U.S. House, Texas 37th Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Texas's 37th Congressional District?
Greg Casar has the strongest record in Texas's 37th Congressional District. Greg Casar scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Greg Casar's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lauren Peña (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.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Greg Casar
On the ballot as GREG CASAR
59 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 38
Republican
Lauren Peña
On the ballot as LAUREN B. PEÑA
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 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.
Greg Casar
- On the record2024-03-07
Voted Nay on the Laken Riley Act (H.R. 7511) on March 7, 2024, with Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries; the bill passed 251 to 170.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 66, 2024
- On the record2023-05-31
Voted No on the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the 2023 debt limit agreement, on May 31, 2023, when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and most House Democrats voted Aye.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023
Lauren Peña
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.
Greg Casar. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 was filed Aug. 11, 2026 after an extension, and committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No periodic transaction reports, House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076038, House Committee on Ethics site search for Casar, FEC administrative fines search
Lauren Peña. A House candidate financial disclosure was filed April 13, 2026, and committee reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or ethics finding found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075544, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Greg Casar. Voted against the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act, the April 2024 Israel security supplemental and the 2026 consolidated appropriations bill, each time when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted for it.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023, Fiscal Responsibility Act, House Clerk Roll Call 152, 2024, Israel Security Supplemental, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026
Lauren Peña. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Greg Casar. Held an in-person town hall at Austin Community College's Rio Grande Campus in February 2025. No 2026 general election debate with Lauren Peña was found, and none was reported declined.
Source: KUT via Texas Public Radio, Aug. 25, 2025, photo caption
Lauren Peña. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Greg Casar. Served on the Austin City Council from 2015 and in the U.S. House since 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Greg Casar, House Committee on Ethics site search for Casar
Lauren Peña. 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.
Greg Casar. Has held sworn city and federal office since 2015; he entered Congress in 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Greg Casar
Lauren Peña. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Greg Casar. In the U.S. House since January 2023, now completing a second term, after serving on the Austin City Council from 2015 and as policy director of the Workers Defense Project.
Source: Ballotpedia, Greg Casar
Lauren Peña. Works as a policy advisor and legal advocate and has been affiliated with Austin's Public Safety Commission and Community Police Review Commission. Has not held elected office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Lauren Peña
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Greg Casar. Ranking member of the Oversight Committee's Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; his office site publishes detailed issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Lauren Peña. States positions on welfare reform, public safety and federal higher education funding in general terms.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lauren Peña, survey, The Daily Texan, Sept. 24, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Greg Casar. Offers an e-newsletter and issue pages, completed Ballotpedia's survey in 2024 (not 2026) and holds in-person town halls.
Lauren Peña. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025 and gave an on-record interview to The Daily Texan in September 2026.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lauren Peña, The Daily Texan, Sept. 24, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Greg Casar. Born in Houston, served Austin on its city council from 2015 and runs an Austin district office. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 58 percent of itemized individual contributions from Texas.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Greg Casar, FEC contribution totals by state
Lauren Peña. Lives in Austin public housing per The Daily Texan and has served on Austin city commissions. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 51 percent of itemized individual contributions from Texas.
Sources: The Daily Texan, Sept. 24, 2026, Ballotpedia, Lauren Peña, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Greg Casar. 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
Lauren Peña. Committee reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Greg Casar. Legislative Effectiveness Score 0.052 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.522, below expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bills he sponsored.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Lauren Peña. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Greg Casar. Missed 120 of 1,917 roll call votes, 6.3 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Lauren Peña. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Greg Casar. Runs Austin and San Antonio offices, offers help with federal agencies and publishes casework totals: 3,454 constituent cases closed.
Source: Office site, home page
Lauren Peña. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Greg Casar. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.99088 for the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 429 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Lauren Peña. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Greg Casar. No public record found.
Lauren Peña. 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 37th Congressional District?
Greg Casar has the strongest record in Texas's 37th Congressional District. Greg Casar scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Greg Casar's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lauren Peña (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 37th Congressional District in 2026?
GREG CASAR (Democratic, incumbent), LAUREN B. PEÑA (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Greg Casar a good candidate for Congress?
Greg Casar scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 38 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Lauren Peña a good candidate for Congress?
Lauren Peña 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.