Ronny Jackson
Ronny Jackson, a Republican physician who served as physician to the president from 2013 to 2018 and has represented Texas's 13th congressional district since 2021, faces Democrat Mark Nair in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Ronny Jackson.
- Born
- May 4, 1967
- Birthplace
- Levelland, Texas
- Education
- South Plains College (Associate of Science, 1988)
Texas A&M University at Galveston (Bachelor of Science in marine biology, 1991)
University of Texas Medical Branch (Doctor of Medicine, 1995)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Ronny Jackson was born on May 4, 1967, to Waymon and Norma Jackson and was raised in Levelland, Texas. He earned an Associate of Science from South Plains College in 1988 and a Bachelor of Science in marine biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston in 1991. Jackson then attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch, receiving his Doctor of Medicine in 1995.
Career
After medical school Ronny Jackson became a Navy officer, completing the Undersea Medical Officer Program in 1996 and a residency in emergency medicine from 2001 to 2004 before deploying to Iraq in 2005.
He joined the White House Medical Unit in June 2006, became its director in May 2010 and served as physician to the president from 2013 to 2018 under Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
In March 2018 Trump announced plans to nominate Jackson as secretary of veterans affairs, and Jackson withdrew the following month amid allegations of misconduct and mismanagement.
Trump appointed him assistant to the president and chief medical advisor in February 2019, and Jackson retired from the Navy as a rear admiral (lower half) on December 1, 2019.
Following a Defense Department inspector general investigation, the Navy demoted him to captain in July 2022, and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan reversed the demotion on June 13, 2025.
Jackson entered electoral politics in 2020, when the 13th district came open after 13-term Republican incumbent Mac Thornberry announced he would leave Congress. Jackson finished second in the Republican primary and defeated Josh Winegarner in the July 14 runoff by 55.58% to 44.42%. He then won the general election with 79.4% of the vote against Democrat Gus Trujillo.
2026 race
Ronny Jackson is seeking reelection in Texas's 13th congressional district, which covers most of the Texas Panhandle and the western part of the Texoma region, including Amarillo, Wichita Falls and Denton. He was re-elected unopposed in 2024.
In the 2026 Republican primary he defeated business owner Chasity Wedgeworth with 89.5% of the vote. His Democratic opponent in the general election on November 3, 2026, is Mark Nair, a former Amarillo city councilor who was the only candidate in the Democratic primary.