MLB’s Teixeira wins Roy’s open Texas House seat

Former MLB first baseman Mark Teixeira (R) is projected to succeed Rep. Chip Roy (R) in representing Texas’s 21st Congressional District, according to preliminary results from Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).

Teixeira defeated Democratic opponent Kristin Hook in a race the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report has rated as solid Republican since February 2025. DDHQ listed the former professional baseball player as safe to win the district, with a probability of winning consistently more than 90 percent since early June.

DDHQ projected Teixeira beat Hook by 7 percentage points , with 86 percent of votes cast as of 11:06 p.m. EST on Tuesday.

Roy opted not to seek reelection and instead run for Texas attorney general, but he lost the GOP primary to Texas state Sen. Mayes Middleton in the spring.

Teixeira received endorsements from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and President Trump. The former professional baseball player has shown support for Trump’s deportation agenda, writing, “ I stand with ICE ,” on social media after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Good in January.

The president endorsed Teixeira on Truth Social in February, writing that the Texas Republican “was ‘loaded up’ with Accolades and WINS.”

“I know Mark well, and he is a TOTAL WINNER, on and off the field! … HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump added.

Teixeira previously told The Hill that besides serving his constituents, entering Congress will bring him back to playing baseball again in 10 years.

“I’m definitely going to use this as an opportunity … you have 435 members in the House and another 100 senators, so you’re just not going to get a lot of one-on-one time,” Teixeira told The Hill in June, referring to playing in the annual Congressional Baseball Game. “This is an opportunity to be in a team situation, have fun, get to know guys and hopefully beat the Democrats.”

He played for the Texas Rangers, the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the New York Yankees, where Teixeira won a World Series in 2009.