Rep. Marc Veasey will run for Tarrant County Judge as he exits the congressional race in Texas, hours after Rep. Jasmine Crockett filed paperwork to enter the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate race and Colin Allred announced his exit. 

Veasey has represented the 33rd Congressional District since 2013. It was rumored that Veasey would run for the newly drawn 30th Congressional District. The district remains mostly in Dallas County and now also includes an additional 200,000 people in Tarrant County. 

Veasey released the following statement to CBS Texas:

"For more than 13 years, I have had the profound honor of serving North Texans in the United States House of Representatives. Representing the communities that raised me, believed in me, and trusted me with their hopes has been the privilege of my lifetime," Veasey said. "After reflection, prayer, and long conversations with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election to Congress in 2026. Let me be clear: I'm not stepping back from the fight. I'm stepping into a new one."

"This decision is about where I can best serve the people of Tarrant County," he continued. "Tarrant County is at a crossroads. I've seen firsthand how racially gerrymandered maps were designed to weaken the power of Black and Latino voters in North Texas—communities I have spent my entire career fighting for. The people here deserve leadership grounded in truth, service, and respect—not division, extremism, and political stunts. I refuse to sit on the sidelines while County Judge Tim O'Hare drags this community backward. I'm not running away from a fight—I'm running toward the next battle.

Candidates shaking up Texas politics

Democrat Colin Allred announced Monday morning he is dropping out of the U.S. Senate race in Texas, hours before Rep. Jasmine Crockett filed paperwork to enter the Democratic primary for the race. Instead, Allred said he is going to file paperwork to run for a newly drawn Congressional seat in Dallas County, setting up a primary challenge with Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson.   

According to public filings, Dr. Frederick Haynes III, the senior pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church, filed for the democratic primary 30th Congressional District.  

In the Senate, Sen. John Cornyn, who's seeking a fifth term, is in a very close contest with his two challengers, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Houston Congressman Wesley Hunt.   

A statewide poll of 1,097 likely 2026 GOP primary voters by Hunt Research of Dallas, which is unaffiliated with any of the campaigns, conducted Oct. 6-10 right after Hunt entered the race, shows Paxton with 28%, Cornyn 24% and Hunt at 19%. 

An internal poll released by Hunt's campaign, conducted between October 28-30, shows Cornyn at 26%, Paxton at 25%, and Hunt at 24%. 

Texas to use newly drawn congressional maps

A redistricting ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court allows Texas to use the newly drawn 2025 Congressional maps for the upcoming March primary and for the all-important midterm elections next year. 

The newly redrawn congressional map could give Republicans five additional House seats, after a lower court found that some of the new voting lines were racially discriminatory.