U.S. House, Texas 36th Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Texas's 36th Congressional District?
Brian Babin has the strongest record in Texas's 36th Congressional District. Brian Babin scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Brian Babin's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Rhonda Hart (4 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
Brian Babin
On the ballot as BRIAN BABIN
62 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 44
Democratic
Rhonda Hart
On the ballot as RHONDA HART
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 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.
Brian Babin
- Mark against2023-06-09
Filed a periodic transaction report on June 9, 2023 disclosing four stock purchases made March to August 2022, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline; his office said he was compliant per the Ethics Committee.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20005641, Raw Story
- On the record2023-09-30
Voted Nay on the Sept. 30, 2023 continuing resolution that averted a government shutdown, when Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Majority Leader Steve Scalise voted Yea.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 513, 2023
- On the record2021-01-07
Signed the December 2020 House members' amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania and voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021; both objections failed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Amicus brief of 126 Representatives, Texas v. Pennsylvania
Rhonda Hart
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.
Brian Babin. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 was filed May 12, 2026, and committee reports are on file with the FEC. A June 2023 periodic transaction report disclosed 2022 trades late; only one outlet reported it, so E16 is not met.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076043, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20005641, House Committee on Ethics site search for Babin, FEC administrative fines search
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Brian Babin. Voted Nay on the Sept. 30, 2023 continuing resolution and the December 2023 defense authorization conference report when his party's leaders voted Yea, and Yea on the 2026 ROTOR Act when Majority Leader Scalise voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 513, 2023, Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 723, 2023, NDAA conference report, House Clerk Roll Call 72, 2026, ROTOR Act
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Brian Babin. No public record found.
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Brian Babin. Has served in the U.S. House since 2015 after local office in Woodville and Air Force service. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Brian Babin, House Committee on Ethics site search for Babin
Rhonda Hart. 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.
Brian Babin. Voted Yea on both January 2021 objections to certified electors (Arizona, Roll Call 10; Pennsylvania, Roll Call 11), and signed the December 2020 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, Amicus brief of 126 Representatives, Texas v. Pennsylvania
Rhonda Hart. Served in the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2003. No official finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Rhonda Hart
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Brian Babin. In the U.S. House since January 2015, now in his sixth term; earlier mayor, alderman and school board member in Woodville, and an Air Force captain from 1975 to 1979.
Source: Ballotpedia, Brian Babin
Rhonda Hart. Army veteran and public policy advocate who has worked on gun storage laws for six years. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Rhonda Hart
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Brian Babin. Chairs the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and earlier chaired its Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee; office site publishes issue priorities.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Ballotpedia, Brian Babin, committee assignments, Office site, home page
Rhonda Hart. Her 2026 survey answers state positions on costs, tariffs, wages, health care and war in general terms.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Brian Babin. Offers an e-newsletter and telephone town halls and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Rhonda Hart. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Her campaign site carries no issue pages.
Source: Ballotpedia, Rhonda Hart
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Brian Babin. Born in Port Arthur in 1948, lives in Woodville, where he served as mayor, and keeps a district office there. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 77 percent of itemized individual contributions from Texas.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Brian Babin, Texas Tribune, Sept. 30, 2026, Office site, office locations, FEC contribution totals by state
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Brian Babin. 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
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Brian Babin. Legislative Effectiveness Score 0.416 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.473, below expectations. His enacted sponsored bills are a post office naming and a wildlife refuge renaming.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Brian Babin. Missed 158 of 6,404 roll call votes, 2.5 percent, from January 2015 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Brian Babin. Lists district offices in Deer Park, Lumberton and Woodville and a satellite office in Dayton, by appointment, and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, office locations
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Brian Babin. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.98623 for the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 331 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Rhonda Hart. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Brian Babin. No public record found.
Rhonda Hart. 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 36th Congressional District?
Brian Babin has the strongest record in Texas's 36th Congressional District. Brian Babin scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Brian Babin's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Rhonda Hart (4 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 36th Congressional District in 2026?
BRIAN BABIN (Republican, incumbent), RHONDA HART (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Brian Babin a good candidate for Congress?
Brian Babin scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 44 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Rhonda Hart a good candidate for Congress?
Rhonda Hart 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.
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.