Lauren Peña

Lauren Peña is an Austin-based legal advocate and first-time candidate for public office who won the Republican nomination in a May 26, 2026 primary runoff. She is the founder and executive director of Peña Legal Advocacy and describes herself as a mother of four and a survivor of human trafficking who has testified before the Texas Legislature on welfare and housing policy. She says she is running on border security, welfare reform, community policing, and accountability for federal spending.[1][2]

Peña was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and says she was raised across multiple U.S. cities and towns. She graduated from Northwest High School.[1] She earned a bachelor's degree from Southern New Hampshire University in 2024, after attending the University of Texas and Austin Community College in 2023.[1] In her Ballotpedia survey, she describes surviving a decade of human trafficking in Texas and says she has spent the past five years testifying before the Texas Legislature and advocating for welfare and housing reforms.[1]

Peña founded and directs Peña Legal Advocacy, which she describes as providing no-cost legal support; her listed career experience includes work as a policy advisor, legal advocate, and community leader.[1] She has been affiliated with the Austin Public Safety Commission, the Austin Community Police Review Commission, and the Travis County Republican Party, and also describes herself as a homeschool educator.[1] This is her first run for office. She advanced from the March 3, 2026 Republican primary to a runoff against Ge'Nell Gary, which she won with about 58% of the vote according to KUT.[1][2]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.