Zeke Enriquez is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Bandera who has served as a GOP precinct chair. He is in a crowded Republican primary to replace U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs), who is running for Attorney General instead of seeking reelection in 2026.
Hear from the candidate
1. Please tell voters about yourself.
I’m Zeke Enriquez. I’m a 41-year-old Marine combat veteran, firefighter, and rancher. My roots in TX21 run deep. My 7th great-grandmother settled in Fredericksburg, my 3rd great-uncle was the legendary Jose Policarpo Rodriguez, and I was born and raised in San Marcos. My wife and I have been married for 15 years, and we are raising (and homeschooling) our two children in Bandera.
My life has been defined by the mission. As a heavy machine gunner in the Marine Corps, I earned the Combat V for Valor on the battlefields of Iraq. For the last 11 years, I’ve served my neighbors as a firefighter. With 22 years of business experience, and my life as a rancher, I understand the grit it takes to build and protect a legacy.
I’m running for Congress because I heard a new calling to serve. I’ve run toward the fire my entire life, and now I am stepping forward to defend our values in Washington—trusting in God’s guidance to protect our freedom and restore our republic.
2. Briefly describe your top policy priorities.
My priorities include:
America First & Executive Fidelity: My first priority will be working to codify President Trump’s executive orders into permanent law. We must secure our national sovereignty by putting American citizens, American jobs, and American values first—no exceptions.
Restoring Affordability through DOGE: Washington is bankrupting our children. I will fight to make the DOGE cuts permanent, slashing the unconstitutional bureaucratic fraud, waste, and abuse that drives inflation. We must stop the printing presses to bring down the cost of living for every family in the Hill Country.
Continuing Chip Roy’s Legacy: I will finish what Chip Roy started. Championing the SAVE Act to ensure only citizens vote, the Pause Act to halt the invasion at our border, Anti-Sharia legislation to protect our heritage, and a total ban on Congressional stock trading.
Border, Rights, and Life: Finishing the wall and mass deportations to restore our border. I am an unapologetic abolitionist fighting for a national ban on abortion, and I will defend the Second Amendment until “shall not be infringed” is the literal law of the land.
3. What should Congress be doing to rein in inflation and/or stabilize/boost the economy?
To rein in inflation and stabilize the economy, Congress must move beyond “managing” the decline and take direct action to restore the value of the dollar:
Abolish the Federal Reserve: Congress must end the “money printer” cycle. By repealing the Federal Reserve Act, we stop the unchecked monetization of debt that devalues your hard-earned paycheck to fund endless government expansion.
Permanent DOGE Cuts: We must codify the Department of Government Efficiency cuts into permanent law. Slashing unconstitutional bureaucratic waste/fraud/abuse is the only way to stop the deficit spending that drives up the cost of gas, groceries, and housing.
Unshackle Domestic Production: Congress must pass aggressive regulatory reform to lower production costs for American energy and industry, providing a supply-side stimulus that fights inflation without raising taxes.
Fiscal Accountability: We must pass a Balanced Budget Amendment and end the practice of “emergency” spending that bypasses fiscal reality.es.
4. What should Congress be doing to reform immigration laws?
Full stop – Congress MUST put American citizens and workers first.
Codify America First: I will work to move President Trump’s executive orders into permanent law. This prevents future administrations from unilaterally reopening the borders or weaponizing immigration against the American people.
H1-B Visa Moratorium: I will fight for an immediate moratorium on H1-B visas. We must stop importing foreign labor to undercut American wages and jobs while our own citizens and graduates are struggling to find work.
Mass Deportations and The Wall: Congress must provide the full appropriations necessary to complete the physical wall and execute mass deportations to remove those who entered our country illegally.
The PAUSE Act: I will champion the PAUSE Act to halt new admissions until our security is absolute and the rule of law is restored.
5. At a time when the White House is asserting more control over national security and spending without Congress’ input, how would you handle disagreements over the division of power?
As a Marine, I swore an oath to the Constitution, not to a person or a branch of government. Article I is clear: Congress holds the Power of the Purse and the sole authority to declare war. When any White House bypasses the People’s House to spend money or commit troops without input, they aren’t just bypassing me—they’re bypassing you.
I will handle these power struggles by reclaiming the authorities that decades of weak legislators have surrendered. I will use the Holman Rule to defund rogue bureaucrats and support the Impoundment Control Act to ensure tax dollars are spent exactly as Congress intended. My mission is to dismantle the “administrative state” that acts as a fourth branch of government. Whether it’s national security or the budget, if it isn’t authorized by the people’s representatives, it shouldn’t happen. I’m going to D.C. to restore the Republic, not just occupy a seat.
6. The past year has brought tremendous uncertainty to many Americans surrounding rising health insurance premiums and lack of access to medical care near their homes. What do you believe Congress should be doing to make health care affordable and accessible to residents in your state?
Healthcare is affordable when we stop letting D.C. bureaucrats and insurance lobbyists sit between you and your doctor. As a first responder, I’ve seen firsthand how red tape and corporate mandates kill local medical access. My plan focuses on returning power to the patient:
Direct Primary Care & HSAs: We must champion Direct Primary Care and expand Health Savings Accounts, allowing Texans to pay doctors directly and bypass the insurance middleman’s massive markup.
Price Transparency: I will fight for absolute price transparency. You should know the cost of a procedure before you walk in the door, not weeks after the bill arrives.
Competition Across State Lines: We must allow insurance to be sold across state lines to foster real competition and crush skyrocketing premiums.
Finally, we must protect our rural clinics in the Hill Country by ending the federal mandates that favor big-city hospital conglomerates over local care.
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