Kristian Carranza

Kristian Carranza is a champion for working families running to flip her San Antonio-area Texas House district this November. Kristian was raised by a single mom, knows what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck, and understands the challenges facing Texas families firsthand. She began her career in community organizing, fighting to uplift the voices of women and working families. Now, after more than a decade working on the ground in her community, she’s ready to take the fight to the state capitol and work to expand access to health care, fully fund public schools, and help bring down the cost of living.

Kristian ran an impressive campaign for this district as a DLCC Spotlight candidate in 2024, and this year she’s back and stronger than ever to work to unseat her Republican opponent.

Over the past decade, Democrats have been steadily building power in the Texas House, where Republicans have held a majority since 2002, and this year, Texas is home to some of our best opportunities to pick up seats and gain ground in a state’s legislature. 

In 2025, state Democrats in Texas used their minority power to take a stand against a blatant GOP mid-decade redistricting power-grab attempt by leaving the state and denying quorum. Every seat flipped blue strengthens Democrats’ ability to resist extreme legislation in Texas and push for policies to enact positive change. 

The DLCC has supported Democrats in Texas cycle over cycle, featuring 37 Texas candidates in our DLCC Target Races program since 2020. Early in 2026, Taylor Rehmet, a DLCC Target Race candidate for Texas Senate, achieved the first major flip of the year when he claimed victory in a district that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the 2024 election.

This year, all 150 seats in the Texas House are on the ballot, and Democratic candidates have filed to run in every district, giving us a historic opportunity to build power in the chamber. Democrats would need to pick up 14 seats to take an outright majority, but every inch of ground gained puts us closer than ever to turning the tide in the Texas Legislature.