--- title: "Rable vs. Sell: 2026 Texas’ 19th District race" url: "https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-tx-19" updated: "2026-08-01" source: "Candidates' campaign sites and Ballotpedia, quoted verbatim" publisher: "Pluribus" --- # 2026 Texas’ 19th District race: Kyle Rable (D) vs. Tom Sell (R) Rating: Safe R · Election: November 3, 2026 · Ballot checked: October 9, 2026 · Positions captured: August 1, 2026 Texas's 19th Congressional District is an open seat following incumbent Republican Jodey Arrington's decision not to run for re-election. The race hinges on whether Sell, a former congressional staffer and agriculture attorney running on an America-First platform, can maintain the district's strong Republican alignment against Rable, an Army Reserve Captain and PhD candidate advancing a working-class populist platform. ## Candidates - **Kyle Rable** (Democrat) · [Campaign site](https://www.rableforwesttexas.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) - **Tom Sell** (Republican) · [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tom_Sell) ## Issues ### Agriculture & Rural Development Salience: high Rable focuses on freezing loan interest rates and mandating sustainable conservation practices, while Sell emphasizes his legislative background advancing agricultural interests and removing regulatory burdens. **Kyle Rable:** Supports family farm interest freezes and conservation Rable focuses on revitalizing rural communities and protecting family-owned farms from corporate dominance and high costs. He proposes freezing interest rates on small farm loans and expanding government support for sustainable soil and water conservation practices. - Introduce legislation to freeze interest rates on loans for small, family-owned farms. - Expand federal support and ingenuity for sustainable soil and water conservation. - Advocate against policy neglect of West Texas rural communities. > “When I am elected, I will introduce legislation to freeze interest rates on loans for small, family-owned farms.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) > “Congress needs to unleash American ingenuity to tackle soil and water conservation.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) **Tom Sell:** Supports West Texas agricultural producers Sell highlights his deep background as deputy staff director for the House Agriculture Committee and co-founder of an ag-focused law firm. He pledges to champion West Texas producers and rural main street interests in Congress. - Leverage congressional agriculture committee experience to defend farmers and ranchers. - Promote federal policies strengthening agricultural production and West Texas rural economies. > “Champion for Agriculture” > — Tom Sell, via [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) > “played a key role in advancing major legislation that strengthened America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.” > — Tom Sell, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tom_Sell) ### Immigration & Border Security Salience: high Rable emphasizes streamlining legal pathways and expanding documentation, whereas Sell advocates strict America-First border control and enforcement. **Kyle Rable:** Supports streamlining legal immigration pathways Rable supports simplifying the legal immigration system to allow willing workers to join the workforce while expanding documentation procedures at the border. He emphasizes maintaining America's role as a safe haven for persecuted individuals. - Streamline the legal immigration process to reduce legal complexity and curb illegal immigration. - Expand the documentation process for all individuals entering the country. - Allow anyone capable of working to legally join the American workforce without restriction. > “We must streamline the immigration process to enable immigrants to enter the United States legally.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) > “America should protect our national borders by expanding the documentation process for anyone who wishes to enter our country.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) **Tom Sell:** Supports strict border control enforcement Sell advocates for strong border security measures and strict immigration enforcement as a central pillar of his America-First platform. - Implement strong border and immigration control policies. - Prioritize national border enforcement as a core component of national security. > “Strong Border & Immigration Control Policies” > — Tom Sell, via [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) ### Economy & Cost of Living Salience: high Rable proposes fair pricing legislation, corporate home-buying restrictions, and trust-busting, while Sell pledges to support President Trump's America-First economic growth strategy. **Kyle Rable:** Supports fair pricing and anti-monopoly laws Rable targets corporate profiteering, proposing fair pricing legislation, restrictions on corporate purchases of single-family homes, and anti-trust enforcement. He also supports capping presidential tariff authority to prevent trade wars that increase consumer prices. - Enact fair pricing legislation to combat corporate inflation. - Limit large corporations from purchasing single-family homes and expand first-time homebuyer tax credits. - Empower the Small Business Administration to break up corporate monopolies. - Rein in presidential tariff authority to mitigate consumer trade war costs. > “The cost of living continues to skyrocket while corporations rake in record profits. As your congressman, I will enact fair pricing legislation to bring down the cost of living.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) > “Inspired by Theodore Roosevelt, we must break up the monopolies that have come to dominate our economy and strangle out the competition of family-run businesses.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) **Tom Sell:** Supports America-First economic growth Sell aligns his economic agenda with Donald Trump's America-First policies, aiming to bolster economic strength and protect traditional West Texas values. - Promote America-First economic growth policies. - Align with President Trump's economic and trade initiatives. > “President Trump is leading that effort, and I’m ready to stand with him and with you to put America First once again.” > — Tom Sell, via [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) ### National Defense & Foreign Policy Salience: low Rable focuses on reasserting congressional authority by rescinding presidential war powers, while Sell prioritizes maintaining a strong national defense and countering Sharia law. **Kyle Rable:** Supports reasserting congressional war power authority Rable promises to reassert congressional authority under the Constitution by co-sponsoring legislation to rescind presidential war powers to prevent endless foreign military commitments. - Co-sponsor legislation to rescind presidential war powers. - Prevent endless wars in the Middle East and reassert congressional authority. > “As your Congressman, I will co-sponsor legislation to rescind the war powers given to the President to prevent more endless wars in the Middle East.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) **Tom Sell:** Supports strong national defense Sell prioritizes robust national defense spending and opposes extremist foreign legal frameworks. - Strengthen national defense capabilities. - Oppose the implementation of Sharia law. > “Strong National Defense” > — Tom Sell, via [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) > “Stop Sharia Law” > — Tom Sell, via [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) ### Healthcare & Social Safety Nets Salience: medium **Kyle Rable:** Supports expanding healthcare and entitlement programs Rable views healthcare as a human right and vows to defend Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and Veterans Affairs from funding cuts. He advocates capping prescription drug prices, funding rural hospitals, and stopping insurance companies from overriding medical decisions. - Introduce price caps on essential lifesaving medications such as insulin. - Vote to fully fund rural healthcare and keep rural hospitals open. - Enact legislation restricting health insurance companies from denying recommended care. - Insulate Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and VA benefits from executive cuts. > “No American should die due to an inability to afford livesaving medicine and care. After I am elected, I will introduce legislation to put price caps on medicine that saves lives, like insulin.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) > “Healthcare is a human right, and any elected official who promotes legislation that makes it harder for working Americans to have access to healthcare must be voted out.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) **Tom Sell:** No documented position in our sources ### Technology, AI, & Data Privacy Salience: medium **Kyle Rable:** Supports strict regulation of AI and data centers Rable advocates for comprehensive regulation of artificial intelligence, data privacy, and data center developments in rural West Texas. He proposes a bipartisan commission on AI workforce impacts, local ballot measures for data center construction, and prohibiting corporate sales of personal data. - Establish a bipartisan commission focused on protecting workers from AI displacement. - Require local county ballot measures and community benefit agreements before constructing data centers. - Mandate closed-loop water systems and local 'hire first' policies for data center developments. - Limit corporate sales of citizens' personal data and penalize data mishandling. > “As your next Congressman, I will establish a bipartisan commission focused on protecting American workers from the impacts of AI.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kyle_Rable) > “I support the rural communities impacted by these projects and call for a ballot measure for each data center, voted on by the people in the counties where the data center will be built.” > — Kyle Rable, via [Campaign site](https://www.rableforwesttexas.com/) **Tom Sell:** No documented position in our sources ### Energy Salience: medium **Kyle Rable:** No documented position in our sources **Tom Sell:** Supports American energy dominance Sell supports policies aimed at achieving American energy dominance, which aligns with West Texas's prominent oil and gas industry. - Promote American energy dominance. - Support domestic fossil fuel production and energy sector growth. > “Promote Energy Dominance” > — Tom Sell, via [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) ### Second Amendment Salience: medium **Kyle Rable:** No documented position in our sources **Tom Sell:** Opposes gun restrictions and defends 2A Sell prioritizes protecting Second Amendment rights as part of his core conservative platform. - Protect Second Amendment rights for law-abiding gun owners. - Oppose federal gun control measures. > “Protect the Second Amendment” > — Tom Sell, via [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) ### Abortion & Reproductive Rights Salience: low **Kyle Rable:** No documented position in our sources **Tom Sell:** Opposes abortion access Sell takes a pro-life stance, advocating for federal policies that protect unborn life. - Support pro-life legislation to protect unborn children. > “Protect Life” > — Tom Sell, via [Campaign site](https://www.selltexastrue.com/) ## Polls and markets _Updated Oct 31._ - [Polymarket](https://polymarket.com/event/tx-19-house-election-winner) — TX-19 House Election Winner: Republicans 96.3%, Democrats 3.3% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXHOUSERACE-TX19-26) — TX-19 House winner?: Tom Sell 98.0%, Kyle Rable 4.1% [View this race on 2026election.com](https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-tx-19)