Who's In the Race
GOP Candidate Lauren Peña criticized Democrat Greg Casar's positions on higher education funding, immigration enforcement and AI regulation, and said Austin Democrats had not adequately addressed her public-housing concerns according to Pena's interview with The Daily Texan.
The two are the major-party nominees in Texas's 37th U.S. House District, an open seat headed to a November 3 general election.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett announced his retirement last year, citing the redistricting map as a primary reason. Greg Casar is a Democrat who has represented Texas's 35th Congressional District since January 2023 and chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus; before Congress, he served seven years on the Austin City Council. Casar won the Democratic primary with about 81% of the vote over Esther Fleharty. Lauren Peña, a Republican, is a longtime Austin resident, a mother of six and a survivor of human trafficking who has worked as a policy advisor and legal advocate. Lauren Peña won the Republican runoff on May 26 with 58.2% of the vote.
What They Stand For
On his campaign website, Casar has said working families deserve "good jobs, Medicare for All, and affordable education," and has supported making Roe v. Wade the law of the land to restore abortion rights nationwide. He has supported legalizing marijuana, expunging records and directing new funding to mental health and substance-use services. On guns, he has supported universal background checks, safe-storage rules, an assault-weapons ban and an end to permitless carry. He has also supported voting-rights legislation, automatic voter registration and ending partisan gerrymandering, according to his campaign website.
Peña's campaign website lists the SAFE NIGHTS Act, aimed at combating human trafficking, as her first legislative priority, and she has called for passing the SAFE NIGHTS and SODA Acts, increasing survivor services and strengthening penalties for traffickers. She has supported auditing federal agencies, exposing waste and prosecuting officials who misuse taxpayer funds. On energy, she has supported cutting federal regulations on energy production, expanding liquefied natural gas exports and backing nuclear energy. She has supported school choice and education savings accounts, parental rights in medical decisions, and homeschooling and private-school options, and has opposed federal vaccine mandates while supporting concealed-carry reciprocity and nationwide constitutional carry, according to her campaign website.
The Money Behind the Race
Federal Election Commission filings show Casar raised about $1.2 million through June 30 and had about $597,000 in the bank, carrying about $10,000 in debt.
As of Oct. 8, outside spending in the race totaled $37.5 million, all of it in support of Democrat Greg Casar and spent by The People United PAC.
Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets
The Cook Political Report rated the race "Solid Democratic" as of Sept. 25; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it "Solid Democratic" as of Sept. 29; and Inside Elections rated it "Solid Democratic" as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is Casar, a 97.33% chance of winning as of Oct. 8.
The district has voted heavily Democratic in recent cycles: Lloyd Doggett won it with about 77% in 2022 and about 74% in 2024. Statewide, Republicans held 25 of Texas's 38 U.S. House seats after both the 2022 and 2024 elections, with Democrats holding 13. Donald Trump carried Texas in the 2024 presidential election with about 56% of the vote.
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