Lopez Defends Texas House District 37 Seat
State Rep. Janie Lopez faces Democratic challenger Oziel Ochoa in the November 3 race for the South Texas district.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Elections
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State Rep. Janie Lopez is running to defend her Texas House District 37 seat against Democratic challenger Oziel Ochoa in the general election on November 3. HD 37 is one of 15 races the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has targeted to flip in Texas.
Why it matters
The district covers all of Willacy County and most of Cameron County in South Texas, and its partisan lean has shifted from D-51% in 2022 to R-53% after the 2024 election. Lopez flipped the seat in 2022 and held it by 10 points in 2024, making it a key contest in the state's legislative battle.
HD 37 was rated D-51% in 2022 and R-53% after the 2024 election, with Lopez winning by 10 points over Democrat Jonathan Gracia that year. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has targeted 15 Texas races for flips, and the November 3 outcome remains unknown.
The players
Janie Lopez
Lopez is the Republican state representative seeking to keep her Texas House District 37 seat, which she first won by flipping it in 2022.
Oziel Ochoa
Ochoa is the Democratic challenger in HD 37 and serves as Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District Director of Special Education.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
The DLCC is the national Democratic organization that has targeted 15 Texas legislative races, including HD 37, for potential flips.
The details
Lopez is endorsed by President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, state Sen. Pete Flores, and state Rep. John Lujan. Ochoa, the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District Director of Special Education, is endorsed by the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers and the Texas State Teachers Association.
Timeline
2022: Lopez flipped the historically Democratic HD 37 seat.
2024: Lopez won HD 37 by 10 points over Jonathan Gracia.
November 3, 2026: Election Day for the HD 37 race.
Season Trajectory
Lopez's 2022 flip of HD 37 is the precedent against which the November 3 race is measured, as the district's partisan rating moved from D-51% to R-53% after 2024. Whether the seat stays Republican will show if that shift has held as Democrats target 15 Texas races.
Voters in Willacy and Cameron counties will choose their state representative on November 3, which determines who represents the district in the Texas House. The race will decide whether the district's Republican lean holds after the 2024 result.
The takeaway
Election outcomes in closely balanced districts can shift quickly, so voters should check the November 3 ballot and candidate information for House District 37 before the election.
What happens next
Election Day for House District 37 is November 3, 2026, when voters will decide whether Lopez keeps the seat.
Further reading
For more on the state's legislative contests, explore Elections coverage across Texas.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Texan.
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