Alex Mealer is running a tighter race than many expected when Texas Republicans redrew the 9th Congressional District to heavily favor the GOP last year, according to new polling by the University of Houston.
Mealer holds a six-point lead over Democrat Leticia Gutierrez in the race to replace outgoing Democratic Rep. Al Green, whose district was one of five targeted by Texas Republicans during the redistricting effort of 2025. Roughly 48% of likely voters surveyed earlier this month supported Mealer, compared to 42% for Gutierrez, with 10% undecided.
Mealer’s lead may be too much for Gutierrez to overcome less than a month before election day, said lead researcher Renée Cross. But the single-digit advantage in a district drawn as a shoo-in for Republicans illustrates how dissatisfied voters have become with the GOP under President Donald Trump, she said…