United States Representative, District 8
November 3, 2026 · Congressional District 8 (119th Congress), Texas · U.S. House district · general
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: Low · 30 out of 100
This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 846,118 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(1,021,191 ÷ 846,118) ÷ ln(1,021,191 ÷ 546,488) = 30.08, comparing all US House districts nationwide (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
Low representation + unknown decisiveness → Below average vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
United States Representative is responsible for:
- Voting on federal laws, taxes, and the federal budget
- Representing their district's interests in Congress
- Starting tax and spending bills, which must begin in the House
- Helping district residents deal with federal agencies
Affected Areas: Environment and Public Health, Reduce Wealth Gap, Anti-Corruption, Government Efficiency, Healthcare Affordability, Immigration, Government Spending Reduction, Social Programs and Welfare, Gun Control, Women's Reproductive Rights, National Defense, Personal Income Tax Reduction, Foreign Trade, Data Privacy, Civil Rights, Corporate Accountability, Public Infrastructure, Peaceful Foreign Policy
Candidates
Jessica Steinmann
Republican · declared
Jessica Hart Steinmann is the Republican nominee for Texas's 8th Congressional District in 2026. An attorney, she served in the U.S. Department of Justice during the Trump administration as Director of the Office for Victims of Crime, and later worked as executive general counsel at the America First Policy Institute. She won the March 2026 Republican primary for the open seat with about 70% of the vote.
Records: Government Efficiency 2 for, Social Programs and Welfare 1 for
Laura Jones
Democratic · declared
Laura Jones is the Democratic nominee for Texas's 8th Congressional District in 2026. A Houston-born small business owner and real estate agent, she previously chaired the San Jacinto County Democratic Party and was the Democratic nominee for this district in 2022 and 2024. She won the March 2026 Democratic primary, defeating Keith Coleman.
Election sources
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Source: ballotpedia.org