The Winner

If you live in Austin’s 37th Congressional District, Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) will be your representative in Congress starting in January. Casar defeated Republican Lauren Peña to win the redrawn Austin seat after the Associated Press called the race on Tuesday, Nov. 3, KUT News reported. ​

With every precinct reporting, Casar won about 84% of the vote to Peña’s 16%, according to KVUE’s results. That’s a margin of about 68 points. The results stay unofficial until Texas certifies them.

The Race

Casar now represents the 35th District, but the congressional map Texas lawmakers passed in 2025 moved Austin out of it. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), who has held the 37th since 2023, chose not to run under the new lines. The redrawn district sits entirely within Travis County, according to the Texas Legislative Council’s report on the enacted map.

Casar won the Democratic primary on Tuesday, March 3, with about 81% of the vote over Esther Fleharty. Lauren Peña is a paralegal, a mother of six and a first-time candidate who has lived in public housing since 2020. She won the Republican nomination in a May 26 runoff, taking about 58% of the vote against Ge’Nell Gary, Community Impact reported.

Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Democratic. About 774,000 people live in the district, where the median age is about 35 and the typical household earns about $96,100 a year. About 63% of adults hold at least a bachelor’s degree, the unemployment rate is about 4.4% and about 11% of residents live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

Casar’s term in the 37th begins Jan. 3, 2027, when Democrats take control of both the House and Senate. Casar chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He said Democrats will be in a stronger negotiating position in January and shouldn’t give the outgoing Republican majority much more say during the lame duck session, POLITICO reported on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Peña thanked voters in a statement and said she plans to run for Texas Senate District 14, according to KUT News. That seat is held by state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin), who was just elected Texas comptroller.

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