The Full Record

Lauren Peña

RLegal advocate; founder, Peña Legal Advocacy

Won the Republican primary runoff against Ge'Nell Gary

Lauren Peña is an Austin-based legal advocate, founder of Peña Legal Advocacy, and self-described survivor of human trafficking who has testified before the Texas Legislature on welfare and housing policy.[4]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsIncrease police funding and staffing

    Opposes reducing police funding and says she supports law enforcement while working to build community trust.[4]

    “Public Safety: Democrats defunded the police instead of educating the community.”

In their words — priorities

  • Says welfare reform is her top priority, arguing the current system traps families in generational poverty.[4]
  • Says she supports law enforcement and favors building community trust through education and engagement rather than reduced police funding.[4]

Background

  • Earned a bachelor's degree from Southern New Hampshire University in 2024, after attending the University of Texas and Austin Community College.[4]
  • Founded and directs Peña Legal Advocacy, providing no-cost legal support across Texas.[4]
  • Has been affiliated with the Austin Public Safety Commission, the Austin Community Police Review Commission, and the Travis County Republican Party.[4]

Campaign money

Raised $118K · spent $117K · $770 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Also on the ballot for this seat: Greg Casar · Compare side by side

Sources cited in this profile

  1. 4.Lauren Peña · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words