Texas · U.S. House · District 17 · November 3, 2026

What it would take for Casey Shepard.

Sessions starts 20.4 points ahead on our starting line from recent official results. Campaign work can move about 6,012 net votes toward Shepard, a 2.5-point gain. Winning outright would take a 17.9-point national wave on top of that. Here is the plan that makes Shepard the one standing if one comes.

48,953
net votes between Shepard and a win
37
days to election day. Early voting opens October 19.
20.4 pts
Sessions lead, our starting line from recent results
In short

A long shot on the math: it takes a 17.9-point national wave.

Odds today<1%
Odds with the plan1%
Net votes to find48,953
WherePrecinct 117 (Williamson County), Precinct 301 (Williamson County), Precinct 146 (Williamson County)
Underdog UpdateSeptember 26, 2026. Underdog plan published. Starting line: Sessions +20.4. Casey Shepard needs 48,953 net votes. Odds under 1% today, 1% with the plan.
The number

119,791 votes.

That is half of the 239,581 ballots we expect in this race, plus one. Where Shepard stands today, and what is missing:

92,484 Casey Shepard baseline
141,437 Pete Sessions 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.

Shepard wins in
1%
of 20,000 simulated elections
With no plan
<1%
tieShepard loses by 86,817wins by 888
How much of what history allows the campaign achieves100%
The plan on this page sits at 100%. Median outcome at this setting: Shepard short by 42,648.

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
3,358
net votes in the plan, from a pool of 3,358

Who. 3,358 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Sessions today.

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

Mobilize
1,792
net votes in the plan, from a pool of 20,429

Who. At least 20,429 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where Shepard'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
862
net votes in the plan, from a pool of 2,463

Who. Voters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean Shepard'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: 6,012 net votes against a gap of 48,953. Still 42,941 short. The rest needs a national shift of about 17.9 points that no campaign controls.

Where it is won

12 precincts carry 21% 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 County: 191 net votes in the planBexar CountyBlanco CountyBorden CountyBosque County: 110 net votes in the planBowie CountyBrazoria CountyBrazos CountyBrewster CountyBriscoe CountyBrooks CountyBrown CountyBurleson CountyBurnet CountyCaldwell CountyCalhoun CountyCallahan CountyCameron CountyCamp CountyCarson CountyCass CountyCastro CountyChambers CountyCherokee 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 County: 84 net votes in the planFannin CountyFayette CountyFisher CountyFloyd CountyFoard CountyFort Bend CountyFranklin CountyFreestone County: 79 net votes in the planFrio CountyGaines CountyGalveston CountyGarza CountyGillespie CountyGlasscock CountyGoliad CountyGonzales CountyGray CountyGrayson CountyGregg CountyGrimes CountyGuadalupe CountyHale CountyHall CountyHamilton CountyHansford CountyHardeman CountyHardin CountyHarris CountyHarrison CountyHartley CountyHaskell CountyHays CountyHemphill CountyHenderson CountyHidalgo CountyHill County: 168 net votes in the planHockley CountyHood CountyHopkins CountyHouston CountyHoward CountyHudspeth CountyHunt CountyHutchinson CountyIrion CountyJack CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJeff Davis CountyJefferson CountyJim Hogg CountyJim Wells CountyJohnson County: 105 net votes in the planJones CountyKarnes CountyKaufman CountyKendall CountyKenedy CountyKent CountyKerr CountyKimble CountyKing CountyKinney CountyKleberg CountyKnox CountyLa Salle CountyLamar CountyLamb CountyLampasas CountyLavaca CountyLee CountyLeon CountyLiberty CountyLimestone County: 95 net votes in the planLipscomb CountyLive Oak CountyLlano CountyLoving CountyLubbock CountyLynn CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMartin CountyMason CountyMatagorda CountyMaverick CountyMcCulloch CountyMcLennan County: 1,743 net votes in the planMcMullen CountyMedina CountyMenard CountyMidland CountyMilam County: 102 net votes in the planMills CountyMitchell CountyMontague CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyMorris CountyMotley CountyNacogdoches CountyNavarro CountyNewton CountyNolan CountyNueces CountyOchiltree CountyOldham CountyOrange CountyPalo Pinto CountyPanola CountyParker CountyParmer CountyPecos CountyPolk CountyPotter CountyPresidio CountyRains CountyRandall CountyReagan CountyReal CountyRed River CountyReeves CountyRefugio CountyRoberts CountyRobertson County: 96 net votes in the planRockwall 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 County: 3,239 net votes in the planWilson CountyWinkler CountyWise CountyWood CountyYoakum CountyYoung CountyZapata CountyZavala CountyBellBosqueHillMcLennanWilliamson
Fewer net votesMore net votes for the upset
  1. 01
    Precinct 117 (Williamson County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +42. 2.2% split their ticket. About 1,068 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +187
  2. 02
    Precinct 301 (Williamson County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +23. 2.9% split their ticket. About 1,052 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +134
  3. 03
    Precinct 146 (Williamson County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +38. 2.5% split their ticket. About 623 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +131
  4. 04
    Precinct 12 (McLennan County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +80. 0.8% split their ticket. About 389 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +116
  5. 05
    Precinct 189 (Williamson County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +29. 4.4% split their ticket. About 550 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +111
  6. 06
    Precinct 151 (Williamson County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +42. 3.3% split their ticket. About 409 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +103
  7. 07
    Precinct 398 (Williamson County)persuade
    Starting line Shepard +20. 4.2% split their ticket. About 510 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +94
  8. 08
    Precinct 360 (Williamson County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +21. 2.4% split their ticket. About 669 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +88
  9. 09
    Precinct 303 (Williamson County)persuade
    Starting line Shepard +25. 4.8% split their ticket. About 460 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +84
  10. 10
    Precinct 150 (Williamson County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +29. 2.0% split their ticket. About 546 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +79
  11. 11
    Precinct 180 (Williamson County)mobilize
    Starting line Shepard +27. 1.9% split their ticket. About 539 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
    +77
  12. 12
    Precinct 63 (McLennan County)persuade
    Starting line Sessions +47. 4.6% split their ticket.
    +77
What the numbers say that the polls do not

The hidden path.

Precinct 117 (Williamson County) carries the most.

Precinct 117 (Williamson County) gives this plan more net votes than any other precinct: 187. It sits at Shepard +42 on our starting line, and 2.2 percent of its voters split their ticket in recent elections.

Precinct 12 (McLennan County) is a turnout race.

Shepard's side leads Precinct 12 (McLennan County) by about 80 points on our starting line, and it cast about 389 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 108 votes there.

Precinct 303 (Williamson County) splits its ticket the most.

Of the precincts in this plan, Precinct 303 (Williamson County) has the highest share of ticket splitters: 4.8 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, Sessions had $934K in cash on hand to Shepard's $3,145. 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 Shepard'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+100Shepard's side, President 2024 margin (points)U.S. Senate 2024 margin (points)
Precincts
290
Slope
1.005
R²
0.998
Residual SD
1.7 pts
Crossover precincts
45

Weighted least squares, one point per precinct, weighted by ballots cast. Orange precincts sit more than one residual standard deviation below the line: Shepard'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 Shepard, with Sessions, 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 3,358 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 20,429 of them live where Shepard 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 21.6 points; Cruz carried the 2024 U.S. Senate race by 17.4 points; Abbott carried the 2022 governor's race by 21.2 points.

  1. Shepard wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Sessions.
  2. In Precinct 117 (Williamson County) and Precinct 12 (McLennan County), 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
  3. The national environment moves about 17.9 points toward Shepard'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

3,211 conversations.

That is how many live voter conversations this plan takes: about 61,288 dials to 20,429 households, before the last ballot is cast.

20K
households on the target list
61K
dials across three attempts
3,211
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 $7,085 at our published rates: 20,429 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

Casey Shepard (D)

Waco attorney who has practiced in Central Texas since 2011 with a focus on indigent criminal defense; a Midway High School graduate with degrees from Loyola Marymount University and the UC Davis School of Law.

Cash on hand $3,145 and $8,801 raised since January 1, 2025, per FEC reports through June 30, 2026.

Favorite · incumbent

Pete Sessions (R)

Waco native who served in the U.S. House from 1997 to 2019 and has served again since 2021, including as chairman of the House Rules Committee. A Southwestern University graduate, he spent 16 years at Southwestern Bell, rising to district manager.

Cash on hand $933,956 and $1,050,237 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: Sessions +20.4. Casey Shepard needs 48,953 net votes. Odds under 1% today, 1% with the plan.

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Questions

Can Casey Shepard win Texas's 17th Congressional District in 2026?

Only with help from the national environment. Campaign work can move about 6,012 net votes; the gap is 48,953. The rest would take a 17.9-point national shift.

Where are the votes Casey Shepard needs?

Ranked by net votes in the plan: Precinct 117 (Williamson County), Precinct 301 (Williamson County), Precinct 146 (Williamson County), Precinct 12 (McLennan County), Precinct 189 (Williamson 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 Casey Shepard need to persuade?

About 1,679 voters who lean Pete Sessions today, each worth two votes of margin when they switch. That is 50 percent of the 3,358 persuadable voters leaning Pete Sessions.

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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