John Carter
John Carter, a Republican who has represented Texas's 31st congressional district since 2003 and previously served as a Williamson County district judge, seeks re-election in 2026 against Democrat Justin Early.
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- Born
- November 6, 1941
- Birthplace
- Houston, Texas
- Education
- Texas Tech University (degree in history, 1964)
University of Texas School of Law (Juris Doctor, 1969)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
John Carter was born on November 6, 1941, in Houston and has spent most of his life in central Texas. He graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in history in 1964 and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1969.
Career
After law school, Carter served as the first general counsel to the Texas House of Representatives' Agriculture Committee and later opened a private law practice in Round Rock. In 1981 he was appointed judge of the 277th District Court of Williamson County, and a year later he won election to the post as the first Republican elected to a countywide position in the county, going on to be re-elected four times. In 1984 he presided over the trial of nurse Genene Jones.
Carter retired from the bench in 2001 to run for the newly created 31st district, finishing second in the Republican primary and then defeating Peter Wareing in the runoff. His smallest victory margin came in 2018, when he defeated Democrat MJ Hegar with 50.6% of the vote.
He sponsored the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act, which George W. Bush signed into law in 2004. On the Committee on Appropriations he chairs the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, and he serves as secretary of the House Republican Conference.
2026 race
John Carter is seeking re-election in the 31st district, which is anchored in the northern exurbs of Austin, including Georgetown and Burnet, and stretches north to Killeen, most of Temple and Fort Hood. He was re-elected there with 64.5% of the vote in 2024.
Carter is the Republican nominee after a primary field that also included financial strategist Valentina Gomez and pitchman Vince Offer. If he wins another term, he is set to become the dean of Texas's congressional delegation when Lloyd Doggett and John Cornyn leave office in 2027.
In the November 3, 2026, general election Carter faces Democrat Justin Early, who won the Democratic primary with 57.6% of the vote against Stuart Whitlow.