TEXAS – According to the Associated Press, Rep. Chip Roy is projected to be the winner in the race for Texas’ 21st Congressional District.
The district includes the area north of San Antonio and a significant portion of Austin.
Roy, the Republican incumbent, ran for the district in 2018 when Lamar Smith chose not to run for reelection.
Born in Maryland and raised in Virginia, Roy earned degrees from the University of Maryland and the University of Texas. Roy worked for Sen. John Cornyn when he was serving as the Texas attorney general and worked on his 2002 bid for the United States Senate.
Later, Roy worked in the administration of Texas Gov. Rick Perry and, in 2012, became Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s chief of staff. When Ken Paxton was elected Texas attorney general in 2014, Roy became first assistant attorney general.
A staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, Roy has opposed shutting businesses down to combat the spread of the coronavirus and praised the president for pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords.
Challenger Wendy Davis, a former Texas state senator, is most famous for a 13-hour filibuster in 2013 to block Senate Bill 5, which involved more restrictive abortion regulations for Texas.
Hailing from Fort Worth, Davis represented the 10th district in the Texas Senate from 2009 to 2015.
Born in Rhode Island, Davis obtained degrees from Texas Christian University and Harvard Law School.
Fresh off her attention-grabbing filibuster, Davis in 2014 ran for governor of Texas against Greg Abbott, losing by roughly 59% to 38%.
Davis has focused on reproductive rights, has supported gun control measures and LGBTQ+ rights, and has expressed support for decriminalizing cannabis.