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Texas's 26th congressional district

Texas's 26th congressional district
Texas' 26th congressional district - since January 3, 2023.
Representative	Michael C. Burgess R–Pilot Point
Distribution	93.4% urban[1] 6.6% rural
Population (2022)	835,578[2]
Median household income	$105,363[3]
Ethnicity	56.6% White 19.2% Hispanic 9.8% Asian 8.9% Black 4.6% Two or more races 0.9% other
Cook PVI	R+13[4]

Texas' 26th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes rural Cooke County to the north and some of Wise County to the West and includes parts of Denton County, including Flower Mound, Lewisville and parts of Corinth, Carrollton, Little Elm and The Colony.^[5] The current Representative is Michael C. Burgess. The district is best known as the seat of former House Majority Leader Dick Armey.

History[edit]

The district was created as a result of the redistricting cycle after the 1980 census, due to the population growth in Texas and Denton County, specifically in its southern sector. Since its creation, the district has been based in Denton County, one of Texas' fastest-growing counties.

Democrat Tom Vandergriff was the first person to represent the district, winning in 1982. Vandergriff narrowly lost to Republican Dick Armey in 1984, and the seat has continuously been held by Republicans ever since. Indeed, since Vandergriff's defeat in 1984, no Democrat has crossed the 40 percent mark. As Denton County has become overwhelmingly Republican in recent years (all but one county officeholder is Republican, as are all members of the Texas Legislature representing the county), the 26th district is considered a "safe seat" for the GOP.

Since the 2010 redistricting, the 26th district has included most of Denton County (except the southeast portion) and a portion of north central Tarrant County.

However, the district has been trending Democratic in recent years. Donald Trump carried it by 14 points in 2020, while Mitt Romney had carried it by 37 in 2012.

After the 2020 census, rapid growth resulted in significant changes in the composition of the district. For the first time since the district's creation, the City of Denton, the county seat of Denton County, will not be a part of the district. It was instead shifted to the Panhandle-based 13th district. The 26th also lost its small share of Frisco. To make up for the loss of population, portions of Wise County and all of Cooke County will become part of the district. Lewisville will become the largest city in the district.

Denton had become increasingly friendly to Democrats in recent years, and voting trends suggested that under the previous map, the 26th could have potentially become competitive. The redrawn 26th, on the other hand, is considered slightly more Republican than its predecessor.^[6]

Election results from presidential races[edit]

List of members representing the district[edit]

Representative	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
District established January 3, 1983
Tom Vandergriff (Arlington)	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1985	98th	Elected in 1982. Lost re-election.	1983–1985 [data missing]
Dick Armey (Irving)	Republican	January 3, 1985 – January 3, 2003	99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th	Elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Retired.	1985–1993 [data missing]
					1993–1997 Parts of Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant
					1997–2003 Parts of Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant
Michael C. Burgess (Pilot Point)	Republican	January 3, 2003 – present	108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Retiring at end of term.	2003–2005 Denton; parts of Collin and Tarrant
					2005–2013 Parts of Cooke, Denton, and Tarrant
					2013–2023 Parts of Denton and Tarrant[7]
					2023–present Cooke; parts of Denton, Tarrant, and Wise[8]

Recent election results[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2020)

2004 election[edit]

2006 election[edit]

2008 election[edit]

2010 election[edit]

2016 election[edit]

2018 election[edit]

2020 election[edit]

2022 election[edit]

Historical district boundaries[edit]

See also[edit]

• List of United States congressional districts

References[edit]

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

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