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Austin Democrat Sarah Eckhardt announces she will run for Michael McCaul's seat in Congress
By Kailey Hunt
October 27, 2025 at 11:01 AM CDT
Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt announced she is running to represent Texas' newly drawn 10th Congressional District. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, who has represented the district in Washington, D.C., since 2005, announced last month that he will not seek reelection in 2026.
Eckhardt, who made her announcement Monday, has spent the last five years representing Travis County as a state senator. Before that, she served as Travis County Judge and Travis County Commissioner.
"We can do big things that tackle our challenges and bring real solutions that last just as long as Mansfield Dam, not just until the next election cycle," Eckhardt said, referring to the location of her campaign announcement. "That's why I'm running to represent the 13 counties inside Congressional District 10."
The district was redrawn this summer to include more Democratic areas of Austin, while still keeping the district majority Republican.
Eckhardt compared the district, which is made up of 13 counties, to the original 13 British colonies.
"Our Founding Fathers, back in the day, declared a revolution against one-party rule in a government that they had no say in," she said. "But they worked hard and they found common ground among 13 original colonies that were very different and created a Republic where we write our own laws and we govern ourselves rather than being subjects of a single ruler."
Eckhardt said her campaign is about finding "common ground" among the people who live in the district.
"We’re all concerned that our healthcare is getting too expensive. We can’t access it. We’re all concerned that we can’t make ends meet because cost of living is going up so high, and we’re all concerned that our kids aren’t going to have the education and opportunities that we had," she said. "We need to work together, find that common ground, and start building lasting solutions."
Eckhardt, who made her announcement Monday, has spent the last five years representing Travis County as a state senator. Before that, she served as Travis County Judge and Travis County Commissioner.
"We can do big things that tackle our challenges and bring real solutions that last just as long as Mansfield Dam, not just until the next election cycle," Eckhardt said, referring to the location of her campaign announcement. "That's why I'm running to represent the 13 counties inside Congressional District 10."
The district was redrawn this summer to include more Democratic areas of Austin, while still keeping the district majority Republican.
Eckhardt compared the district, which is made up of 13 counties, to the original 13 British colonies.
"Our Founding Fathers, back in the day, declared a revolution against one-party rule in a government that they had no say in," she said. "But they worked hard and they found common ground among 13 original colonies that were very different and created a Republic where we write our own laws and we govern ourselves rather than being subjects of a single ruler."
Eckhardt said her campaign is about finding "common ground" among the people who live in the district.
"We’re all concerned that our healthcare is getting too expensive. We can’t access it. We’re all concerned that we can’t make ends meet because cost of living is going up so high, and we’re all concerned that our kids aren’t going to have the education and opportunities that we had," she said. "We need to work together, find that common ground, and start building lasting solutions."