Texas general election: November 3, 2026
Who is running for U.S. House, Texas District 17 in 2026?
Here are the candidates for U.S. House, Texas District 17 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in U.S. House District 17.
Positions come only from each candidate's own votes, official actions, statements and questionnaire answers, never from party labels. Every item links to its source.
Side by side
Each candidate's position on the issues this office handles, from their own record. Details and sources are in each profile below.
| Issue | Pete SessionsRepublican | Casey ShepardDemocrat |
|---|---|---|
| Income taxes | Cut taxes across the board, including for top earners and corporationsVoted · medium | No public position |
| Safety net programs | Keep them, but add work requirements for able-bodied adultsVoted · medium | Expand help for childcare, housing and paid family leaveSaid · medium |
| Business regulation | Cut red tape, but keep core safety and environmental rulesSaid · medium | No public position |
| Healthcare | Mostly private market; roll back the government's roleSaid · medium | Keep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenQuestionnaire answer · medium |
| Abortion | Illegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestSaid · low | Legal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)Questionnaire answer · low |
| Immigration | Secure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadySaid · high | No single answer fits; see evidence |
| Energy and climate | All of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets pickSaid · medium | No single answer fits; see evidence |
| Politicians trading stocks | No, ban it for members and their spousesVoted · medium | No public position |
| Marijuana | Keep it illegalOfficial action · medium | No public position |
| Term limits | Yes, strict limits, such as three House terms and two Senate termsSaid · medium | No public position |
| Mandatory minimums | Add or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl traffickingVoted · high | No public position |
| Student loans | Cap borrowing, simplify repayment, and skip broad forgivenessVoted · high | No public position |
| E-Verify mandate | Require it for all employersVoted · medium | No public position |
| Transgender athletes | No, and Congress should set a biological sex rule nationwideVoted · high | No public position |
| Aid to Israel | Keep full aid without new conditionsVoted · high | No public position |
Pete Sessions
Republican · IncumbentU.S. Representative, Texas District 17
Pete Sessions, a Waco native, was first elected to Congress in 1996 and now represents Texas's 17th District, where he chairs the Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations and serves on Financial Services10. He chaired the House Rules Committee from 2013 to 2019 and the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2009 through 201210. Before Congress he worked 16 years for Southwestern Bell10.
Where they stand
- Marijuana: Keep it illegal Official action · medium confidence
- Healthcare: Mostly private market; roll back the government's role
Said · medium confidence
- Voted for the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, which expanded association health plans and required drug middleman (PBM) price transparency. (2025-12-17) source
- Voted against restoring the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits for three years. (2026-01-08) source
- His House website says greater federal involvement in health care has failed and calls for patient-centered, market-based solutions. (2026) source
- Sponsored the Health Care Equality and Modernization Act of 2022, which would repeal the requirement that large employers offer affordable coverage, and the Healthcare Fairness for ALL Act, which would create universal health insurance tax credits and reformed health savings accounts. (2023) source
- Energy and climate: All of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets pick
Said · medium confidence
- Voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, which used tax credits and incentives to speed a shift to cleaner energy. (2022-08-12) source
- Voted for the Lower Energy Costs Act, which expanded oil, gas and mineral production and sped up permits for energy projects. (2023-03-30) source
- His House website says the U.S. should use domestic resources to become energy independent while supporting private investment in alternative fuels. (2026) source
- Sponsored the POWER Act of 2023, which would require congressional approval before federal agencies block or substantially delay new oil, gas, coal or mineral leases on federal lands. (2023) source
- Business regulation: Cut red tape, but keep core safety and environmental rules
Said · medium confidence
- His House website says free markets should have as few regulations as possible while still protecting consumers and investors. (2026) source
- Introduced the RED TAPE Act (H.R. 572), which would bar federal agencies from relying on non-monetized factors in regulatory cost-benefit analyses. (2025-01-21) source
- Immigration: Secure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steady
Said · high confidence
- Voted against the American Dream and Promise Act, which offered a path to citizenship for Dreamers. (2021-03-18) source
- Voted against the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which offered legal status to long-time farmworkers. (2021-03-18) source
- Voted for the Secure the Border Act, which funded border wall construction, tightened asylum rules and required E-Verify. (2023-05-11) source
- Voted for the Secure America Act, which provides about $70 billion for immigration enforcement and border security through 2029. (2026-06-09) source
- His campaign website says he wholeheartedly supports building the border wall and will push to reform immigration policies. (2026) source
- His 2018 campaign website said he adamantly opposes blanket amnesty and that reform must first secure the border, strengthen interior enforcement and deport criminal aliens. (2018) source
- Term limits: Yes, strict limits, such as three House terms and two Senate terms
Said · medium confidence
- U.S. Term Limits lists him as a signer of its pledge to cosponsor and vote for a constitutional amendment limiting House members to three terms and senators to two terms. (2026-07) source
- The pledge text commits signers to a limit of three two-year House terms and two six-year Senate terms. (2024) source
- China policy: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Official action · medium confidence
- Joined in reintroducing the FARM Act to add agriculture oversight to federal reviews of foreign investment, and said Chinese Communist Party-backed ownership of U.S. farmland poses a national security risk. (2025-01-22) source
- Abortion: Illegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incest
Said · low confidence
- Voted against the Women's Health Protection Act, which would protect abortion access nationwide before viability. (2021-09-24) source
- Voted against the Women's Health Protection Act of 2022, which would protect abortion access nationwide before viability. (2022-07-15) source
- His campaign website describes him as a pro-life conservative. (2026) source
- Was an original cosponsor of, and voted for, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 26). (2023-01) source
- Redistricting: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Voted · low confidence
- Voted against the For the People Act, which would require independent redistricting commissions. (2021-03-03) source
- Campaign finance: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Voted · low confidence
- Voted against the For the People Act, which created public matching funds for campaigns and stricter donor disclosure. (2021-03-03) source
- Qualified immunity: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Voted · low confidence
- Voted against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would end qualified immunity for police officers. (2021-03-03) source
- Safety net programs: Keep them, but add work requirements for able-bodied adults Voted · medium confidence
- Childcare and pre-K: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Voted · low confidence
- Voted against the Build Back Better Act, which funded free universal pre-K and expanded childcare aid. (2021-11-19) source
- Paid leave: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Voted · low confidence
- Voted against the Build Back Better Act, which created a national paid family and medical leave program. (2021-11-19) source
- Drug prices: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Voted · low confidence
- Voted against the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which would cap insulin costs at $35 a month. (2022-03-31) source
- Aid to Ukraine: No single answer fits; see the evidence below. Voted · medium confidence
- Guns: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Voted · low confidence
- Voted against the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022. (2022-07-29) source
- Income taxes: Cut taxes across the board, including for top earners and corporations
Voted · medium confidence
- Voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, which set a 15% minimum tax on large corporations to help pay for energy and health programs. (2022-08-12) source
- Voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made the 2017 individual tax cuts permanent, including the 37% top rate, and extended business tax breaks. (2025-07-03) source
- Transgender athletes: No, and Congress should set a biological sex rule nationwide
Voted · high confidence
- Voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, a federal rule basing girls' and women's school sports eligibility on sex at birth. (2023-04-20) source
- Voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, a federal rule basing girls' and women's school sports eligibility on sex at birth. (2025-01-14) source
- E-Verify mandate: Require it for all employers
Voted · medium confidence
- Voted for the Secure the Border Act, which would require all employers to use E-Verify. (2023-05-11) source
- Mandatory minimums: Add or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl trafficking
Voted · high confidence
- Voted for the HALT Fentanyl Act, which permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I and applies mandatory minimum sentences to trafficking them. (2023-05-25) source
- Voted for the HALT Fentanyl Act, which permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I and applies mandatory minimum sentences to trafficking them. (2025-06-12) source
- Student loans: Cap borrowing, simplify repayment, and skip broad forgiveness Voted · high confidence
- Aid to Israel: Keep full aid without new conditions Voted · high confidence
- Politicians trading stocks: No, ban it for members and their spouses
Voted · medium confidence
- Voted for the Stop Insider Trading Act, which bars members of Congress, their spouses and dependents from buying new individual stocks. (2026-07-22) source
No public position found on: National debt, Social Security, Minimum wage, Trade and tariffs, Foreign policy, Judges, Electoral College, Supreme Court reform, Death penalty, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, Birthright citizenship, DEI programs, Religion in schools.
Casey Shepard
DemocratPrivate citizen
Casey Shepard is a Waco attorney who has practiced law in Central Texas since 2011, focusing on criminal defense for indigent clients3. A Midway High School graduate, he earned degrees from Loyola Marymount University and the UC Davis School of Law1. He won the Democratic nomination for the 17th District in a May 26, 2026 runoff1.
Where they stand
- Safety net programs: Expand help for childcare, housing and paid family leave
Said · medium confidence
- His campaign website calls for protecting and expanding food programs, fully funding SNAP and school meals, and fully funding rental assistance. (2026) source
- Told Ballotpedia he would work to strengthen SNAP, WIC, Medicaid and CHIP and restore Section 8, public housing and HUD low-income housing programs. (2026-02-02) source
- Healthcare: Keep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is broken Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
- Trade and tariffs: No single answer fits; see the evidence below. Said · medium confidence
- Immigration: No single answer fits; see the evidence below. Said · medium confidence
- Energy and climate: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
- Told Ballotpedia he supports a renewable energy economy and climate change action. (2026-02-02) source
- Abortion: Legal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)
Questionnaire answer · low confidence
- Listed bodily autonomy among the Democratic priorities he would support. (2026-02-02) source
- DEI programs: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
- Listed racial justice and DEI among the Democratic priorities he would support. (2026-02-02) source
No public position found on: Income taxes, National debt, Social Security, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Guns, Foreign policy, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Supreme Court reform, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, Birthright citizenship, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, Religion in schools, Aid to Israel, Aid to Ukraine, China policy.
Last reviewed 2026-09-27. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.