U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill won reelection in Texas’ 26th Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Democrat Steven Shook with 54.5% of the vote to Shook’s 44.2%, according to unofficial results reported by the Denton Record-Chronicle.
Libertarian Phil Gray received about 1.3%.
The victory sends the Flower Mound Republican back to Washington for a second term, although by a smaller margin than in 2024.
A narrower victory
Gill received 62.07% in 2024, compared with Democrat Ernest R. Lineberger III’s 35.67% and Gray’s 2.26%, according to BallotWire’s results.
His advantage over the Democratic nominee narrowed from about 26.4 percentage points in 2024 to 10.3 points this year.
The comparison comes with important differences. Texas used new congressional boundaries for the 2026 election, according to the Texas Legislative Council. Gill also faced a different Democratic opponent in a midterm election rather than a presidential election.
Gill first won election in 2024 and took office Jan. 3, 2025. He serves on the House Judiciary Committee and was elected president of the House Republican freshman class for the 119th Congress, according to the House historian.
Shook is a critical care nurse practitioner who has worked in health care since 2009, the Record-Chronicle reported. Gray is a business owner and property manager.
Denton County’s split results
Gill’s victory came as Denton County voters favored Democrats in two major statewide races.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa received 50.29% of the county’s vote for governor, while Democrat James Talarico received 53.32% in the U.S. Senate contest, according to the Cross Timbers Gazette.
In the Denton County portion of the congressional race, Gill received 169,312 votes, or 53.27%, to Shook’s 144,439 votes, or 45.44%. Gray received 4,088 votes, or 1.29%.
Those county totals differ from the districtwide results, which include voters outside Denton County.
The results remain unofficial pending certification.
