Texas · U.S. House · District 14 · November 3, 2026

What it would take for Thurman "Bill" Bartie.

Weber starts 24.6 points ahead on our starting line from recent official results. Campaign work can move about 6,796 net votes toward Bartie, a 3.0-point gain. Winning outright would take a 21.6-point national wave on top of that. Here is the plan that makes Bartie the one standing if one comes.

56,491
net votes between Bartie and a win
37
days to election day. Early voting opens October 19.
24.6 pts
Weber lead, our starting line from recent results
In short

A long shot on the math: it takes a 21.6-point national wave.

Odds today<1%
Odds with the plan<1%
Net votes to find56,491
WherePrecinct 2058 (Fort Bend County), Precinct 53 (Brazoria County), Precinct 79 (Brazoria County)
Underdog UpdateSeptember 26, 2026. Underdog plan published. Starting line: Weber +24.6. Thurman "Bill" Bartie needs 56,491 net votes. Odds under 1% today, under 1% with the plan.
The number

115,036 votes.

That is half of the 230,071 ballots we expect in this race, plus one. Where Bartie stands today, and what is missing:

84,471 Thurman "Bill" Bartie baseline
140,962 Randy Weber baseline

Starting line: a weighted blend of the official 2022 and 2024 results in this district (President, U.S. Senate, Railroad Commissioner, Governor, Attorney General). No 2026 polls have been published. 2026 turnout modeled on 2022, the last midterm.

The odds

<1% today. A wave changes that.

We ran this race 20,000 times with realistic error on every assumption. Drag the slider to see the odds move as the campaign captures more of what history says is available.

Bartie wins in
<1%
of 20,000 simulated elections
With no plan
<1%
tieBartie loses by 90,942loses by 7,783
How much of what history allows the campaign achieves100%
The plan on this page sits at 100%. Median outcome at this setting: Bartie short by 49,397.

Each simulation draws the starting line with an error of 7 points of margin (no 2026 polls, so the starting line comes from history and carries more error) and lets the plan over- or under-deliver by 30 percent. Seeded and reproducible; the method and data are at the bottom of the page.

Three moves

The gap closes three ways.

Change minds. Bring out voters who skip midterms. Win back the third-party vote. Every pool below is counted from official precinct returns and published polls.

Persuade
3,096
net votes in the plan, from a pool of 3,096

Who. 3,096 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Weber today.

How. Live conversations on the call list that matters: voters who crossed party lines, plus the undecided. Bartie needs to win 50 percent of the ones now leaning Weber.

Mobilize
3,065
net votes in the plan, from a pool of 22,504

Who. At least 22,504 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where Bartie's side wins at least 55 percent.

How. Voter ID calls to people who voted in 2024 and skipped 2022, then a ballot chase until each one has voted.

Consolidate
635
net votes in the plan, from a pool of 1,815

Who. Voters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean Bartie's way.

How. A direct appeal to voters who went third party last time. They have already shown they will leave the two-party default.

Together: 6,796 net votes against a gap of 56,491. Still 49,695 short. The rest needs a national shift of about 21.6 points that no campaign controls.

Where it is won

12 precincts carry 31% of it.

Ranked by the net votes each one gives the plan. The darker the county, the more of the upset lives there.

Anderson CountyAndrews CountyAngelina CountyAransas CountyArcher CountyArmstrong CountyAtascosa CountyAustin CountyBailey CountyBandera CountyBastrop CountyBaylor CountyBee CountyBell CountyBexar CountyBlanco CountyBorden CountyBosque CountyBowie CountyBrazoria County: 1,682 net votes in the planBrazos CountyBrewster CountyBriscoe CountyBrooks CountyBrown CountyBurleson CountyBurnet CountyCaldwell CountyCalhoun CountyCallahan CountyCameron CountyCamp CountyCarson CountyCass CountyCastro CountyChambers County: 0 net votes in the planCherokee CountyChildress CountyClay CountyCochran CountyCoke CountyColeman CountyCollin CountyCollingsworth CountyColorado CountyComal CountyComanche CountyConcho CountyCooke CountyCoryell CountyCottle CountyCrane CountyCrockett CountyCrosby CountyCulberson CountyDallam CountyDallas CountyDawson CountyDeWitt CountyDeaf Smith CountyDelta CountyDenton CountyDickens CountyDimmit CountyDonley CountyDuval CountyEastland CountyEctor CountyEdwards CountyEl Paso CountyEllis CountyErath CountyFalls CountyFannin CountyFayette CountyFisher CountyFloyd CountyFoard CountyFort Bend County: 1,080 net votes in the planFranklin CountyFreestone CountyFrio CountyGaines CountyGalveston County: 2,526 net votes in the planGarza CountyGillespie CountyGlasscock CountyGoliad CountyGonzales CountyGray CountyGrayson CountyGregg CountyGrimes CountyGuadalupe CountyHale CountyHall CountyHamilton CountyHansford CountyHardeman CountyHardin CountyHarris CountyHarrison CountyHartley CountyHaskell CountyHays CountyHemphill CountyHenderson CountyHidalgo CountyHill CountyHockley CountyHood CountyHopkins CountyHouston CountyHoward CountyHudspeth CountyHunt CountyHutchinson CountyIrion CountyJack CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJeff Davis CountyJefferson County: 1,197 net votes in the planJim Hogg CountyJim Wells CountyJohnson CountyJones CountyKarnes CountyKaufman CountyKendall CountyKenedy CountyKent CountyKerr CountyKimble CountyKing CountyKinney CountyKleberg CountyKnox CountyLa Salle CountyLamar CountyLamb CountyLampasas CountyLavaca CountyLee CountyLeon CountyLiberty CountyLimestone CountyLipscomb CountyLive Oak CountyLlano CountyLoving CountyLubbock CountyLynn CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMartin CountyMason CountyMatagorda CountyMaverick CountyMcCulloch CountyMcLennan CountyMcMullen CountyMedina CountyMenard CountyMidland CountyMilam CountyMills CountyMitchell CountyMontague CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyMorris CountyMotley CountyNacogdoches CountyNavarro CountyNewton CountyNolan CountyNueces CountyOchiltree CountyOldham CountyOrange County: 311 net votes in the planPalo Pinto CountyPanola CountyParker CountyParmer CountyPecos CountyPolk CountyPotter CountyPresidio CountyRains CountyRandall CountyReagan CountyReal CountyRed River CountyReeves CountyRefugio CountyRoberts CountyRobertson CountyRockwall CountyRunnels CountyRusk CountySabine CountySan Augustine CountySan Jacinto CountySan Patricio CountySan Saba CountySchleicher CountyScurry CountyShackelford CountyShelby CountySherman CountySmith CountySomervell CountyStarr CountyStephens CountySterling CountyStonewall CountySutton CountySwisher CountyTarrant CountyTaylor CountyTerrell CountyTerry CountyThrockmorton CountyTitus CountyTom Green CountyTravis CountyTrinity CountyTyler CountyUpshur CountyUpton CountyUvalde CountyVal Verde CountyVan Zandt CountyVictoria CountyWalker CountyWaller CountyWard CountyWashington CountyWebb CountyWharton CountyWheeler CountyWichita CountyWilbarger CountyWillacy CountyWilliamson CountyWilson CountyWinkler CountyWise CountyWood CountyYoakum CountyYoung CountyZapata CountyZavala CountyBrazoriaFort BendGalvestonJeffersonOrange
Fewer net votesMore net votes for the upset
  1. 01
    Precinct 2058 (Fort Bend County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +60. 2.8% split their ticket. About 2,477 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +529
  2. 02
    Precinct 53 (Brazoria County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +48. 4.1% split their ticket. About 1,038 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +201
  3. 03
    Precinct 79 (Brazoria County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +40. 2.5% split their ticket. About 1,452 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +197
  4. 04
    Precinct 70 (Brazoria County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +31. 2.9% split their ticket. About 1,534 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +196
  5. 05
    Precinct 63 (Brazoria County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +48. 2.5% split their ticket. About 907 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +179
  6. 06
    Precinct 436 (Galveston County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +74. 1.3% split their ticket. About 594 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +165
  7. 07
    Precinct 68 (Brazoria County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +44. 2.2% split their ticket. About 890 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +153
  8. 08
    Precinct 21 (Brazoria County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +38. 3.3% split their ticket. About 832 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +134
  9. 09
    Precinct 58 (Brazoria County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +25. 3.5% split their ticket. About 653 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +92
  10. 10
    Precinct 2118 (Fort Bend County)persuade
    Starting line Bartie +7. 2.9% split their ticket.
    +90
  11. 11
    Precinct 438 (Galveston County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +16. 3.4% split their ticket. About 1,152 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +89
  12. 12
    Precinct 2151 (Fort Bend County)mobilize
    Starting line Bartie +29. 1.6% split their ticket. About 744 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +89
What the numbers say that the polls do not

The hidden path.

Precinct 2058 (Fort Bend County) carries the most.

Precinct 2058 (Fort Bend County) gives this plan more net votes than any other precinct: 529. It sits at Bartie +60 on our starting line, and 2.8 percent of its voters split their ticket in recent elections.

Precinct 79 (Brazoria County) is a turnout race.

Bartie's side leads Precinct 79 (Brazoria County) by about 40 points on our starting line, and it cast about 1,452 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (an estimate). Roughly that many of its 2024 voters sat out the last midterm; bringing enough of them back nets 191 votes there.

Precinct 53 (Brazoria County) splits its ticket the most.

Of the precincts in this plan, Precinct 53 (Brazoria County) has the highest share of ticket splitters: 4.1 percent. That is where a persuasion call is most likely to reach someone open to crossing over.

Spend it where it counts.

As of June 30, 2026, Weber had $922K in cash on hand to Bartie's $-1,092. That is exactly why the plan puts every dollar on the few places listed here instead of the whole map.

The evidence

Where voters cross over.

Every dot is a precinct. If no one split a ticket, every dot would sit on the line. The orange ones are where Bartie's side lost voters it won further up the ballot.

-100-100-80-80-60-60-40-40-20-2000+20+20+40+40+60+60+80+80+100+100Bartie's side, President 2024 margin (points)U.S. Senate 2024 margin (points)
Precincts
229
Slope
1.015
R²
0.998
Residual SD
1.7 pts
Crossover precincts
53

Weighted least squares, one point per precinct, weighted by ballots cast. Orange precincts sit more than one residual standard deviation below the line: Bartie's side did worse there in this race than the top of the ticket predicts. Hover any dot for the precinct.

The next 37 days

Voting starts October 19.

  1. Now to October 5
    Find them

    Voter ID calls across the persuasion list in these precincts. Every conversation tags the voter: with Bartie, with Weber, or undecided. The undecided become the persuasion universe; the supporters become the ballot chase list.

  2. October 6 to 18
    Persuade

    Second conversations with every undecided and soft voter, built around the one issue they named on the first call. The goal is 3,096 net votes from people who have crossed party lines before.

  3. October 19 to 25
    Bank the ballots

    Mail ballots are already going out, and in-person early voting runs October 19 through October 30. Mail ballot applications must be received by October 23. Chase every supporter's mail ballot request until it is returned, and move supporters to early voting while it is open.

  4. October 26 to November 2
    Turn them out

    The drop-off voters: people who voted in 2024 and skipped 2022. At least 22,504 of them live where Bartie is favored. In-person early voting ends October 30. Mail ballots count if received by 7 p.m. on November 3, or by 5 p.m. on November 4 if postmarked by Election Day.

  5. November 3
    Election day

    Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Texas has no same-day registration; the registration deadline is October 5. The last calls go to identified supporters who have not voted, with their polling place in hand.

What has to be true

No wishful thinking.

Official results in this district: Trump carried the 2024 presidential race by 24.3 points; Cruz carried the 2024 U.S. Senate race by 19.5 points; Abbott carried the 2022 governor's race by 24.6 points.

  1. Bartie wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Weber.
  2. In Precinct 2058 (Fort Bend County) and Precinct 79 (Brazoria County), 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
  3. The national environment moves about 21.6 points toward Bartie's side between now and November 3.
  4. No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The work

3,309 conversations.

That is how many live voter conversations this plan takes: about 63,157 dials to 21,052 households, before the last ballot is cast.

21K
households on the target list
63K
dials across three attempts
3,309
live conversations: persuasion, voter ID, ballot chase

Call list: every ticket splitter and undecided voter in the targeted places (you cannot tell which way they lean before the call), every targeted drop-off voter, and the reachable third-party voters. About 69 households for every 100 voters on the list, three attempts each, and a 5.24 percent live answer rate per attempt, the per-program average across 1.2 million real 2026 dials in our published benchmarks.

HyperPhonebank

We run this list.

Calls are the voter ID and ballot chase engine of this plan. They find the persuadable voters and the supporters, so every other dollar lands on the right door. The full call program for this list is an estimated $7,301 at our published rates: 21,052 households, three attempts each.

Professional live callers working exactly these precincts: persuasion on the ticket splitters, voter ID on the fence, ballot chase on every absentee request until it is returned. A live dashboard shows every conversation as it happens. Days to launch, not weeks.

The candidates

Who is on the ballot.

Underdog

Thurman "Bill" Bartie (D)

Two-term former mayor of Port Arthur and, in 1994, the first African American elected Justice of the Peace for Precinct 8 in Jefferson County; a lifelong Port Arthur resident who has worked as a licensed funeral director, a Memorial High School teacher and a pastor.

Cash on hand -$1,092 and $26,823 raised since January 1, 2025, per FEC reports through June 30, 2026.

Favorite · incumbent

Randy Weber (R)

U.S. representative since 2013 who previously served in the Texas House (2009 to 2013) and on the Pearland City Council (1990 to 1996). He founded the air-conditioning company Weber's Air & Heat in 1981 and is a University of Houston-Clear Lake graduate.

Cash on hand $921,878 and $972,561 raised since January 1, 2025, per FEC reports through June 30, 2026.

Underdog Updates

What changed, and when.

We re-run this race as new polls, fundraising reports and early vote counts arrive. Every change to the numbers is logged here.

  1. September 26, 2026
    Underdog plan published

    Starting line: Weber +24.6. Thurman "Bill" Bartie needs 56,491 net votes. Odds under 1% today, under 1% with the plan.

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Questions

Can Thurman "Bill" Bartie win Texas's 14th Congressional District in 2026?

Only with help from the national environment. Campaign work can move about 6,796 net votes; the gap is 56,491. The rest would take a 21.6-point national shift.

Where are the votes Thurman "Bill" Bartie needs?

Ranked by net votes in the plan: Precinct 2058 (Fort Bend County), Precinct 53 (Brazoria County), Precinct 79 (Brazoria County), Precinct 70 (Brazoria County), Precinct 63 (Brazoria County). Persuadable voters are counted from ticket splitting in 2022 and 2024 official returns; turnout targets are people who voted in 2024 and skipped 2022.

How many voters does Thurman "Bill" Bartie need to persuade?

About 1,548 voters who lean Randy Weber today, each worth two votes of margin when they switch. That is 50 percent of the 3,096 persuadable voters leaning Randy Weber.

When does early voting start in Texas in 2026?

In-person early voting in Texas runs October 19 through October 30, 2026. The voter registration deadline is October 5, and applications for a mail ballot must be received by October 23. Mail ballots count if received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, or by 5 p.m. the next day if postmarked by Election Day. Texas does not offer same-day registration.

Who made this analysis?

The Political Group, an independent campaign services firm, from official Texas Secretary of State precinct returns, Census data, FEC filings and published polls. It is not affiliated with any candidate or party.

Method and sources

Precinct math from official Texas Secretary of State returns for 2022 and 2024, projected onto current district lines. Polls, ratings and fundraising as published on the dates shown. This is independent analysis by The Political Group, as of September 26, 2026. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any candidate or party, and it is written for every campaign that starts behind.

Statistics: a weighted least squares crossover regression on every precinct, and 20,000 seeded Monte Carlo simulations. The baseline error (7 points of margin) and plan efficacy spread (30 percent) are our stated assumptions. Download the precinct data (CSV, ready for JASP). Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.

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