Garibay, Papari Face Off for Texas House Seat
Democrat Montserrat Garibay faces Green Party candidate Arshia Papari in the general election for Texas House District 49 in Austin.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Montserrat Garibay is running against Arshia Papari in the general election for Texas House District 49, a large portion of Austin stretching from Sunset Valley to North Burnet. Garibay won the Democratic primary over former Austin City Council Member Kathie Tovo with about 61% of the vote, and there is no Republican candidate in the race.
Why it matters
The seat was vacated by Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa, and Garibay is expected to win the heavily Democratic district. Results for some races may not be final until Wednesday morning.
Garibay won about 61% of the Democratic primary vote over Kathie Tovo, and her campaign raised about $540,000 compared with $4,600 for Papari as of Oct. 31. The general election result remains unknown, and some races may not be decided until Wednesday morning.
The players
Montserrat Garibay
Garibay is a Democratic candidate who has spent over 20 years working in education.
Arshia Papari
Papari is a University of Texas at Austin student studying government running on the Green Party ticket.
Kathie Tovo
Tovo is a former Austin City Council Member who lost the Democratic primary to Garibay.
The details
Polls close at 7 p.m., with early voting totals reported first and results updated throughout the night by local and state election authorities. Papari, a University of Texas at Austin government student, is running on the Green Party ticket against Garibay, who has worked in education for over 20 years.
Timeline
Oct. 31: Papari had raised $4,600, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.
Nov. 3: General election day; polls close at 7 p.m.
Wednesday morning, Nov. 4: Some races may not be decided until this time.
Legislative Context
This race for House District 49 is an open-seat contest created when Gina Hinojosa left the seat to run for Texas governor. Garibay's expected win in a heavily Democratic district would keep the seat in Democratic hands following Hinojosa's departure.
Austin voters in District 49 will choose their state representative on Election Day, with polls closing at 7 p.m. Early voting totals are reported first, and the final representative will be known once local and state authorities finish updating results.
The takeaway
The Texas House District 49 race shows how an open seat can reshape local representation when a candidate leaves for a statewide run. Voters in Austin should check results after polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day.
What happens next
Results from the general election are expected to continue updating through Wednesday morning, when some races may be decided.
Further reading
For more on local races, see Elections coverage across Austin.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KUT.
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Should Texas direct more state money to public schools than to private school vouchers?
