Republicans Tom Sell and Jon Bonck won their primary runoffs Tuesday for a pair of open congressional seats in Texas’ South Plains and the Houston area, respectively, making them the heavy favorites to join the U.S. House next year representing the deep red districts.
Republican voters in Texas’ 19th Congressional District, which represents a wedge of West Texas from Lubbock to Abilene, elected Sell as the Republican nominee. Sell, a businessman with deep familial ties to Lubbock, was endorsed by several U.S. House GOP leaders, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
President Donald Trump won by a 52-point margin in the 19th Congressional District during the 2024 presidential election, his widest in the state. Sell’s opponent in the runoff, Abraham Enriquez, made his support for Trump a key element of his unsuccessful bid for the seat.
Trump did not endorse either candidate in the district, but Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick both threw their support behind Enriquez, with Patrick describing Enriquez as “the true America First conservative in this race.”
The seat opened up after Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, who served in the district since 2017 and chairs the U.S. House Budget Committee, announced in November that he would retire. Trump had endorsed Arrington in his 2020 and 2024 reelection campaigns.
Voters in Texas’ 38th Congressional District selected Jon Bonck of Houston as the GOP nominee, besting his opponent Shelley deZavallos handily after receiving several endorsements from Republican leaders. Bonck nearly won the seat outright in March, having received just under 47% of the primary vote, roughly 3% shy of a majority.
Bonck declared victory a half hour after polls closed Tuesday, with early voting results indicating an immediate lead over deZavallos.
“Tonight, the people of TX-38 made it clear that they are ready for a conservative outsider who will fight for our families, our faith, and our future,” Bonck said.
Endorsements for Bonck came from several leading names in the Republican Party, including Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Scalise and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson. Trump posted a graphic celebrating Bonck’s victory on social media less than an hour after polls closed.
The district, which represents a western stretch of the Houston area, became open for new representation after Rep. Wesley Hunt launched an unsuccessful Republican primary bid to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for his seat.
Sell and Bonck will face Democratic nominees Kyle Rable and Melissa McDonough, respectively, in November, however both districts are heavily favored for the two Republican candidates.
