The Texas House Districts That Democrats Could Flip

 Texas has 36 representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives. 25 of them are Republicans and only 11 are Democrats.

But if a blue wave actually happens this November, it could even affect bright-red Texas. And Democrats are working hard to flip some of the Republican seats.

Here are the House Districts the Democrats have the best chance of flipping, according to the Austin American-Statesman:

7th Congressional District

The matchup: U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, vs. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, Democrat

The district: The 7th, one of the state’s wealthiest districts, serves a small area of western Harris County, including affluent enclaves of Houston and nearly a dozen incorporated suburbs. The district is 44 percent white and 32 percent Hispanic, with a median household income of $71,183.

The Trump margin: In 2016, 48.5 percent of district voters opted for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, 47.1 percent for President Donald Trump.

Money raised: Culberson: $1.5 million ; Fletcher: $1.4 million (this election cycle, according to the campaign finance data through early May)

The race: Despite Clinton’s victory in this district, Culberson, who has represented the district since 2001, was re-elected in 2016 with 56 percent of the vote. Fletcher, an attorney and the more moderate candidate in the Democratic runoff, comes into the race with the support of Emily’s List, a political action committee that helps elect pro-abortion rights Democratic women. Democrats are hoping that dissatisfaction with Trump among well-to-do Republican women will translate into victory. As of Tuesday, the Cook Political Report rates the seat as a toss-up.

21st Congressional District

The matchup: Chip Roy, Republican, vs. Joseph Kopser, Democrat

The district: The 21st includes swaths of Central and South Austin, parts of Hays and Comal counties, the north side of San Antonio and six Hill Country counties. The district is 62 percent white.

The Trump margin: In 2016, 52.5 percent of district voters opted for Trump, 42.5 percent for Clinton.

Money raised: Kopser: $1.2 million; Roy: $700,000

The race: For three decades, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, had a lock on this seat. After Smith announced his retirement last fall, the district is up for grabs. Cook rates it likely Republican. This promises to be an expensive race, as outside groups have already poured in hundreds of thousands of dollars, including the conservative-minded Club for Growth and the Serve America Victory Fund, which helps elect Democratic military veterans to Congress. Kopser, an Army veteran and Austin tech entrepreneur, will have to run up the score in liberal Austin to have a chance, while Roy, former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will depend on turnout in reliably Republican swaths of the Hill Country. Cruz, devoted to Roy and eager to kick up the vote in his own re-election campaign, could be a force.

23rd Congressional District

The matchup: U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, vs. Gina Ortiz Jones, Democrat

The district: This massive, mostly rural district runs from San Antonio to El Paso and includes the border cities of Eagle Pass and Del Rio, as well as Fort Stockton, a ranching and oil and gas production center. The district is nearly 70 percent Hispanic, with a median household income of $51,293. It encompasses Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park and the nearby towns of Alpine and Marfa.

The Trump margin: Clinton took this district by 49.8 percent to Trump’s 46.4 percent.

Money raised: Gina Ortiz Jones: $1.2 million; Will Hurd: $2.4 million

The race: The 23rd is a swing district, going back and forth between Republicans and Democrats over the past decade. Hurd, a former CIA agent who is one of two African-American Republicans in the U.S. House, was elected in 2014 and narrowly won re-election in 2016. He has opposed Trump’s border wall plan, a popular stance in the district. Ortiz Jones is an openly gay former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer making her first political bid. The daughter of a single mother from the Philippines, she is Asian-American. Cook rates the seat leaning Republican.

31st Congressional District

The matchup: U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, vs. Mary Jennings “MJ” Hegar, Democrat

The district: Created after the 2000 census, the 31st is largely suburban and nearly 60 percent white. It encompasses fast-growing Williamson County and most of Bell County, including Temple, Belton and Killeen, adjacent to Fort Hood.

The Trump margin: Trump carried this district by a margin of 53.5 percent to 40.8 percent.

Money raised: Hegar: $500,000; Carter: $700,000

The race: John Carter, a former state district judge, has represented this district since 2003. In 2016, he won the general election with 58.4 percent of the vote. He may face his stiffest opponent in Hegar, a former Air Force helicopter pilot who won medals for her bravery in Afghanistan. Hegar’s path to victory lies in the southern part of the district, in the areas closest to Austin. Hegar hopes to appeal to moderates and women unhappy with the Trump administration. Cook calls the 31st a solidly Republican district, suggesting a Democratic win here in November would mean an enormous national wave for Democrats.

32nd Congressional District

The matchup: U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, vs. Colin Allred, Democrat

The district: The 32nd includes part of Preston Hollow, the affluent North Dallas neighborhood that George W. Bush has called home since the end of his presidency. The district covers mostly the northern and eastern Dallas County areas and a small portion of Collin County. It’s 53 percent white, 14 percent African-American, 8 percent Asian and 24 percent Hispanic.

The Trump margin: Clinton carried the district 48.5 percent to 46.6 percent for Trump.

Money raised: Sessions: $2 million; Allred: $1 million 

The race: Sessions, first elected to Congress from the 5th Congressional District in 1996 and then from the 32nd since 2004, has sounded bullish about his chances. In December 2016 he told The Dallas Morning News, “If the Democrats want to think they can take their party, that is dead, and resurrect something in Texas 32, bring it on.” Now he faces Allred, a voting rights attorney and former pro football player, who accuses Sessions of loyally supporting the president to the detriment of the district. “For too long, the people of this district have not had a choice,” Allred said at a runoff party Tuesday. Cook says the district leans Republican.