GOP state Rep. Briscoe Cain files for redrawn 9th Congressional District

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State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, filed paperwork to run for the newly drawn 9th Congressional District on Thursday, kicking off an expected scramble among Republicans for several new seats that the Texas Legislature is on the verge of revamping to favor the GOP.

The 9th Congressional District, soon to be anchored east of Houston, is one of five Democratic districts that are being significantly redrawn with the goal of electing Republicans. Cain, who filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission less than 24 hours after voting to approve the new map in the Texas House Wednesday, is the first major Republican to throw his hat in the ring for the district.

Currently occupied by longtime Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, the 9th District was moved from southern Houston and its suburbs to east Harris County and heavily Republican Liberty County. What was once a district that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris by a 44-point margin is now, under the new boundary, a district that went for Republican Donald Trump by 20 percentage points.

Green has said he plans to be on a ballot next year, but has not indicated where he will run. The newly drawn 18th Congressional District, a majority-Black seat anchored in downtown Houston and southern Harris County — and which currently lacks an incumbent — overlaps with his current district lines.

The 9th District boundaries were shifted further in a revised map that Texas House Republicans submitted and passed this week. The district picked up deep-red Liberty County and was shored up slightly, increasing Trump’s 2024 margin from 15 to 20 points.

Cain’s state House district, which includes Deer Park, La Porte and Crosby in eastern Harris County, overlaps with the new congressional district. An attorney and one of the most conservative members of the Texas House, Cain has represented House District 128 since 2017.

He first claimed office by primarying seven-term state Rep. Wayne Smith in 2016, forcing a runoff and ultimately beating Smith by 23 votes. Since then, Cain has not faced a close election, defeating primary opponents handily in 2020 and 2024.

Through his five terms in the House, Cain has helped shape legislation to ban abortion and implement voting restrictions. He gained notoriety in 2019 for a viral, controversial tweet at then-presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke saying, “My AR is ready for you” in response to O’Rourke advocating for a mandatory buyback program for assault-style weapons.

Numerous Texans have successfully made the jump from the state house to Congress in recent years, including Fort Worth Republican Rep. Craig Goldman and Farmers Branch Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson in 2024.

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