Aug 28, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Former MLB player Mark Teixeira running for Congress

Andrew Solender

Baseball player in white Texas Rangers uniform walks holding a bat on field at dusk, with catcher in gray and red behind him and scoreboard lit up in the background. — Mark Teixeira, shown in a 2003 Rangers game at Arlington, is running for a House seat as a Republican in Texas. Photo: Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Former Major League Baseball first baseman Mark Teixeira on Thursday launched a bid for the open congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).

Why it matters: Teixeira, a Republican, is the latest in a series of high-profile candidates who have found sudden opportunities to nab a safe seat in Congress.

Driving the news: Teixeira, a World Series champion who played for the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, said in a statement he is "ready to help defend President Trump's America First agenda."

"I'm ready to answer the call to serve my country, my state, and the conservative principles that have made Texas the envy of the nation," he added.
Texeira said he moved to Central Texas in 2021 and is an active member of the local Republican and Christian communities there.

Zoom out: The seat became open after Roy announced his bid for Texas attorney general.

The seat, which covers the exurbs of Austin and San Antonio, is solidly Republican — and is set to stay that way under Texas' new congressional lines.
Those congressional lines have led a number of high-profile Republicans, including former presidential candidate Ryan Binkley, to launch bids for newly red seats.

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Former MLB player Mark Teixeira running for Congress

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