Molly Smith, San Antonio Express-News, October 17, 2025

John Lira, a retired Marine and former Democratic congressional candidate, is trying to keep the redrawn Texas Congressional District 35 blue.

He was the first Democratic candidate to announce his bid for the open seat, which is now anchored in San Antonio’s South Side and stretches into Guadalupe, Wilson and Karnes counties.

“I feel like some of San Antonio’s most historic communities that are in this area that keeps being redrawn — our South Side down Military Drive, our Southeast Side, our East Side communities — are just being pushed around at the favor of the Texas Legislature,” Lira said.

“I’m running essentially for them, to stand up to be their leader, their voice in Washington, D.C.,” he added.

District 35 is one of five congressional seats that the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature reworked to give their party an edge in the 2026 midterm election. The seat would have favored President Donald Trump by 10 points if the map had been in place during last year’s presidential election.

It’s currently held by progressive Democrat Greg Casar of Austin, who is leaving the district to run in the newly-reconfigured District 37.

Voting and civil rights organizations sued to block the new maps from being used in the 2026 election. A nine-day federal hearing in the case concluded earlier this month. A ruling could come before candidates are scheduled to begin filing for a place on the primary ballot on Nov. 8.

Bexar County sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia recently launched a campaign to become the Democratic nominee for District 35.

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Whitney Masterson-Moyes, who owns a clay shooting club in Guadalupe County, is also running in the Democratic primary.

Lira joined the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from East Central High School and served two tours of combat duty in Iraq. Most recently, he was senior advisor for veteran and military families for AmeriCorps.

He was the 2022 Democratic nominee for District 23, which sprawls from San Antonio to El Paso County. He lost to Republican Tony Gonzales by 17 points.

Lira said that experience and the connections he made with local Democratic officials and national organizations give his campaign “a running head start.”

The Republican primary for District 35 has drawn considerable interest.

State Rep. John Lujan is running for the seat. The majority of his Texas House District 118 falls within the district’s redrawn lines.

Air Force veteran and San Antonio kickboxing gym owner Carlos De La Cruz recently launched his campaign. His sister is Republican U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, who represents a district in South Texas.

Monica De La Cruz’s former advisor, Josh Cortez, is also vying for the seat.

Link- Behind Paywall: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/john-lira-texas-congressional-district-35-21100302.php

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