Mark Teixeira Won a Texas Congressional Seat: What the Former Yankees Star’s Election Night Means
Mark Teixeira, the switch-hitting first baseman who spent eight seasons with the New York Yankees and won the 2009 World Series, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night. The Associated Press called Texas’s 21st Congressional District for Teixeira, a Republican.
Ballotpedia’s unofficial count has him at 55.0 percent to 45.0 percent over Democrat Kristin Hook, a former federal scientist, by 188,745 votes to 154,720. The AP tally with 99 percent counted put it at 54.52 to 45.48. He takes office Jan. 3, 2027.
The Seat and the Race
The district was open. Republican Rep. Chip Roy did not seek reelection, choosing to run for Texas attorney general instead. Teixeira filed paperwork and announced his candidacy on Aug. 28, 2025, about a week after Roy announced his own move.
He had to get through a crowded primary first. In a 12-candidate Republican field on March 3, Teixeira took 60.9 percent with 58,180 votes, with Jason Cahill a distant second at 9.5 percent. President Donald Trump endorsed Teixeira in February 2026. Hook won her own primary with 60.1 percent.
Teixeira’s election night statement, posted to X, stayed on the district. “Tonight’s victory belongs to the people of Texas’s 21st District,” he wrote, adding that “together, we can build a better future for our families, our neighbors, and every community across Texas 21.” He signed off with four words: “I’m excited to get to work.”
The Baseball Resume
Teixeira is 46 and was born in Annapolis, Maryland. The Texas Rangers took him fifth overall out of Georgia Tech in the 2001 draft, and he played 14 big-league seasons from 2003 to 2016.
He spent five seasons in Texas, was traded to Atlanta in 2007, moved to the Los Angeles Angels in 2008, then signed an eight-year, $180 million contract with the Yankees that December. He finished with 409 home runs, 1,298 RBI, 1,862 hits and a .268 average across exactly 1,862 games.
The hardware is substantial. Three All-Star selections, in 2005, 2009 and 2015. Five Gold Gloves. Three Silver Sluggers. He finished second in the 2009 American League MVP voting behind Joe Mauer, with Derek Jeter third, the same season the Yankees won their most recent title.
After retiring he worked as an ESPN baseball analyst from February 2017 until February 2021, when he gave up the final year of his contract. He moved back to Texas that year and finished his Georgia Tech business administration degree in May 2022, 21 years after leaving school for pro ball. Georgia Tech has retired his No. 23.
He Was Not the Only Athlete on a Ballot
Tuesday was a busy night for former players and coaches. Tommy Tuberville, the former head coach at Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Cincinnati, won the Alabama governor’s race over Democrat Doug Jones. Josh Turek, a four-time Paralympian and two-time gold medalist in wheelchair basketball, won a U.S. Senate seat in Iowa over Rep. Ashley Hinson. Colin Allred, who spent four seasons as a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans before a neck injury ended his career, won House reelection in Texas.
It did not go everyone’s way. Michele Tafoya, the longtime NFL sideline reporter, lost a Minnesota Senate race to Democrat Peggy Flanagan. Former NFL kicker Jay Feely was trailing in Arizona’s 1st District as of Wednesday morning, with the race not yet called.
Why Baseball Should Pay Attention
Nothing changes for the sport this week. The timing is still worth noting. Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1 and the sport is heading toward a work stoppage with a salary cap at the center of the fight.
Congress has waded into baseball labor disputes before, and the sport’s antitrust exemption has turned up in hearings more than once. Teixeira played through two rounds of CBA negotiations and was a Players Association member for 14 years. Starting in January, a former player with that history gets a vote on the House floor.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
