Texas' 17th Congressional District

Texas' 17th Congressional District

Incumbent

Pete Sessions

Assumed office: January 3, 2021

Texas' 17th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives is represented by Pete Sessions (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Texas representatives represented an average of 767,981 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 701,901 residents.

Elections

2024

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2024

Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 17

Incumbent Pete Sessions defeated Mark Lorenzen in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 17 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Sessions (R)	66.8	189,843
		Mark Lorenzen (D)	33.2	94,237

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 284,080
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Clyde Garland (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Mark Lorenzen advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Lorenzen	100.0	13,925

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,925
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Incumbent Pete Sessions defeated Joseph T. Langone in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Sessions	84.9	67,798
		Joseph T. Langone	15.1	12,052

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 79,850
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 17

Clyde Garland advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Clyde Garland (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2022

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 17

Incumbent Pete Sessions defeated Mary Jo Woods in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 17 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Sessions (R)	66.5	144,408
		Mary Jo Woods (D)	33.5	72,801

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 217,209
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jake Armstrong (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Mary Jo Woods advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Jo Woods	100.0	17,085

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,085
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Incumbent Pete Sessions defeated Jason Nelson, Paulette Carson, and Robert Rosenberger in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Sessions	69.9	48,222
		Jason Nelson	12.1	8,371
		Paulette Carson	10.5	7,246
		Robert Rosenberger	7.4	5,100

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 68,939
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Willie Blackmon (R)

2020

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 17

Pete Sessions defeated Rick Kennedy and Ted Brown in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 17 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Sessions (R)	55.9	171,390
		Rick Kennedy (D)	40.9	125,565
		Ted Brown (L)	3.2	9,918

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 306,873
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 17

Rick Kennedy defeated David Jaramillo in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 17 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rick Kennedy	57.3	13,496
		David Jaramillo	42.7	10,054

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,550 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 17

Pete Sessions defeated Renee Swann in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 17 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Sessions	53.5	18,524
		Renee Swann	46.5	16,096

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,620 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Rick Kennedy and David Jaramillo advanced to a runoff. They defeated William Foster III in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rick Kennedy	47.9	22,148
✔		David Jaramillo	35.0	16,170
		William Foster III	17.1	7,887

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 46,205
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Sessions	31.6	21,667
✔		Renee Swann	19.0	13,047
		George Hindman	18.1	12,405
		Elianor Vessali	9.2	6,283
		Scott Bland	7.2	4,947
		Trent Sutton	5.2	3,593
		Todd Kent	3.5	2,367
		Kristen Alamo Rowin	1.7	1,183
		Laurie Godfrey McReynolds	1.6	1,105
		David Saucedo	1.4	975
		Jeffrey Oppenheim (Unofficially withdrew)	0.7	483
		Ahmad Adnan	0.7	477

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 68,532
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 17

Ted Brown advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Ted Brown (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 17

Incumbent Bill Flores defeated Rick Kennedy and Peter Churchman in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 17 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Flores (R)	56.8	134,841
		Rick Kennedy (D)	41.3	98,070
		Peter Churchman (L)	1.9	4,440

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 237,351
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Rick Kennedy defeated Dale Mantey in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rick Kennedy	63.3	14,343
		Dale Mantey	36.7	8,300

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,643
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Incumbent Bill Flores advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Flores	100.0	44,388

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 44,388
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2016

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Bill Flores (R) defeated William Matta (D) and Clark Patterson (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Flores defeated Ralph Patterson and Kaleb Sims in the Republican primary on March 1, 2016.^[1][2]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bill Flores Incumbent	60.8%	149,417
	Democratic	William Matta	35.2%	86,603
	Libertarian	Clark Patterson	4%	9,708
Total Votes				245,728
Source: Texas Secretary of State

U.S. House, Texas District 17 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Bill Flores Incumbent	72.4%	60,502
Ralph Patterson	18.4%	15,411
Kaleb Sims	9.1%	7,634
Total Votes		83,547
Source: Texas Secretary of State

2014

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 17th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Bill Flores (R) defeated Nick Haynes (D) and Shawn Michael Hamilton (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bill Flores Incumbent	64.6%	85,807
	Democratic	Nick Haynes	32.4%	43,049
	Libertarian	Shawn Michael Hamilton	3%	4,009
Total Votes				132,865
Source: Texas Secretary of State

2012

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 17th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012, in which incumbent Bill Flores (R) won re-election. He defeated Ben Easton (L) in the general election.^[3]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bill Flores Incumbent	79.9%	143,284
	Libertarian	Ben Easton	20.1%	35,978
Total Votes				179,262
Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010
On November 2, 2010, Bill Flores won election to the United States House. He defeated Chet Edwards (D) and Richard Kelly (L) in the general election.^[4]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bill Flores	61.8%	106,696
	Democratic	Chet Edwards incumbent	36.6%	63,138
	Libertarian	Richard Kelly	1.6%	2,808
Total Votes				172,642

2008
On November 4, 2008, Chet Edwards won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rob Curnock (R) and Gardner Osborne (L) in the general election.^[5]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Chet Edwards incumbent	53%	134,592
	Republican	Rob Curnock	45.5%	115,581
	Libertarian	Gardner Osborne	1.5%	3,849
Total Votes				254,022

2006
On November 7, 2006, Chet Edwards won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Van Taylor (R) and Guillermo Acosta (L) in the general election.^[6]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Chet Edwards incumbent	58.1%	92,478
	Republican	Van Taylor	40.3%	64,142
	Libertarian	Guillermo Acosta	1.6%	2,504
Total Votes				159,124

2004
On November 2, 2004, Chet Edwards won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Arlene Wohlgemuth (R) and Clyde Garland (L) in the general election.^[7]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Chet Edwards incumbent	51.2%	125,309
	Republican	Arlene Wohlgemuth	47.4%	116,049
	Libertarian	Clyde Garland	1.4%	3,390
Total Votes				244,748

2002
On November 5, 2002, Charles Stenholm won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rob Beckham (R) and Fred Jones (L) in the general election.^[8]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Stenholm incumbent	51.4%	84,136
	Republican	Rob Beckham	47.4%	77,622
	Libertarian	Fred Jones	1.2%	2,046
Total Votes				163,804

2000
On November 7, 2000, Charles Stenholm won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Darrell Clements (R), Debra Monde (L) and Pete Juila (Write-in) in the general election.^[9]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2000
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Stenholm incumbent	59%	120,670
	Republican	Darrell Clements	35.5%	72,535
	Libertarian	Debra Monde	5.5%	11,180
	Write-in	Pete Juila	0%	45
Total Votes				204,430

1998
On November 3, 1998, Charles Stenholm won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rudy Izzard (R) and Gordon Mobley (L) in the general election.^[10]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 1998
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Stenholm incumbent	53.6%	75,367
	Republican	Rudy Izzard	45.3%	63,700
	Libertarian	Gordon Mobley	1.2%	1,618
Total Votes				140,685

1996
On November 5, 1996, Charles Stenholm won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rudy Izzard (R) and Richard Caro (Natural Law) in the general election.^[11]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 1996
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Stenholm incumbent	51.6%	99,678
	Republican	Rudy Izzard	47.4%	91,429
	Natural Law	Richard Caro	1%	1,887
Total Votes				192,994

1994
On November 8, 1994, Charles Stenholm won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Phil Boone (R) in the general election.^[12]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 1994
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Stenholm incumbent	53.7%	83,497
	Republican	Phil Boone	46.3%	72,108
Total Votes				155,605

1992
On November 3, 1992, Charles Stenholm won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jeannie Sadowski (R) in the general election.^[13]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 1992
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Stenholm incumbent	66.1%	136,213
	Republican	Jeannie Sadowski	33.9%	69,958
Total Votes				206,171

1990
On November 6, 1990, Charles Stenholm won re-election to the United States House. He ran unopposed in the general election.^[14]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 1990
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Stenholm incumbent	100%	104,100
Total Votes				104,100

District map

Redistricting

2020-2021

See also: Redistricting in Texas after the 2020 census

Texas enacted new congressional districts on October 25, 2021. The Senate released a proposed congressional map on September 27, 2021, and approved an amended version of the proposal on October 8, 2021.^[15] On October 13, 2021, the House Redistricting Committee approved an amended version of the congressional map, and both chambers of the legislature approved a finalized version of the map on October 18, 2021. The Senate approved the proposal in an 18-13 vote, and the House approved the bill in an 84-59 vote.^[16] Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the map into law on October 25, 2021.^[17] This map took effect for Texas' 2022 congressional elections.

How does redistricting in Texas work? In Texas, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Texas State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.^[18]

If the state legislature is unable to approve a state legislative redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines (the backup commission is not involved in congressional redistricting). This backup commission, established in 1948, comprises the following members:^[18]

1. Lieutenant governor
2. Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
3. Attorney general
4. State comptroller
5. Commissioner of the General Land Office

The Texas Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and "that they preserve whole counties when population mandates permit."^[18]

The 17th Congressional District of Texas, prior to the 2010-2011 redistricting process.

See also: Redistricting in Texas after the 2010 census

Following the 2010 United States Census, Texas gained four congressional seats. Texas' final congressional redistricting plan was approved by the Texas Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Perry (R) in June 2013.^[19][20][21]

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

2024

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+14. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 14 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 17th the 88th most Republican district nationally.^[22]

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 60.5%-38.0%.^[23]

2022

Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+14. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 14 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 17th the 93rd most Republican district nationally.^[24]

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 38.0% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 60.5%.^[25]

2018

Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+12. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 12 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 17th Congressional District the 113th most Republican nationally.^[26]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.^[27]

See also

• Redistricting in Texas
• Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2024
• Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2022
• Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2020
• Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2018

External links

• GovTrack.us Texas's 17th Congressional District & Map

Footnotes