Texas’ newly redrawn 9th Congressional District has elected Alex Mealer, a former Harris County judge nominee and U.S. Army veteran endorsed by Donald Trump, to victory over state Representative Briscoe Cain in the Republican runoff on Tuesday, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.
The contest narrowed to a two-person race after no candidate secured 50% of the vote in March’s primary. Mealer entered the runoff with Trump’s endorsement while Cain received support from Governor Greg Abbott and much of the Texas GOP establishment.
The Houston-area district was redrawn by Republicans to become more conservative and is now considered a strong Republican stronghold, having previously been represented by Democrat Al Green. Under the new map, Republicans view the district as likely to remain in their column for November’s general election.
Both Mealer and Cain heavily emphasized immigration, border security, and energy issues during the campaign, positioning themselves as the more effective conservative candidates heading into the general election.
The runoff result sets up Mealer as the Republican nominee in a district expected to be among the party’s safer pickups under the new map.
