East Texas, 2026
The Whistlestop Tour for East Texas
Connecting East Texas voters with Democratic candidates through town halls, rallies, and meet-and-greets across 12 days and 25+ counties.
- Tour Stops
- 17
- Counties
- 17
- Nominees
- 18
About
About the Whistlestop Tour
- Tour Stops
- 17
- Counties
- 17
- Nominees
- 18
The Whistlestop Tour for East Texas is a 12-day, 30-plus county swing (May 22 – June 2, 2026) that brings Democratic candidates and East Texas voters together face-to-face in the towns where they live and work. Town halls, rallies, and meet-and-greets — every stop is open to the public.
We are a Democratic coordinating effort, not a campaign committee. We hand the microphone to the people who are running for office across East Texas, and to the neighbors who are showing up alongside them. For donations, volunteering, or anything campaign-specific, follow the link from each nominee’s profile to their own site.
Why a tour?
East Texas covers a lot of ground, and most of it is rarely on the receiving end of statewide political attention. A whistlestop format — short, frequent visits across a tight geographic narrative — meets voters where they already are, from county seats to flea markets like Canton First Monday Trade Days. The route below was built to maximize face time, leverage Election Day visibility, and stay efficient enough to actually pull off.
Get involved
The fastest ways to plug in:
- See the tour schedule and find a stop near you.
- Meet the nominees — Democratic candidates running across the East Texas congressional and state senate districts.
- Check the districts map to see which seats the tour covers and who is on the ballot in yours.
Get Involved Today
Whether you're new to the tour or already plugged in, here are four ways to jump in this week.
Meet the Nominees
Profiles, platforms, and links to each Democratic candidate's own site.
Tour Schedule
Find a town hall, rally, or meet-and-greet near you.
Register to Vote
Check your registration and find your polling place in Texas.
Share on Social
Spread the word about the tour to your East Texas neighbors.
Tour Schedule
Twelve days across East Texas, May 22–June 2, 2026. Find a town hall, rally, or meet-and-greet near you.
Districts
East Texas Districts
Where the Whistlestop Tour goes. Each seat below covers part of East Texas; tap a card to meet the Democratic candidate running there.
Congressional districts across East Texas
U.S. House
Districts with a Democratic candidate on the tour. Tap a card to view their profile.
- Runoff
- On tour
U.S. House
Texas CD 3
Evan Hunt Democratic candidate →
- On tour
U.S. House
Texas CD 4
Jason Pearce Democratic candidate →
- On tour
U.S. House
Texas CD 5
Chelsey Hockett Democratic candidate →
- On tour
U.S. House
Texas CD 6
Danny Minton Democratic candidate →
- On tour
U.S. House
Texas CD 9
Ericka Ledferd Democratic candidate →
- On tour
U.S. House
Texas CD 10
Caitlin Rourk Democratic candidate →
- On tour
U.S. House
Texas CD 32
Dan Barrios Democratic candidate →
- On tour
U.S. House
Texas CD 36
Rhonda Hart Democratic candidate →
Texas Senate
State Senate seats with a Democratic candidate on the tour.
State Board of Education
SBOE districts with Democratic candidates on the tour.
Nominees
Meet the Nominees
The Democratic candidates running across East Texas in 2026. Each one runs their own campaign; the tour brings them face-to-face with the communities they're hoping to serve.
2026 Candidate for Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Pl. 9
Holly Taylor
Holly Taylor is a candidate for Texas's top criminal court, the Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA). With over 25 years of criminal law experience, Holly understands the critical role the CCA plays in the criminal justice system and what's at stake in 2026.
The inclusion of any judge or judicial candidate does not constitute an endorsement by that judge or judicial candidate of any other candidate.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 3)
Evan Hunt
Democratic primary candidate for U.S. House CD 3 — Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Titus, and Morris counties.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 4)
Jason Pearce
Democratic candidate for U.S. House CD 4 — Bowie, Lamar, and Red River counties.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 5)
Chelsey Hockett
Democratic candidate for U.S. House CD 5 — East Dallas, Kaufman, Van Zandt, Henderson, and Anderson counties.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 6)
Danny Minton
Democratic candidate for U.S. House CD 6 — Ellis and Navarro counties on the Whistlestop Tour.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 10)
Caitlin Rourk
Democratic candidate for U.S. House CD 10 — Houston, Trinity, San Jacinto, and Polk counties.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 1)
Dax Alexander
Democratic primary runoff candidate for U.S. House CD 1 — Bowie, Cass, Cherokee, Marion, Gregg, Harrison, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, and Smith counties.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 1)
Yolanda Prince
Democratic primary runoff candidate for U.S. House CD 1 — Bowie, Cass, Cherokee, Marion, Gregg, Harrison, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, and Smith counties.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 32)
Dan Barrios
Democratic candidate for U.S. House CD 32 — Camp, Rains, Upshur, and Wood counties (East Texas).
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 36)
Rhonda Hart
Democratic candidate for U.S. House CD 36 — Angelina, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, and Tyler counties.
View profile →
Texas Senate (SD 3)
Bobby Tillman
Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 3 — Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Liberty, and Nacogdoches counties.
View profile →
Texas Senate (SD 1)
Laticia Ambroz
Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 1 — Bowie, Camp, Cass, Delta, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Hopkins, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Panola, Red River, Rusk, Smith, Titus, Upshur, and Wood counties.
View profile →
Texas Senate (SD 2)
Keenan Colbert
Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 2.
View profile →
State Board of Education (Texas SBOE 7)
Tiffany Perkinz
Democratic primary runoff candidate for State Board of Education District 7 — Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, and Tyler counties.
View profile →
State Board of Education (Texas SBOE 7)
Debra Drake Ambroise
Democratic primary runoff candidate for State Board of Education District 7 — Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, and Tyler counties.
View profile →
State Board of Education (Texas SBOE 8)
Dana Van de Walker
Democratic candidate for State Board of Education District 8 — Houston, Trinity, San Jacinto, and Polk counties.
View profile →
State Board of Education (Texas SBOE 14)
Amy Taylor
Democratic candidate for State Board of Education District 14 — Ellis and Navarro counties.
View profile →
U.S. House (Texas CD 9)
Ericka Ledferd
Democratic candidate for U.S. House CD 9 — Cass, Marion, Harrison, Panola, Shelby, Sabine, San Augustine, Angelina, Nacogdoches, Rusk, Gregg, Upshur, Camp, Morris, Titus, Franklin, Wood, Rains, Van Zandt, Kaufman, Cherokee, and Smith counties.
View profile →
With gratitude
Thank You
The Whistlestop Tour for East Texas only happens because hundreds of people pitch in. If we've missed anyone, please let us know .
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Host Organizations & County Parties
The Democratic county parties, clubs, and local organizations opening their doors so the tour has a place to land in every community.
Names coming soon. With gratitude.
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Volunteers & Staff
The folks making phone calls, hanging signs, captaining venues, and keeping the bus moving from county to county.
Names coming soon. With gratitude.
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Donors & Supporters
Everyone who's pitched in — from $5 to in-kind printing — to keep this an independent, voter-funded effort.
Names coming soon. With gratitude.
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Venues, Vendors & In-kind
The halls, restaurants, print shops, and small businesses who've donated space, food, or services along the route.
Names coming soon. With gratitude.
Contact
Get in Touch
The Whistlestop Tour is run by volunteers across East Texas. The fastest way to reach us is by email.
- General questions and Press: carolyn@whistlestopeasttx.us
For nominee-specific questions, please use the contact information on each nominee’s own website — you can find them on our Nominees page.