Leticia Gutierrez

Leticia Gutierrez says her parents were farm laborers and that she has called the district home for 45 years; she attended Milby High School, according to her campaign website.[3][4] She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas, which her Candidate Connection survey lists as Finance and Economics.[2][3][4] Ballotpedia lists her profession as a government relations and community outreach director, and her campaign website says she works with elected officials and government agencies on behalf of her community.[3][4]

Gutierrez says she has advocated for children's health for years after her son developed asthma as a child. She describes herself as a single mother of two whose oldest son serves in the U.S. Army.[3] She won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary for the redrawn 9th District, according to the Associated Press as reported by FOX 26 Houston, in a multi-candidate field.[1][4][7] Her campaign focused on affordability and infrastructure resilience.[2][3][4] Gutierrez won the November 3, 2026 general election with 57.6% of the vote to Alex Mealer's 42.4%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[5]