U.S. House, Texas 17th Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Texas's 17th Congressional District?
Pete Sessions has the strongest record in Texas's 17th Congressional District. Pete Sessions scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Pete Sessions's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Casey Shepard (7 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Pete Sessions
On the ballot as PETE SESSIONS
64 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 56
Democratic
Casey Shepard
On the ballot as CASEY SHEPARD
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Pete Sessions
- Mark against2022-02-11
Filed periodic transaction reports past the 45-day STOCK Act deadline, including a Feb. 11, 2022 report of trades dated Aug. 16 and Nov. 4, 2021, as Business Insider reported.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report 20020443, Business Insider via Yahoo News
- On the record2026-02-24
Voted against his party's leadership on the Fiscal Responsibility Act (May 2023) and the USE IT Act (March 2024), and for the ROTOR Act (February 2026) when the Majority Leader voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 84, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 72, 2026
- On the record2021-01-07
Voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021; both failed.
- On the record2019-10-15
In October 2019 AP reported he appeared to be 'Congressman-1' in the indictment of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, and he was subpoenaed for records; he said he took no action and was cooperating.
Sources: PBS NewsHour (Associated Press), Oct. 11, 2019, Texas Tribune (Washington Post), Oct. 15, 2019
- Credit2024-12-23
Sponsored H.R. 7524, the GSA Technology Accountability Act, requiring reports to Congress on certain IT services funds; it was signed into law Dec. 23, 2024.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 7524
- Credit2012-12-27
Closing its review of the Countrywide V.I.P. loan program, the House Ethics Committee cited his reported refusal of negotiated discounts as an excellent way to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
Casey Shepard
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Pete Sessions. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file, filed April 28, 2026. House Ethics in 2012 cited his refusal of Countrywide loan discounts favorably. Late 2021 and 2022 stock trade reports are listed in the Record.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075867, House Committee on Ethics statement, Dec. 27, 2012, FEC administrative fines search
Casey Shepard. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Feb. 18, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10073306, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Pete Sessions. Voted against his party's leadership on the Fiscal Responsibility Act in May 2023 and the USE IT Act in March 2024 (one of two Republicans), and for the ROTOR Act in February 2026 when the Majority Leader voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, May 31, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 84, March 12, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 72, Feb. 24, 2026
Casey Shepard. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Pete Sessions. Held a town hall in Latexo in August 2024 and took audience questions at a public Texas Tribune Festival session in September 2026. No record found of 2026 general election debates accepted or declined.
Sources: Messenger News, Aug. 21, 2024, Waco Bridge, Sept. 28, 2026
Casey Shepard. Took part in a February 2026 Democratic primary debate in Waco. No record found of 2026 general election debates accepted or declined.
Source: Baylor Lariat, Feb. 11, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Pete Sessions. In Congress 1997 to 2019 and since 2021, including six years as Rules Committee chair. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding against him found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Pete Sessions, GovTrack, Pete Sessions
Casey Shepard. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Pete Sessions. Voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021. He was not in office for the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus brief.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Casey Shepard. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Pete Sessions. Served in the U.S. House from 1997 to 2019 and since 2021, about 14 terms, and chaired the Rules Committee from 2013 to 2019. Earlier spent 16 years at Southwestern Bell.
Sources: GovTrack, Pete Sessions, Ballotpedia, Pete Sessions, Community Impact, Aug. 20, 2026
Casey Shepard. Licensed Texas attorney since May 2011 in solo practice in Waco, focused on indigent criminal defense. Has not held public office.
Sources: State Bar of Texas, attorney profile, Campaign site, Meet Casey
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Pete Sessions. Chairs the Oversight Committee's Government Operations Subcommittee and sits on Financial Services; chaired the Rules Committee 2013 to 2019. A GSA technology funds reporting bill he sponsored became law in December 2024.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, GovTrack, H.R. 7524 (118th Congress)
Casey Shepard. Publishes four priorities (checks on executive power, food programs, health care, housing) with some specific steps, such as fully funding SNAP and rental assistance.
Source: Campaign site, Casey's Vision
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Pete Sessions. Offers an email newsletter and issue pages, answered Community Impact's general election questionnaire and holds public events. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Community Impact, Aug. 20, 2026, Ballotpedia, Pete Sessions
Casey Shepard. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey, answered Community Impact's general election questionnaire, publishes an issues page and took part in a primary debate.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Casey Shepard, Community Impact, Aug. 20, 2026, Baylor Lariat, Feb. 11, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Pete Sessions. Born in Waco and raised there through ninth grade; moved back and has represented the Waco-based district since 2021. About 53 percent of itemized individual contributions for 2025 to 2026 came from Texas.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Pete Sessions, Waco Bridge, Sept. 28, 2026, Campaign site, home page, FEC contribution totals by state
Casey Shepard. Graduated from Midway High School near Waco in 1999 and returned to Waco in 2010. All $1,300 of itemized individual contributions reported for 2025 to 2026 came from Texas.
Sources: Campaign site, Meet Casey, Ballotpedia, Casey Shepard, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Pete Sessions. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no reported committee debt. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Casey Shepard. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026; the committee reports $5,000 in debts. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Pete Sessions. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.900 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.506, meets expectations. Sponsored the GSA Technology Accountability Act, enacted Dec. 23, 2024.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 7524 (118th Congress)
Casey Shepard. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Pete Sessions. Missed 679 of 17,617 roll call votes, 3.9 percent, from January 1997 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Casey Shepard. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Pete Sessions. Runs four district offices (Waco, Huntsville, Lufkin, Round Rock) and offers casework help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page
Casey Shepard. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Pete Sessions. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.97908 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 326 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Casey Shepard. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Pete Sessions. No public record found.
Casey Shepard. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Texas's 17th Congressional District?
Pete Sessions has the strongest record in Texas's 17th Congressional District. Pete Sessions scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Pete Sessions's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Casey Shepard (7 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Texas's 17th Congressional District in 2026?
PETE SESSIONS (Republican, incumbent), CASEY SHEPARD (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Pete Sessions a good candidate for Congress?
Pete Sessions scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Casey Shepard a good candidate for Congress?
Casey Shepard has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Texas race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Texas 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.