US Midterms 2026
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Lance Gooden, a Republican who has represented Texas's 5th congressional district since 2019, is seeking reelection in 2026 against Democrat Chelsey Hockett, a stay-at-home mom who won a primary runoff.
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Lance Gooden (R) is the Republican candidate for Texas’s 5th Congressional District (TX-05) in the U.S. House. He faces Democratic challenger Chelsey Hockett (D) in the election.
SelfThe article from Armenian Directory & News reports that the ANCA (American n) endorses Congressional allies and grades members of Congress on their pro-Armenian stance.
A Trump administration investment of $78 million is planned to bolster rural healthcare in Texas, including workforce expansion, facility upgrades, and improved equipment to bring better care closer to home. Rep.
SelfThe article reports that the Trump administration announced $78 million in aid for Texas, highlighting statements from Rep. Jake Ellzey (TX-06) emphasizing benefits to rural Texas communities.
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Lance Gooden was born on December 1, 1982. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, he was raised in Terrell, a Kaufman County suburb east of Dallas. Gooden attended the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in government in 2001 at the age of 19 and a BBA in finance in 2004 at the age of 22.
Lance Gooden had once been a legislative assistant to state representative Betty Brown, and in the 2010 Republican primary he unseated the six-term incumbent with 50.5% of the vote.
He represented the 4th district in the Texas House of Representatives, covering Henderson and Kaufman counties, from 2011 to 2015, serving on the Appropriations, County Affairs and House Administration committees.
After losing the 2014 primary to Stuart Spitzer, Gooden defeated Spitzer in the March 1, 2016, primary with 51.8% of the vote and returned to the State House in January 2017 for a non-consecutive third term.
In 2018 Gooden won the Republican nomination and the general election for the 5th congressional district, receiving 62.7% of the vote, and he was reelected in 2020 with 62%. In the 119th Congress he sits on the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on the Judiciary. He co-chairs the Congressional Brazil Caucus, belongs to the Republican Study Committee and is a founding member of the Congressional ASHRAF Protection and Rights Advocacy Caucus.
Lance Gooden is seeking reelection in Texas's 5th congressional district, which covers the southeastern parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including Mesquite, Terrell, Palestine, Athens and Kaufman, along with the Lakewood and Lake Highlands portions of Dallas.
He was re-elected with 64.1% of the vote in 2024. In the 2026 Republican primary he was the only candidate on the results list, receiving 50,424 votes, after teacher Travis Edwards was disqualified.
His Democratic opponent on November 3, 2026, is Chelsey Hockett, a stay-at-home mom who defeated HR consultant Ruth Torres in a primary runoff with 53.0% of the vote.
