WASHINGTON — Terry Virts, a former astronaut and International Space Station commander, on Thursday said that he was ending his campaign for U.S. Senate to run in Texas’ newly drawn 9th Congressional District.
The retired Air Force colonel launched his campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in June. But his bid struggled to gain traction over the higher profile campaigns of state Rep. James Talarico and former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred.
In a press release, Virts said his shift to the House race “reflects a renewed focus on defending Texas’ voice in Congress and ensuring common-sense leadership in this pivotal district.”
“When politicians changed the political maps to favor their power over the power of the people, the maps changed but my mission didn’t,” Virts said. “I’m running to make sure Texans voices are heard — fighting for Texas families, small businesses and the American dream.”
The 9th Congressional District is one of five Democratic seats that state lawmakers overhauled this summer to become more favorable to Republicans during the GOP’s mid-decade redistricting push. The new lines anchor the district east of Houston and transform it from a seat that voted for Vice President Kamala Harris by 44 percentage points last year to one that would have gone for President Donald Trump by 20 points.
State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, and former Army captain Alexandra del Moral Mealer are among the Republicans already in the race.
Virts said his campaign would focus on affordability and working class issues; “common-sense immigration” policy including a “strong border,” “treating immigrants with dignity and respect,” and focusing immigration enforcement on criminal activity; and “restoring democracy” by imposing congressional term limits and “getting corporate money out of politics.”
In an earlier video announcing his Senate candidacy, Virts, 57, drew on his background as an astronaut while distancing himself from the Democratic establishment. “After every mission, we debrief, no excuses, just the truth,” he said. “After the 2024 election disaster, Washington Democratic leadership skipped the debrief.”
He went on to accuse national party leaders of clinging to “the same old bankrupt ideas that they, and not voters, should pick our candidates and that we should run the same old, tired playbook again, hoping for a different outcome.”
Virts, clad in an astronaut jumpsuit and describing himself as a “common-sense Democrat,” highlighted his background in the Air Force, noting that he joined the military at 17 and went on to fly combat missions over Iraq. After he retired from NASA, Virts became a public speaker, delivering lectures, appearing on podcasts, working as an executive coach and authoring several children’s books.
In the Senate launch video, Virts painted the Republican Party as dishonest, adding, “Trump’s chaos must be stopped. The corruption is overwhelming.”
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