Moran Wins Texas First District Congressional Race
Republican Nathaniel Moran is projected to win the seat over Democrat Yolanda R. Prince after early returns counted 39.41% of the vote.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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The Associated Press projected Republican Nathaniel Moran as the winner of Texas' First Congressional District after the vote count reported at 9 p.m. showed him leading with 75,830 votes, or 68.5%, to Yolanda R. Prince's 34,950 votes, or 31.5%.
Why it matters
The projection points to Moran being re-elected to a seat he has held since January 2023, in a district whose boundaries were redrawn in 2025. The result gives Texas voters in the district's 17 East Texas counties continuity in their congressional representation.
With 39.41% of votes counted, Moran led Prince 68.5% to 31.5% across the district's 17 counties. The remaining votes, which could shift the margin, had not yet been reported as of 9 p.m.
The players
Nathaniel Moran
Nathaniel Moran is a Republican congressman from Whitehouse, Texas, who previously served as Smith County judge before his election to Congress.
Yolanda R. Prince
Yolanda R. Prince is the challenger in the race for Texas' First Congressional District, receiving 31.5% of the counted vote.
The details
The Associated Press called the race based on the vote count reported at 9 p.m. Moran was at the Smith County Republican Party watch party in Tyler on Tuesday night, and the district reaches across 17 counties in East Texas serving nearly 767,000 residents.
Timeline
November 2022: Moran was elected to Congress.
January 2023: Moran began his first term.
2025: Congressional maps for the district were redrawn.
Tuesday night, November 3, 2026: The Associated Press projected Moran as the winner.
Season Trajectory
The projection extends Moran's tenure from his first term that began in January 2023 into a second term in the same district. His continuity follows the 2025 redrawing of the district's boundaries, which reshaped the territory he has represented.
For voters in the district's 17 East Texas counties, the projection signals that the current congressional representative is likely to continue serving them. Residents should watch for the certified final totals, which will confirm the outcome beyond the unofficial count reported at 9 p.m.
The takeaway
Early returns can project a winner before every ballot is counted, so the official certified results are the figures to rely on once they are released.
Further reading
For more on how state races are tallied and called, see Elections coverage across Texas.
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