2026 Texas General Election

Fighting for Lower Taxes: Stan believes in a small government that doesn’t burden families with higher taxes. He’ll continue fighting for permanent property tax relief and reforms that keep government small, efficient, and accountable to the taxpayers who fund it.

Issues | Stan Gerdes

Texans work hard, and they deserve to keep more of what they earn. Stan Gerdes helped deliver the largest property tax cut in American history, and in the 89th Legislative Session, he fought to raise the homestead exemption and expand the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000, providing relief to homeowners, small business owners, and job creators across the state.

What would your top priorities be if elected? Keeping Texas safe, defending constitutional rights, cutting property taxes, and strengthening schools. That means stopping violent illegal aliens, protecting the Second Amendment, putting parents in charge of education, and continuing the fight to put Texas on the pathway to eliminate property taxes so Texans truly own their homes.

Q&A: Meet the Republican candidates for state representative District 17

Plans to pursue permanent property-tax relief, including eliminating property taxes and expanding homestead and business personal-property tax exemptions.

- Plans to pursue permanent property-tax relief, including eliminating property taxes and expanding homestead and business personal-property tax exemptions.

Economy

Securing the Border: Texas is leading the fight to finish President Trump’s wall and restore law and order to our southern border. Stan Gerdes has worked closely with law enforcement and ICE to pass tough new laws that strengthen cooperation between local, state, and federal agencies to stop illegal crossings and deport criminal aliens.

Over the past few years, Stan passed major border security bills providing over $6 billion in funding to continue building the wall, expand border patrol operations, and crack down on human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling. Stan Gerdes will never back down from defending Texas sovereignty — he’ll keep fighting until the border is fully secured from cartels, traffickers, and anyone who threatens the safety of our state.

Stan Gerdes is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and Texas State Rifle Association, and he will fight to secure our right to bear arms. He believes every citizen has a right to protect themselves and their family.

During his first two legislative sessions, Representative Gerdes has delivered real conservative results for the people of House District 17. He passed the largest property tax cut in American history, secured billions for border security, and increased funding for rural law enforcement. He supported strong bail reform, protected children from gender modification procedures and explicit content, and backed legislation to stop China and other foreign adversaries from buying Texas land.

Meet Representative Stan Gerdes

Supports border-security laws that increase cooperation among agencies, fund wall construction and border operations, and target human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling.

Supports the right to bear arms for self-defense and family protection.

Supported bail reform and legislation to bar China and other foreign adversaries from buying Texas land.

- Supports border-security laws that increase cooperation among agencies, fund wall construction and border operations, and target human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling.
- Supports the right to bear arms for self-defense and family protection.
- Supported bail reform and legislation to bar China and other foreign adversaries from buying Texas land.

Public Safety

100% Pro-Life: Stan Gerdes is unapologetically pro-life. Texas has led the nation with the Heartbeat Bill and the Trigger Ban on abortion, and in the last Session, Stan proudly supported new pro-life legislation that strengthens adoption services, helps struggling Texas mothers, and protects the unborn.

As a father, Stan knows every human heartbeat is a miracle worth defending. He will continue fighting to make Texas the safest state in the nation for mothers and their babies, and will always stand against efforts to weaken these protections.

Texas parents can count on Stan Gerdes to protect children from radical leftist attempts to sexualize and exploit them. In the 89th Legislative Session, he helped pass strong laws to stop gender modification procedures on minors, ban explicit drag shows for children, and crack down on obscene materials in schools and libraries.

Opposes efforts to weaken Texas abortion restrictions and supports legislation affecting adoption services and assistance for mothers.

Opposes abortion access and supports legislation affecting adoption services and assistance for mothers.

Supported laws prohibiting gender modification procedures for minors.

- Opposes abortion access and supports legislation affecting adoption services and assistance for mothers.
- Supported laws prohibiting gender modification procedures for minors.

Healthcare

If elected, what would your priorities be for the future of Texas education? Strong, values-based education. I helped pass over $8.5 billion for schools, raised pay for teachers, counselors, and librarians. I supported prayer and brought back the Ten Commandments in schools, and will keep fighting for classrooms that reflect Texas values. Our kids deserve a quality education.

Education and Public Schools: Strong schools build strong communities. Stan Gerdes supported a historic $8.5 billion investment in public education to strengthen classrooms and ensure students have the resources they need to learn, grow, and succeed.

Stan has also invested in training grants that expand job training, apprenticeships, and education programs for rural communities—helping Texans develop skills that lead to good-paying jobs. And because great schools depend on great teachers, Stan secured raises for our best teachers.

Supported laws restricting obscene materials in schools and libraries and explicit drag shows for children.

Supported laws restricting "obscene materials" in schools and libraries and explicit drag shows for children.

Supports prayer and displaying the Ten Commandments in schools.

Supported public-school funding, rural job-training and apprenticeship grants, and raises for teachers, counselors, and librarians.

- Supported laws restricting "obscene materials" in schools and libraries and explicit drag shows for children.
- Supports prayer and displaying the Ten Commandments in schools.
- Supported public-school funding, rural job-training and apprenticeship grants, and raises for teachers, counselors, and librarians.

Education

Defending Rural Water: As Austin’s rapid growth continues to put heavy pressure on Central Texas’ water resources, it’s more important than ever to have strong protections for both groundwater and surface water. Stan Gerdes helped pass Senate Bill 7, a historic investment in long-term water infrastructure that secures the resources our rural communities need to thrive.

Water is the foundation of life, agriculture, and economic growth. Stan will keep fighting to protect groundwater, invest in new water projects, and ensure the rural communities of House District 17 have a reliable and sustainable supply for generations to come.

Plans to protect groundwater and invest in water infrastructure and projects for a reliable rural water supply.

- Plans to protect groundwater and invest in water infrastructure and projects for a reliable rural water supply.

Energy & the Environment

As of July 22, 2026, Stan Gerdes’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Voting & Elections

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Stan Gerdes

- Supported laws prohibiting gender modification procedures for minors.

- Supported public-school funding, rural job-training and apprenticeship grants, and raises for teachers, counselors, and librarians.

Stan is from Smithville, Texas. He attended the University of Texas. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas. He lives with his wife and son in Smithville, Texas.

State Rep. Stan Gerdes - Texas Policy Research

Stan is a State Representative. He works at the Texas House of Representatives as the State Representative for District 17, where he has been since 2023. He previously worked as a consultant for Governor Rick Perry for over a decade, including serving as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, where he managed the Secretary’s agenda and organized travel to all 17 national laboratories and to more than 25 countries to promote American energy solutions.

Stan Gerdes is currently a member of the Texas House of Representatives representing District 17. He was first elected in 2023 and is serving his first term.

Q&A: Meet the candidates for state representative District 17 | Bastrop

Supports strong border security measures, including funding for "the wall", expanding border patrol, and combating human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling.

Supports bail reform to prevent violent offenders from being released and to stop using taxpayer money for paying criminal bail.

Supports ensuring election integrity by "making sure only U.S. citizens can vote in Texas elections and cleaned up voter rolls to keep our elections secure."

Governor Abbott Makes Endorsements for 2026

Supports "permanent property tax relief" and government reforms to ensure it remains "small, efficient, and accountable."

As a state representative, helped deliver the largest property tax cut in American history, raised the homestead exemption, and expanded the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000.

Supports ensuring "election integrity" by making sure only U.S. citizens can vote in Texas elections and cleaning up voter rolls.

Buket Urgen

Alejandra Gracias

Mary Elizabeth Klenz

- Your state representative represents the interests of your local district in the Texas House of Representatives. The State House of Representatives, along with the State Senate, makes up your state lawmaking body: the Texas State Legislature
- Your state representative can author, sponsor, and vote on bills that may become state laws. 
- There are 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives, each representing a single district. Representatives must be at least 21 years old and reside in the state for at least two years before their election. 
- State representatives are elected to two-year terms during even-numbered years. There are no term limits. 
- State representatives make $7,200 annually in addition to a $221 payment per day during legislative sessions and mileage reimbursements.

Your representative and state lawmaker in the Texas House of Representatives.