U.S. House race · November 3, 2026
U.S. Representative, Texas District 34
Represents the district in the U.S. House of Representatives, which writes federal laws, approves the federal budget and taxes, and oversees the executive branch.
2-year term. Under the 2026 map (enacted in 2025), the district runs from Brownsville north along the Gulf Coast to most of Corpus Christi, covering all of Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy and Kleberg counties and most of Nueces County. Four candidates are on the general-election ballot: Democratic incumbent Vicente Gonzalez, Republican Eric Flores, Libertarian Chris Royal and Green Party nominee Eddie Espinoza.
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by last name.
Eddie Espinoza
Retired teacher and climate activistEddie Espinoza is a Gulf War Army veteran and retired Rio Grande Valley public school teacher who was the Green Party's 2024 nominee for Texas Railroad Commission. His campaign focuses on Medicare for All, renewable energy and climate change, refusing PAC money, and conditioning military aid to Israel.
Eric Flores
Attorney; former Assistant U.S. AttorneyEric Flores is a Rio Grande Valley attorney, former federal prosecutor and former Texas Army National Guard infantry captain making his first run for Congress. His campaign focuses on lowering the cost of living, border security and law enforcement, infrastructure and water, veterans and seniors' benefits.
Vicente Gonzalez
U.S. Representative, Texas District 34 (since 2023)Vicente Gonzalez is a McAllen attorney who has served in Congress since 2017, first for the 15th District and since 2023 for the 34th, and is a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition. His campaign highlights affordability, health care, seniors' and veterans' benefits, and federal funding for South Texas.
Chris Royal
RetiredChris Royal is a retiree who ran for the 34th District as an independent in 2020 and 2022 and is the Libertarian nominee this year. His campaign centers on limiting the federal government to its constitutional roles and requiring a balanced federal budget.
Compare on the issues
Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.
| Issue | Eddie Espinoza Green | Eric Flores Republican | Vicente Gonzalez Democratic | Chris Royal Libertarian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy & Jobs | No public position found yet | Opposes federal spending he says fuels inflation, supports cutting regulations on families and small businesses, and backs affordable housing and small-business tax relief. | Supports policies to ease the cost of groceries, housing, energy and transportation, and backs small businesses, job creation and workforce training. | Proposes requiring a balanced federal budget every year, as Texas does, which he says would end inflation. |
| Elections & Democracy | Rejects support from all PACs and supports overturning Citizens United. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Supports limiting the federal government to national defense, the postal service, regulating interstate commerce and passing laws. |
| Health Care | Supports Medicare for All with no co-pays or premiums, covering vision, hearing aids, dental care and prescriptions. | No public position found yet | Supports affordable care in urban and rural areas, including prevention, mental health and long-term care; voted against the 2025 reconciliation law (H.R. 1). | No public position found yet |
| Immigration | No public position found yet | Lists securing the border and supporting law enforcement among his top priorities. | Voted for the January 2026 Homeland Security funding bill (H.R. 7147) and said the vote "was not to fund ICE" but to fund agencies serving South Texas. | No public position found yet |
| Abortion | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Voted for the 2021 Women's Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755), which would have protected abortion access nationwide; his campaign says it supports women's access to health care. | No public position found yet |
| Education | Supports free college and trade schools, canceling student debt and ending federal standardized testing mandates for K-12 students. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Energy & Environment | Supports investment in solar, wind and utility-scale batteries; would ban LNG exports and fracking and require the oil and gas industry to clean up flaring, produced water and abandoned wells. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Foreign Policy | Calls for "an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Palestine," an arms embargo and conditions on military aid to Israel, and cutting military spending in half to fund domestic needs. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Guns | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Voted against the 2022 House bill to ban assault weapons (H.R. 1808). | No public position found yet |
| Infrastructure | No public position found yet | Would seek federal money for roads, bridges, ports and rural broadband, advocate for the ports of Corpus Christi and Brownsville, and push for federal investment and long-term planning for water supplies. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Social Security & Medicare | No public position found yet | Opposes cuts to earned benefits, wants them to keep pace with living costs and supports access to affordable prescription drugs. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Taxes | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Criticizes the volume of federal rules and regulations, citing his experience preparing his own taxes. |
| Veterans | No public position found yet | Would work to reduce VA wait times, fully fund benefits and disability claims, and expand mental health and suicide prevention services. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |