State
State Representative, 53rd District
- Vote for
- 1
- Term
- 2 years
- Candidates
- 2
- Election
- Nov 3, 2026
What this office does: A state representative votes on Texas laws and the state budget in the Texas House of Representatives.
All of Bandera, Crane, Crockett, Edwards, Kerr, Kimble, Llano, McCulloch, Mason, Medina, Menard, Pecos, Real, Schleicher, Sutton and Upton counties.
Taxes & budget
Kathryn HartmannDemocratic
No documented position found.
Wes VirdellRepublican
- Supports eliminating property taxes.
Public safety
Kathryn HartmannDemocratic
- Supports funding flood warning systems and infrastructure.
Wes VirdellRepublican
- Opposes government restrictions on firearm ownership.
Education
Kathryn HartmannDemocratic
- Supports more school funding for students with disabilities.
Wes VirdellRepublican
- Supports parents' authority over their children's education.
Environment & parks
Kathryn HartmannDemocratic
- Opposes building a border wall across Big Bend.
Wes VirdellRepublican
- Authored a bill to ban weather modification.In office
Health & human services
Kathryn HartmannDemocratic
- Supports expanding Medicaid in rural Texas.
- Supports increasing SNAP benefits and expanding WIC.
Wes VirdellRepublican
- Opposes abortion.
Government & transparency
Kathryn HartmannDemocratic
No documented position found.
Wes VirdellRepublican
- Supports increasing penalties for voter fraud.
Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 6 issues covered in this race.