Terry Virts
Terry Virts, the former Air Force pilot and retired astronaut, ended his bid Thursday for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and announced that he would enter the race for a newly drawn congressional district in the Houston area.
A first-time candidate, Virts had been something of an odd-man-out in the Democratic Senate field that also features state Rep. James Talarico of Austin and former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas. Allred was the Democrats’ 2024 nominee in the race against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Talarico has drawn national attention after appearing on influencer Joe Rogan’s popular podcast over the summer.
Congressional District 9 was redrawn by the Republican-led Legislature in August from a Democratic stronghold represented for 20 years by U.S. Rep. Al Green into one that appears to give the GOP a built-in 60-40 edge. State Rep. Briscoe Cain, a four-term lawmaker from Deer Park, and Alexandra del Moral Mealer, who narrowly lost the 2022 race for Harris County judge, are battling for the Republican nomination for Congressional District 9.
In a news release announcing his change of plans, the 57-year-old Virts said he is undaunted about running as a Democrat in what appears to be GOP territory.
“When politicians changed the political maps to favor their power over the power of the people, the maps changed but my mission didn’t,” said Virts, a graduate of the Air Force Academy “I’m running to make sure Texans voices are heard fighting for Texas families, small businesses and the American dream. This campaign is about service, leadership and results — not politics.”
Virts was one of the first people to say he was interested in running for the Senate, then was the first to officially announce his candidacy. He was overshadowed by Colin Allred and then James Talarico, but he still managed to raise some money along the way, which he will need for this campaign.
I’ve been clamoring for a real candidate in CD09 for awhile now, so this makes me happy. I don’t know how he’ll do on the trail, but if nothing else he should have a charisma advantage over the two whiny twerps on the Republican side. And as we’ve discussed, the 2024 electoral numbers for districts like this one are written on sand. This should be viewed as a swing seat. Let’s do this. Here’s his intro video for this campaign:
#TX09 deserves better representation.
While Congress plays games with gerrymandering, everyday Texans continue to work hard to put food on the table.
We are fed up with the politics. Enough is enough.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=UUV8…
— Terry Virts (@astroterry.bsky.social) November 6, 2025 at 9:35 AM
I approve this message, too.