Tom Sell Projected to Win Texas 19th District
Republican agriculture lobbyist Tom Sell is projected to win Texas's 19th Congressional District, succeeding retiring Rep. Jodey Arrington.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Agriculture
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Republican Tom Sell is projected to win the race for Texas's 19th Congressional District, which is a solid Republican seat, over Democrat Kyle Rable. The race follows Rep. Jodey Arrington's announcement last November that he would retire from Congress at the end of his term.
Why it matters
The 19th District is an agricultural region, and Sell's background as an agriculture lobbyist and former aide to a House Agriculture Committee chairman places a farm-policy specialist in line to represent it. His endorsements from Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan signal strong backing within the Republican leadership.
Sell's projected win is based on preliminary results from November 4, 2026, and the district is classified as solid Republican. His consultancy, Combest, Sell & Associates, co-founded in 2005, claims 15 years of experience defending agricultural interests, though the vote margin and final certification remain unconfirmed.
The players
Tom Sell
Tom Sell is a Republican agriculture lobbyist and former aide to Rep. Larry Combest who is running for Texas's 19th Congressional District.
Jodey Arrington
Jodey Arrington is a Republican congressman first elected to the House in 2017 who announced he would retire at the end of his current term.
Kyle Rable
Kyle Rable is the Democratic candidate who opposed Tom Sell in the race for Texas's 19th Congressional District.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump is the current President of the United States, who endorsed Tom Sell in the race.
Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson is the Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, who endorsed Tom Sell.
The details
Sell previously served as the right-hand man to former Rep. Larry Combest, who chaired the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, and returned to Lubbock after working to advance the 2002 Farm Bill. He co-founded the consultancy Combest, Sell & Associates in 2005 before entering the current race.
Timeline
2002: Sell works to advance the Farm Bill.
2005: Sell co-founds Combest, Sell & Associates.
2017: Arrington is first elected to the House.
November 2025: Arrington announces his retirement from Congress.
November 4, 2026: Sell is projected winner in preliminary results.
Roadmap
Sell's path runs through the same farm-policy lineage shaped by the 2002 Farm Bill and the House Agriculture Committee under Larry Combest. His election would carry that Combest-era experience forward into a Congress now led by a Republican majority.
For farmers and agribusinesses in the 19th District, the outcome places a former agriculture-committee aide in position to shape federal farm policy affecting crop and livestock operations. Readers tracking the race should watch for certification of the final vote count, which the preliminary projection does not yet confirm.
The takeaway
Agricultural policy often turns on which committee staffers and lobbyists move into elected office, and Sell's path from Combest's office to a congressional bid illustrates that pipeline. Voters tracking the district should confirm final certified results before drawing conclusions about the margin.
Further reading
For more on farm policy in the region, explore Agriculture coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Hill.
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