizer Leticia Gutierrez, and public health advocate Earnest Clayton.
“I think it is ripe for the picking for Democrats this cycle,” stated Kendall Scudder, chair of the Texas Democratic Party. “We are leaving no
