Former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira campaigned like an underdog.

He flew to the White House to secure the endorsement of President Donald Trump for Texas’ 21st Congressional District. He raised more than $4 million and criss-crossed the district, meeting with voters, soliciting support and casting himself as an outsider.

Like many Republicans this cycle, Teixeira did it all with few public events and did not debate his opponent. 

But local Republicans believe he’ll be a star in a San Antonio congressional delegation that’s losing decades of experience.

This year the GOP’s mid-cycle redistricting effort was supposed to leave the city with more Republican representatives than Democrats for the first time in modern history.

But in a blue wave, Teixeira is the only member of his party who made it through.

After the victory, Teixeira tweeted: “Tonight’s victory belongs to the people of District 21. I’m not going to Washington for myself, but rather to be a strong, responsive voice for every family in this district.”

In his first political at-bat, the former slugger claimed victory over Democrat Kristin Hook on Tuesday night. Teixeira, 46, will fill the seat vacated by Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs), who left to launch an unsuccessful bid for Texas attorney general.

“There was a whole group of people that said, ‘Hey Chip’s running for AG. You should jump into this race,’” Teixeira told the San Antonio Report in September. “Chip’s kids and my kids go to school together. … Given our relationship, it was kind of natural.” 

Both men live north of the district’s redrawn boundaries.

Redistricting made the district more San Antonio-centric, but Teixeira entered the race before the new maps were approved. While members of Congress aren’t required to live in their district, Teixeira is building a house in the district, where he plans to live. 

Hook, a biological scientist, lost her second bid for the District 21 seat on Tuesday.

Roy defeated her in 2024, garnering 61.9% of the vote in a staunchly conservative district.

Local Democrats hoped the district could be more competitive now that it reaches further into Bexar County, but it remains deeply red. 

Transition to politics

Teixeira brought significant advantages to the race.

He won a World Series with the New York Yankees, played for the Texas Rangers, made three All-Star teams and won five Gold Gloves. In 14 Major League seasons, Teixeira earned $213 million. He loaned his campaign $2.5 million while Hook managed to raise $388,265.29.

Since he was named National Collegiate Player of the Year in 2000 at Georgia Tech, Teixeira has conducted countless interviews in some of the largest media markets. 

He’s been cheered and booed, criticized and analyzed, and therefore he learned how to deal with intense scrutiny from fans and the media.

“Most people that run for office the first time have never been in the public spotlight,” Teixeira said. “They’ve never done a media interview or if they have, it’s been on a very small scale. They’ve never been around hundreds or thousands of people, who, a lot of times, were very angry at you.”

Teixeira launched his campaign to advance Trump’s America First agenda in August 2025 — almost 10 years after he retired from baseball. He won a crowded Republican primary in March with more than 61% of the vote. 

After claiming victory, he spent much of his time supporting House GOP leaders with their fight to hold the majority. His celebrity status helped House Speaker Mike Johnson raise money. He  campaigned for Republican candidates in tough races in New York, Georgia and Pennsylvania. 

A budding interest in politics

Teixeira’s first brush with national politics occurred in 2012. Weeks after his season with the Yankees ended, he attended Mitt Romney’s watch party at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Although Romney lost the presidential election to Barack Obama, the evening sparked “a slow burn” for politics.

Three years later, he hosted two fundraising events to support Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign. When Rubio failed to win the Republican primary, Teixeira supported the nominee, Trump.

Before announcing his candidacy for Congress, Teixeira waded into Lone Star State politics. He worked with Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Public Policy Foundation to support school choice and private school vouchers. He also supported Roy’s campaign for Attorney General.

Now Teixeira turns his attention to Capitol Hill, where Republicans entered election night with a 218-214 seat advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives, but are now in the minority.

Teixeira said he understands his job may be difficult, but he still plans to get things done. 

“My first priority is to figure out how to get stuff done,” he said. “If we’re in the minority, it’s gonna be a lot harder, if not impossible.”