U.S. House, Texas 33rd Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Texas's 33rd Congressional District?
Colin Allred has the strongest record in Texas's 33rd Congressional District. Colin Allred scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Colin Allred's highest marks are relevant experience and courage. Patrick Gillespie (3 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.
Democratic
Strongest record
Colin Allred
On the ballot as COLIN ALLRED
63 / 100
Public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 58
Republican
Patrick Gillespie
On the ballot as PATRICK DAVID GILLESPIE
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- 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.
Colin Allred
- On the record2024-03-07
Voted Yea on the Laken Riley Act (H.R. 7511) on March 7, 2024, when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and most House Democrats voted Nay; the vote became an issue in his 2026 primary runoff.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 66, 2024, Texas Tribune, May 13, 2026
- Credit2022-10-10
Sponsored H.R. 7500, the Fiscal Year 2022 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act, signed into law Oct. 10, 2022.
- Credit2021-01-05
Sponsored H.R. 2752, the VA Newborn Emergency Treatment Act; its provisions were enacted in H.R. 7105, signed Jan. 5, 2021.
Patrick Gillespie
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.
Colin Allred. His 2025 House candidate financial disclosure was filed Feb. 1, 2026, and his committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter, periodic transaction report or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10073159, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Colin Allred. Voted for the Laken Riley Act and a January 2024 resolution on border policy when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted no; the Texas Tribune reports he broke from Democrats on multiple immigration bills.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 66, 2024, Laken Riley Act, House Clerk Roll Call 13, 2024, H.Res. 957, Texas Tribune, May 13, 2026
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Colin Allred. No public record found.
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Colin Allred. Served three terms in the U.S. House, 2019 to 2025, after work as an attorney and at HUD. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding naming him found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Colin Allred, House Committee on Ethics site search for Allred
Patrick Gillespie. 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.
Colin Allred. Held sworn House office 2019 to 2025 and voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors (Arizona, Pennsylvania). No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Colin Allred. Represented the 32nd District for three terms, 2019 to 2025. Earlier a civil rights attorney, a staff member at HUD in the Obama administration and an NFL linebacker.
Source: Ballotpedia, Colin Allred
Patrick Gillespie. Career as a technical writer at Boeing, BAE Systems and American Airlines, and later in the international division of UPS Supply Chain Solutions. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Patrick Gillespie, 2024 survey, Fort Worth Report, Dec. 11, 2023
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Colin Allred. Served on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Foreign Affairs and Veterans' Affairs committees and sponsored four bills GovTrack counts as enacted. No committee or subcommittee chair found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Colin Allred, committee assignments, GovTrack, Colin Allred
Patrick Gillespie. Campaign site answers questions on immigration, foreign policy, climate, voting, guns and the debt in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Colin Allred. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020 and 2024 but not in 2026. His campaign site could not be opened, so no issue pages were counted.
Source: Ballotpedia, Colin Allred
Patrick Gillespie. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024, not in 2026, and publishes issue answers on his campaign site.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Patrick Gillespie, Campaign site, home page
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Colin Allred. Born in and lives in Dallas and represented the Dallas-based 32nd District. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 54 percent of itemized individual contributions from Texas.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Colin Allred, FEC contribution totals by state
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Colin Allred. Committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Colin Allred. Legislative Effectiveness Score 0.244 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.530, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: his VA major medical facility authorization bill, H.R. 7500, was signed Oct. 10, 2022.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 7500 (117th Congress)
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Colin Allred. Missed 54 of 3,193 roll call votes, 1.7 percent, from January 2019 to December 2024.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Colin Allred. No public record found.
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Colin Allred. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.43996 for the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 210 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Patrick Gillespie. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Colin Allred. No public record found.
Patrick Gillespie. 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 33rd Congressional District?
Colin Allred has the strongest record in Texas's 33rd Congressional District. Colin Allred scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Colin Allred's highest marks are relevant experience and courage. Patrick Gillespie (3 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 33rd Congressional District in 2026?
COLIN ALLRED (Democratic), PATRICK DAVID GILLESPIE (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Colin Allred a good candidate for Congress?
Colin Allred scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 58 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Patrick Gillespie a good candidate for Congress?
Patrick Gillespie has public evidence on 3 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.