The Winner
If you live in Texas's 5th U.S. House District, you will continue to be represented in Congress by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), who has been declared the winner of the 2026 congressional race, according to the Associated Press.
Gooden took about 51.5% of the vote to about 48.5% for Democrat Chelsey Hockett, a margin of about 3 points or about 7,423 votes, according to unofficial results from the Texas Secretary of State's Elections Division as of Nov. 10.
The winner is based on the Associated Press call, and the vote figures are preliminary until the state certifies them. The seat stays in Republican hands.
The Race
Hockett, the Democratic nominee, reached the general election ballot by winning the party's May 26 primary runoff. Cook Political Report rated the seat Solid Republican before the election.
The district has a population of about 806,900 residents, according to geographic data for the district. Median household income is about $78,600, the median age is about 37, about 24.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher; the unemployment rate is about 5%, and about 11.4% of residents live below the poverty line. The population is about 51.6% white, 30.8% Hispanic, 14.9% Black, and 4.5% Asian.
The district covers Anderson, Cherokee, Henderson, Kaufman, and Van Zandt counties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
What's Next
Gooden, whose hometown is Terrell, Texas, according to the U.S. House Clerk, is set to take office on Jan. 3, 2027. He has backed legislation to set up a Justice Department initiative to counter Chinese espionage and intellectual-property theft, saying it would defend American businesses, according to Congressman Lance Gooden's office, which reported the bill's committee advancement and quoted him in March 2026.
The vote totals remain unofficial, so the counts could change before the state certifies them.
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