U.S. House, Texas 34th Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Texas's 34th Congressional District?
Vicente Gonzalez has the strongest record in Texas's 34th Congressional District. Vicente Gonzalez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Vicente Gonzalez's highest marks are relevant experience and coalition building. Eddie Espinoza (4 of 15 criteria), Eric Flores (7 of 15 criteria) and Chris Royal (3 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Green
Eddie Espinoza
On the ballot as EDDIE ESPINOZA
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Republican
Eric Flores
On the ballot as ERIC FLORES
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Vicente Gonzalez
On the ballot as VICENTE GONZALEZ
63 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 63
Libertarian
Chris Royal
On the ballot as CHRIS ROYAL
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- 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.
Eddie Espinoza
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Eric Flores
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Vicente Gonzalez
- Mark against2022-06-27
Reported a July 24, 2021 sale of up to $15,000 in Freeport-McMoRan stock on June 27, 2022, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline; his campaign said he paid the late filing fee.
Sources: Business Insider via Yahoo News, June 29, 2022, Fox News
- 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.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 66, 2024
- On the record2024-11-26
In a November 2024 Texas Tribune interview, criticized his own party's 2024 campaign strategy on abortion and transgender issues and its polling.
Source: Texas Tribune, Nov. 26, 2024
- Credit2022-12-29
Sponsored H.R. 6810, the Housing our Veterans Act; its provisions were enacted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, signed Dec. 29, 2022.
- Credit2020-12-31
Sponsored H.R. 8772, the Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act of 2020; it was enacted as the Senate companion, S. 2174, signed Dec. 31, 2020.
Chris Royal
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.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. House candidate financial disclosures were filed Nov. 12, 2025 and Aug. 13, 2026, and committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or ethics finding found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075593, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Vicente Gonzalez. Reported a July 24, 2021 stock sale on June 27, 2022, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline, as Business Insider and Fox News reported; his campaign said he paid the late fee. No House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Business Insider via Yahoo News, June 29, 2022, Fox News, House Committee on Ethics site search
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. No public record found.
Vicente Gonzalez. Voted for the Laken Riley Act and the fiscal 2025 Defense appropriations bill when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted no, and publicly criticized his party's 2024 strategy.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 66, 2024, Laken Riley Act, House Clerk Roll Call 331, 2024, Defense Appropriations Act, 2025, Texas Tribune, Nov. 26, 2024
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. No public record found.
Vicente Gonzalez. Debated Republican Mayra Flores on CBS 4 and NBC 23 in October 2024. No 2026 general election debate with Eric Flores was found, and none was reported declined.
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. No public record found.
Vicente Gonzalez. Has served in the U.S. House since 2017 after two decades in private law practice. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Vicente Gonzalez Jr., House Committee on Ethics site search
Chris Royal. 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.
Eddie Espinoza. Served in the U.S. Army from 1989 to 1991. No official finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Eddie Espinoza
Eric Flores. Served as an officer in the Texas Army National Guard and held sworn posts as a municipal judge and assistant U.S. attorney. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Eric Flores (Texas), San Antonio Report, candidate profile
Vicente Gonzalez. Has held sworn House office since 2017 and voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Chris Royal. Served in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1990. No official finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Chris Royal
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Eddie Espinoza. Army veteran and former public school teacher in the Rio Grande Valley. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Eddie Espinoza, Campaign site
Eric Flores. Former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Texas, former Alton city attorney and municipal judge, and a former Texas Army National Guard infantry captain; now a law firm partner.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Eric Flores (Texas), San Antonio Report, candidate profile
Vicente Gonzalez. In the U.S. House since 2017, three terms for the 15th District and two for the 34th; earlier an attorney in private practice from 1997.
Sources: San Antonio Report, candidate profile, Ballotpedia, Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
Chris Royal. Army veteran whose career includes work as a teacher, lawyer, real estate textbook author, computer programmer and restaurateur. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Chris Royal
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Eddie Espinoza. Campaign site lists positions on campaign finance and foreign policy in general terms.
Source: Campaign site
Eric Flores. Campaign priorities page covers regional infrastructure, water, veterans, seniors' benefits, agriculture and small business in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Priorities
Vicente Gonzalez. Serves on the Financial Services Committee and its Capital Markets and National Security, Illicit Finance subcommittees, and co-chairs the Blue Dog Coalition. No committee or subcommittee chair or ranking post found.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, San Antonio Report, candidate profile
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Eddie Espinoza. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026 and publishes positions on his campaign site.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Eddie Espinoza, Campaign site
Eric Flores. Publishes a plain-language priorities page. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, Priorities, Ballotpedia, Eric Flores (Texas)
Vicente Gonzalez. Offers an e-newsletter and issue pages on his House site and debated his 2024 opponent on television. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Texas Border Business, Oct. 18, 2024, Ballotpedia, Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
Chris Royal. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024, not in 2026.
Source: Ballotpedia, Chris Royal
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. Grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and served as a city attorney in Alton. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 53 percent of itemized individual contributions from Texas.
Sources: Campaign site, About Eric, FEC contribution totals by state
Vicente Gonzalez. A Corpus Christi native who lives in McAllen and has represented the 34th District since 2023. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 24 percent of itemized individual contributions from Texas.
Sources: San Antonio Report, candidate profile, Ballotpedia, Vicente Gonzalez Jr., FEC contribution totals by state
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. 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
Vicente Gonzalez. 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
Chris Royal. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. No public record found.
Vicente Gonzalez. Legislative Effectiveness Score 0.137 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.535, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: his Housing our Veterans Act was enacted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 6810 (117th Congress)
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. No public record found.
Vicente Gonzalez. Missed 222 of 5,079 roll call votes, 4.4 percent, from January 2017 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. No public record found.
Vicente Gonzalez. Lists three district offices, in Brownsville, Kingsville and Weslaco, and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, office locations
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. No public record found.
Vicente Gonzalez. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.79883 for the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 41 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Chris Royal. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Eddie Espinoza. No public record found.
Eric Flores. No public record found.
Vicente Gonzalez. No public record found.
Chris Royal. 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 34th Congressional District?
Vicente Gonzalez has the strongest record in Texas's 34th Congressional District. Vicente Gonzalez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Vicente Gonzalez's highest marks are relevant experience and coalition building. Eddie Espinoza (4 of 15 criteria), Eric Flores (7 of 15 criteria) and Chris Royal (3 of 15 criteria) have 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 34th Congressional District in 2026?
EDDIE ESPINOZA (Green), ERIC FLORES (Republican), VICENTE GONZALEZ (Democratic, incumbent), CHRIS ROYAL (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Eddie Espinoza a good candidate for Congress?
Eddie Espinoza has public evidence on 4 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.
Is Eric Flores a good candidate for Congress?
Eric Flores 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.
Is Vicente Gonzalez a good candidate for Congress?
Vicente Gonzalez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Chris Royal a good candidate for Congress?
Chris Royal 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.