U.S. House, Texas 27th Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Texas's 27th Congressional District?
Michael Cloud has the strongest record in Texas's 27th Congressional District. Michael Cloud scores 60 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Michael Cloud's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tanya Lloyd (6 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
Michael Cloud
On the ballot as MICHAEL CLOUD
60 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 50
Democratic
Tanya Lloyd
On the ballot as TANYA LLOYD
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 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.
Michael Cloud
- On the record2023-10-11
Said on Oct. 11, 2023 that he would not support his conference's speaker nominee, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, on the House floor.
Source: Texas Tribune, Oct. 11, 2023
- On the record2021-01-07
Voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 to 7, 2021, after joining the House members' amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania in December 2020.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Texas v. Pennsylvania, amicus brief of 126 Representatives
- Credit2022-12-29
Sponsored H.R. 217, the Improving Confidence in Veterans' Care Act, directing the VA to enforce licensure rules for its medical providers; its provisions were enacted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, signed Dec. 29, 2022.
Tanya Lloyd
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.
Michael Cloud. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 5, 2026 after an extension. No periodic transaction reports are required of him in 2019 to 2026, and no House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine was found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077004, FEC administrative fines search
Tanya Lloyd. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed May 15, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or Texas Ethics Commission order found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078647, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Michael Cloud. Voted against the Speaker and Majority Leader on the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act, the 2024 Ukraine supplemental and the 2025 GENIUS Act, and in October 2023 said he would not back his conference's speaker nominee, Steve Scalise, on the floor.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025, Texas Tribune, Oct. 11, 2023
Tanya Lloyd. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Michael Cloud. No public record found.
Tanya Lloyd. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Michael Cloud. In Congress since July 2018; earlier chaired the Victoria County Republican Party and owned a media business. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Michael Cloud
Tanya Lloyd. 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.
Michael Cloud. Voted Yea on the Jan. 6 to 7, 2021 objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes, and joined the House members' amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Texas v. Pennsylvania, amicus brief of 126 Representatives
Tanya Lloyd. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Michael Cloud. In the U.S. House since July 2018, now seeking a fifth full term.
Sources: GovTrack, Michael Cloud, Ballotpedia, Michael Cloud
Tanya Lloyd. A public school teacher for about 20 years, with a 2006 bachelor's degree from Texas State University; earlier worked in car dealerships, accounting and real estate. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tanya Lloyd, Community Impact, Aug. 19, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Michael Cloud. Vice chair of the Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee; was ranking member of the Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy in 2021 to 2022. A VA licensing bill he sponsored was enacted in 2022.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Ballotpedia, Michael Cloud, GovTrack, H.R. 217 (117th Congress)
Tanya Lloyd. Publishes an issues platform on rural health care, farmland and costs, and has called for a federal moratorium on AI data centers; most positions are stated in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, Issues, Community Impact, Aug. 19, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Michael Cloud. Offers an e-newsletter and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey and did not answer Community Impact's 2026 general election questionnaire.
Tanya Lloyd. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026, answered Community Impact's general election questionnaire and publishes an issues page.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tanya Lloyd, Community Impact, Aug. 19, 2026, Campaign site, Issues
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Michael Cloud. Lives in Victoria, whose county lies wholly in the district, and chaired the Victoria County Republican Party. About 82 percent of itemized individual contributions in 2025 to 2026 came from Texas.
Sources: Texas Tribune, Oct. 11, 2023, Ballotpedia, Michael Cloud, Texas SOS ballot certification, Victoria County, FEC contribution totals by state
Tanya Lloyd. Grew up outside Lockhart and graduated from Lockhart High School; her committee is based in Lockhart, in Caldwell County, which lies wholly in the district. About 76 percent of itemized individual contributions came from Texas.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tanya Lloyd, Campaign site, Meet Tanya, Texas SOS ballot certification, Caldwell County, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Michael Cloud. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Tanya Lloyd. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Michael Cloud. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.454 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.202, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: his VA provider licensure bill was enacted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, signed Dec. 29, 2022.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 217 (117th Congress)
Tanya Lloyd. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Michael Cloud. Missed 75 of 4,055 roll call votes, 1.8 percent, from July 2018 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Tanya Lloyd. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Michael Cloud. Lists district offices in Corpus Christi and Victoria and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, office list
Tanya Lloyd. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Michael Cloud. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.30088 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 387 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Tanya Lloyd. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Michael Cloud. No public record found.
Tanya Lloyd. 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 27th Congressional District?
Michael Cloud has the strongest record in Texas's 27th Congressional District. Michael Cloud scores 60 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Michael Cloud's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tanya Lloyd (6 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 27th Congressional District in 2026?
MICHAEL CLOUD (Republican, incumbent), TANYA LLOYD (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Michael Cloud a good candidate for Congress?
Michael Cloud scores 60 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Tanya Lloyd a good candidate for Congress?
Tanya Lloyd has public evidence on 6 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.