Democrat Justin Early — a Georgetown resident who is a cybersecurity architect at Dell Technologies — has announced his candidacy in the race for Texas’ 31st congressional district.
He is joined by candidate Caitlin McClay Rourk on the Democratic primary ballot. The election will take place March 3, 2026.
The seat is occupied by Republican John Carter, who has held the office since 2002. Texas Congressional District 31 encompasses most of Bell County, all of Williamson County and the Jollyville section of Austin to the south.
According to a press release from Mr. Early’s campaign advisor, his campaign will be focused on higher wages, lower costs and “compassionate, comprehensive support for all.”
Mr. Early is also a veteran, having served at Fort Bragg as a paratrooper and at the Defense Agency at the Pentagon, where he worked in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
“Serving my country was the honor of my life,” he said. “I grew up in a military and working class family where my parents taught me that leadership means listening first, leading from the front, and working across divides to get things done. That is exactly the kind of leadership missing in Congress, and that is what I plan to bring to the people of Central Texas.
“Congressman John Carter has voted to strip healthcare from 17 million Americans, including 1.6 million Texans, slashed Pell Grant Funding, defunded SNAP food assistance, affecting 3.6 million Texans, and ignored veterans, while VA offices in Central Texas faced layoffs due to the current administration.”
The focus of Mr. Early’s campaign will include: supporting labor unions and working families, increasing funding for career and technical education, funding veteran resources and mental health care, "compassionate immigration reform” and protecting social security and medicare.
An official campaign launch will be held in Georgetown in September.
Mr. Early lives in Georgetown with his wife Toni. They have seven grown children: Kiana, Kaylee, Elijah, Matthias, Zechariah, Daniel and Jordan.
Congressional ballot update
According to the Federal Elections Commission, across both parties, a total of eight people have filed for the 31st Texas Congressional district. As of this week, the ballots stand as follows.
Republican primary race
- John Carter (incumbent)
- Valentina Gomez Noriega
- Raymond H. Hamdon III
- Michael Howard Williams
- Abhiram Garapati
- Jack McConnell
Democratic primary race
- Caitlin McClay Rourk
- Justin Early