U.S. House · Texas's 38th District

A Houston-area district covering parts of northwest Harris County.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 24 claims re-checked against their sources

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

On the ballot · 3 candidates

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEMelissa McDonough
D
Jon Bonck
R
Alex McMenemy
G
Protect legal access to abortion—Opposes[3]—
Stricter gun laws—Opposes[3]—
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations—Supports[3]—
Expand public health coverageSupports[2]—Supports[4]
Faster transition away from fossil fuelsSupports[2]—Supports[4]
Raise the minimum wage——Supports[4]
Continue U.S. military aid to Israel——Opposes[4]

The candidates, in full

Melissa McDonough

DRealtor and brokerage owner; volunteer lobbyist

Won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary with 51.6% of the vote

Melissa McDonough is a Houston-area realtor and brokerage owner who says she has spent more than 20 years as a volunteer lobbyist in Washington, working on consumer-protection, housing, health care, veterans, and agriculture legislation.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsFaster transition away from fossil fuels

    Supports strengthening the EPA and enforcing existing federal environmental laws including the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.[2]

    “We must reinstate and strengthen agencies including the EPA, NOAA, USDA, GSA, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Education, and Health and Human Services, while fully enforcing the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.”
  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Says her advocacy has focused on affordable health care.[2]

In their words — priorities

  • Calls for restoring constitutional checks and balances among the three branches of government.[2]
  • Supports reinstating and strengthening federal agencies including the EPA, USDA, and Department of Education, and fully enforcing the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.[2]
  • Says her advocacy work has focused on consumer protection, housing affordability, affordable health care, veterans' services, and agriculture.[2]

Background

  • Has worked as a realtor and brokerage owner for 30 years.[2]
  • Says she has spent more than 20 years as a volunteer lobbyist on Capitol Hill, working with groups including the National Association of Realtors and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance.[2]
  • Has been affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS and the Harris County Democratic Lawyers Association.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $67K · spent $46K · $44K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Jon Bonck

RSales manager, Bonck & Baker Mortgage Group

Won the May 26, 2026 Republican primary runoff against Shelly deZevallos, 64.8% to 35.2%

Jon Bonck is a Houston-area mortgage sales manager with a background in the biochemical and petroleum industries.[3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportations

    Campaign platform calls for finishing a border wall and ending illegal border crossings.[3]

    “Finish the wall. End the invasion. Put Texas first.”
  • OpposesProtect legal access to abortion

    Opposes abortion access, stating that life begins at conception.[3]

    “Life begins at conception. No compromise.”
  • OpposesStricter gun laws

    Campaign platform calls for protecting the Second Amendment.[3]

    “Protect the Second Amendment God-given rights don’t need D.C.’s permission.”

In their words — priorities

  • Supports finishing a border wall.[3]
  • Opposes abortion, saying life begins at conception.[3]
  • Opposes what his campaign describes as curricula addressing gender identity in schools.[3]

Background

  • Earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Louisiana State University.[3]
  • Worked in quality control in the biochemical and petroleum industries, then moved into marketing with Nalco Champion in 2015.[3]
  • Became a sales manager at Bonck & Baker Mortgage Group in 2019.[3]

Campaign money

Raised $1.6M · spent $1.6M · $89K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Alex McMenemy

G

Advanced from the Green Party convention on March 14, 2026

Alex McMenemy is the Green Party nominee, running on a platform of universal health care, stronger environmental protections, and a higher minimum wage.[4]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Calls for free universal health care.[4]

    “My campaign calls for free universal healthcare”
  • SupportsRaise the minimum wage

    Calls for raising the federal minimum wage to $20 per hour.[4]

    “a $20 minimum wage as well as stronger unions”
  • SupportsFaster transition away from fossil fuels

    Calls for stronger environmental protections to address climate change.[4]

    “stronger environmental protections to combat climate change”
  • OpposesContinue U.S. military aid to Israel

    Opposes continued U.S. weapons supplies to Israel, describing the government's actions in Gaza as a genocide of Palestinians.[4]

    “our government is starting new wars every day or contributing to war crimes like Israel's genocide of the Palestinians. My campaign calls for the end of ICE, the end to foreign wars, and an end to supplying weapons for war criminals!”

In their words — priorities

  • Calls for free universal health care, stronger environmental protections, a $20 minimum wage, and stronger labor unions.[4]
  • Calls for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending U.S. involvement in foreign wars.[4]
  • Says he is focused on addressing homelessness.[4]

Campaign money

Raised $9,888 · spent $9,082 · $806 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Research notes & limits

No biography or background information was found on Ballotpedia for Green Party nominee Alex McMenemy beyond his Candidate Connection survey; his 'israel_aid' position reflects his own campaign statement quoted verbatim, not an independently verified news account.

Sources · 4

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Melissa McDonough · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
  3. 3.Jon Bonck · Ballotpedia (quoting Bonck's campaign website) Candidate's own words
  4. 4.Alex McMenemy · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words