Who is running for U.S. House, Texas District 26 in 2026?
Here are the candidates for U.S. House, Texas District 26 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in U.S. House District 26.
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 | Brandon GillRepublican | Steven ShookDemocrat | Phil GrayLibertarian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income taxes | Cut taxes across the board, including for top earners and corporationsVoted · medium | Raise taxes on the highest earners and corporations to pay for programsQuestionnaire answer · high | No public position |
| Social Security | No public position | Raise the payroll tax cap so high earners pay more; no benefit cutsSaid · medium | No public position |
| Safety net programs | Keep them, but add work requirements for able-bodied adultsVoted · medium | No public position | No public position |
| Healthcare | Private insurance with more competition and price transparency, keeping protections for pre-existing conditionsVoted · medium | Government-run coverage for everyone (Medicare for All)Questionnaire answer · high | Private insurance with more competition and price transparency, keeping protections for pre-existing conditionsSaid · medium |
| Abortion | Illegal in all casesOfficial action · medium | No public position | Legal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)Said · low |
| Guns | Remove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightSaid · medium | Add universal background checks and red-flag lawsSaid · high | No public position |
| Immigration | Deport everyone here illegally, as quickly as possibleSaid · medium | A path to citizenship for most, and more legal immigrationQuestionnaire answer · medium | Much more open immigration with less enforcementSaid · medium |
| Foreign policy | No public position | No public position | Pull back from foreign conflicts and aid (often called America First)Said · low |
| Energy and climate | Maximize oil and gas; climate rules hurt the economySaid · medium | An aggressive shift to clean energy with firm deadlinesQuestionnaire answer · medium | No public position |
| Politicians trading stocks | No, ban it for members and their spousesVoted · medium | No public position | No public position |
| Marijuana | No public position | No public position | Decriminalize small amounts (fines, not jail)Said · low |
| Mandatory minimums | Add or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl traffickingVoted · medium | No public position | No public position |
| Drug prices | No public position | Negotiate more drugs and extend the insulin and yearly cost caps to private insuranceSaid · high | No public position |
| Birthright citizenship | No, end it for children of parents here illegally or temporarilySaid · high | No public position | No public position |
| E-Verify mandate | Require it for all employersSaid · medium | No public position | No public position |
| Transgender athletes | No, and Congress should set a biological sex rule nationwideVoted · medium | No public position | No public position |
| DEI programs | Ban them and cut federal funds to schools and contractors that keep themOfficial action · medium | No public position | No public position |
| China policy | Get tougher: broad tariffs, land purchase bans like Texas SB 17, and forced app salesOfficial action · low | No public position | No public position |
Brandon Gill
Republican · IncumbentU.S. Representative, Texas District 26
Brandon Gill was elected to Congress in 2024 and serves on the House Judiciary, Budget and Oversight committees1. Before Congress he worked as an investment banker and hedge fund analyst and founded the DC Enquirer, a conservative news outlet1.
Where they stand
- Immigration: Deport everyone here illegally, as quickly as possible
Said · medium confidence
- Voted for the Secure America Act, which provides about $70 billion for immigration enforcement and border security through 2029. (2026-06-09) source
- Said in an interview with the Center for Immigration Studies that he wants 20 to 30 million illegal immigrants deported and opposes any amnesty. (2026-03-05) source
- Said in the same interview that legal immigration should be cut to pretty close to zero. (2026-03-05) source
- Birthright citizenship: No, end it for children of parents here illegally or temporarily
Said · high confidence
- Introduced the Citizenship Act, which would treat unlawful entrants and birth tourists as invaders and exclude their children from birthright citizenship. (2026-07-22) source
- Said the Constitution was never intended to grant automatic citizenship to the children of those who entered unlawfully. (2026-07-22) source
- E-Verify mandate: Require it for all employers
Said · medium confidence
- Said E-Verify strikes at the core of employers hiring illegal immigrants to undercut wages, in a discussion of his mandatory E-Verify proposal. (2026-03-05) source
- Guns: Remove most restrictions; bearing arms is a right
Said · medium confidence
- His campaign website says the Second Amendment shall not be infringed and exists so Americans can protect themselves against an overreaching government. (2026) source
- Original cosponsor of the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38), which would let people who can legally carry concealed do so across state lines. (2025-01-03) source
- Cosponsored the Hearing Protection Act (H.R. 404), which would loosen federal rules on firearm silencers. (2025-03-11) source
- Energy and climate: Maximize oil and gas; climate rules hurt the economy
Said · medium confidence
- His campaign website calls for a Texas First energy approach, cutting red tape across the industry and drill, baby, drill. (2026) source
- Abortion: Illegal in all cases Official action · medium confidence
- DEI programs: Ban them and cut federal funds to schools and contractors that keep them
Official action · medium confidence
- As chairman of a House Oversight task force, said DEI policies at companies and universities are illegal race and sex discrimination and that Congress must bolster the Trump administration's actions to eliminate them. (2026-06-29) source
- Original cosponsor of the Dismantle DEI Act (H.R. 925), which would close federal DEI offices and bar federal contract, grant and cooperative agreement funds from being used for DEI offices, trainings and practices. (2025-02-04) source
- The bill text requires federal contracts, grants and cooperative agreements to bar DEI offices, chief diversity officers and DEI training. (2025-02-04) source
- China policy: Get tougher: broad tariffs, land purchase bans like Texas SB 17, and forced app sales Official action · low confidence
- Transgender athletes: No, and Congress should set a biological sex rule nationwide
Voted · medium 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. (2025-01-14) source
- Mandatory minimums: Add or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl trafficking
Voted · medium confidence
- 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
- Income taxes: Cut taxes across the board, including for top earners and corporations
Voted · medium confidence
- 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
- Safety net programs: Keep them, but add work requirements for able-bodied adults
Voted · medium confidence
- Voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which added work requirements for able-bodied adults on Medicaid and expanded SNAP work requirements. (2025-07-03) source
- Healthcare: Private insurance with more competition and price transparency, keeping protections for pre-existing conditions Voted · medium confidence
- Aid to Ukraine: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Voted · low confidence
- Voted against the Ukraine Support Act, which provides military aid to Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia. (2026-06-04) source
- 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, Business regulation, Trade and tariffs, Foreign policy, Judges, Marijuana, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Supreme Court reform, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, Religion in schools, Aid to Israel.
Steven Shook
DemocratPrivate citizen
Steven Shook is a nurse practitioner from Haslet who has cared for critically ill patients since 200912. He holds degrees from Tarrant County College, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Arlington1. He won the March 2026 Democratic primary for the 26th District with 51.1% of the vote3.
Where they stand
- Healthcare: Government-run coverage for everyone (Medicare for All) Questionnaire answer · high confidence
- Drug prices: Negotiate more drugs and extend the insulin and yearly cost caps to private insurance
Said · high confidence
- His campaign website calls for expanding Medicare price negotiation to all insurance plans and capping out-of-pocket medication costs. (2026) source
- Income taxes: Raise taxes on the highest earners and corporations to pay for programs
Questionnaire answer · high confidence
- Said he supports major tax reform requiring billionaires and large corporations to pay a fairer share, including a minimum tax on large corporate profits, with revenue for Social Security, Medicare, healthcare and other programs. (2026-07-26) source
- His campaign website supports targeted tax relief for middle-class families. (2026) source
- Social Security: Raise the payroll tax cap so high earners pay more; no benefit cuts
Said · medium confidence
- His campaign website opposes cuts, privatization and raising the retirement age, and calls for strengthening solvency by requiring the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. (2026) source
- Guns: Add universal background checks and red-flag laws
Said · high confidence
- His campaign website calls for closing loopholes that allow gun sales without background checks and supports red flag laws. (2026) source
- Immigration: A path to citizenship for most, and more legal immigration
Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
- Said he supports demilitarizing the southern border, protecting the right to seek asylum and creating lawful pathways to citizenship, and opposes mass detention and indiscriminate deportation. (2026-07-26) source
- His campaign website calls for securing the border with smart, humane enforcement and fixing the system with lawful pathways and due process. (2026) source
- Energy and climate: An aggressive shift to clean energy with firm deadlines
Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
- Answered yes to a Green New Deal or similar plan and said he supports a large-scale federal climate plan that rapidly expands clean energy. (2026-07-26) source
- Aid to Israel: No single answer fits; see the evidence below.
Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
- Answered yes to ending U.S. military aid to countries with ongoing human rights abuses, including Israel and Egypt, and said assistance should be conditioned on compliance with law and suspended when used for abuses. (2026-07-26) source
No public position found on: National debt, Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Abortion, Trade and tariffs, Foreign policy, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Supreme Court reform, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, Birthright citizenship, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, Aid to Ukraine, China policy.
Phil Gray
LibertarianPrivate citizen
Phil Gray is a business owner and property manager who is the Libertarian nominee for Texas' 26th District1. He was the Libertarian nominee for the same seat in 2024, receiving 2.3% of the vote, and for the 30th District in 20221.
Where they stand
- Abortion: Legal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)
Said · low confidence
- His 2024 campaign website said it is not the government's place to decide on abortion and that the decision is best left to the mother and her doctor. (2024) source
- Immigration: Much more open immigration with less enforcement
Said · medium confidence
- His 2024 campaign website proposed letting undocumented immigrants live and work freely if they voluntarily pay 10% of earnings toward the national debt, with their tax return serving as a green card, and letting others gain entry by investing. (2024) source
- His 2022 campaign website said he personally wished the U.S. could have open borders but proposed paid entry and legal status because that could pass Congress. (2022) source
- Marijuana: Decriminalize small amounts (fines, not jail)
Said · low confidence
- His 2024 campaign website called the war on drugs a complete failure and proposed decriminalizing drug use. (2024) source
- Healthcare: Private insurance with more competition and price transparency, keeping protections for pre-existing conditions
Said · medium confidence
- His 2024 campaign website proposed letting groups negotiate insurance, requiring insurers and providers to post prices, and letting consumers choose among them. (2024) source
- Foreign policy: Pull back from foreign conflicts and aid (often called America First)
Said · low confidence
- His 2024 campaign website called for moving away from nation building and interfering in foreign politics and said much of national defense can be handled through free trade and diplomacy. (2024) source
No public position found on: Income taxes, National debt, Social Security, Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Guns, Trade and tariffs, Energy and climate, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, 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, DEI programs, 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.