Texas Ballot Compare

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Nonpartisan voter guide · Texas

State Representative, District 17

Race · November 3, 2026 general election

State of Texas
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
Stan GerdesStan GerdesRepublican Incumbent
Mary Elizabeth KlenzMary Elizabeth KlenzDemocratic
On ballot as
STAN GERDES
MARY ELIZABETH KLENZ
Current role
State Representative, Texas House District 17 (since January 10, 2023)
Retired physician (per Secretary of State filing)
Background
  • Bachelor's degree, University of Texas (per Ballotpedia)
  • Worked for Rick Perry for over a decade (per campaign)
  • Senior advisor when Perry was U.S. Secretary of Energy (per campaign)
  • Occupation: real estate and property management (per The Texas Tribune's directory)
  • Occupation: consultant (per Secretary of State filing)
Show all 7
  • Born and raised in Central Texas (per campaign)
  • Lives in Smithville
  • Bachelor's degree, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1986) (per Ballotpedia)
  • M.D., Duke University School of Medicine (1995) (per Ballotpedia)
  • Obstetrics and gynecology training, New York University (per campaign)
  • U.S. Peace Corps, southern Africa, after college (per campaign)
  • Practiced for 25 years in the Rio Grande Valley (per campaign)
Show all 8
  • Grew up in North Carolina (per campaign)
  • Came to Texas in 1999 (per campaign)
  • Lives on a small ranch outside Giddings in Lee County (per campaign)
Experience
  • District 17 covers Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee and Milam counties
  • Member, House Calendars, Energy Resources, and Licensing & Administrative Procedures committees
  • Served on the Smithville City Council before his election to the House
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): won, 60.7% over Tom Glass
  • Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): won, 60.2% over Frank Gomez III and Robert Salter
Top priorities
  • Will "keep fighting until the border is fully secured from cartels, traffickers, and anyone who threatens the safety of our state" (per his campaign)
  • Will "continue fighting for permanent property tax relief and reforms that keep government small, efficient, and accountable" (per his campaign)
  • Will "keep fighting to protect groundwater, invest in new water projects" (per his campaign)
  • "Strong schools build strong communities."
  • On groundwater export projects: "We need to pause future projects of this kind, conduct an assessment of the current state of our aquifer, and ensure that local residents and landowners are heard."
  • "I will support strengthening the Affordable Care Act and continuing Medicaid expansion"
  • "Increase public school funding, with a focus on raising teacher salaries"
  • "If elected, I will work to repeal HB 2127 and restore genuine local control."
  • "I will work to repeal SB 8 and HB 1280, restoring safe and compassionate standards of care."
Tidbits
  • Abortion: Campaign site: "Stan Gerdes is unapologetically pro-life."
  • Border and immigration: Campaign site: he will "keep fighting until the border is fully secured from cartels, traffickers, and anyone who threatens the safety of our state"
  • Guns: Campaign site: "He believes every citizen has a right to protect themselves and their family."
  • Public schools and vouchers: Campaign site: "Stan Gerdes supported a historic $8.5 billion investment in public education"
  • Property taxes: Campaign site: he will "continue fighting for permanent property tax relief and reforms that keep government small, efficient, and accountable"
  • Abortion: "I will work to repeal SB 8 and HB 1280, restoring safe and compassionate standards of care."
  • Border and immigration: "I will oppose costly, ineffective projects like an expanded border wall that damage private property, harm our environment, and divert funds from proven security measures."
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: "The recently implemented Voucher program threatens to siphon even more resources away from public classrooms and into private institutions"
  • Property taxes: No public statement found
Endorsements
  • Texas Home School Coalition
  • Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
  • Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) PAC
  • TEXPAC (Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee)
  • Texas Alliance for Life
Show all 9
  • NFIB Texas PAC (primary)
  • TruckPAC (Texas Trucking Association) (primary)
  • National Rifle Association (listed by campaign)
  • Texas State Rifle Association (listed by campaign)
  • Texas AFL-CIO
  • National Democratic Redistricting Committee
Campaign website
stangerdes.com
drklenzfortexas.com
Stan Gerdes

Stan Gerdes

Republican Incumbent
On ballot as
STAN GERDES
Current role
State Representative, Texas House District 17 (since January 10, 2023)
Background
  • Bachelor's degree, University of Texas (per Ballotpedia)
  • Worked for Rick Perry for over a decade (per campaign)
  • Senior advisor when Perry was U.S. Secretary of Energy (per campaign)
  • Occupation: real estate and property management (per The Texas Tribune's directory)
  • Occupation: consultant (per Secretary of State filing)
Show all 7
  • Born and raised in Central Texas (per campaign)
  • Lives in Smithville
Experience
  • District 17 covers Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee and Milam counties
  • Member, House Calendars, Energy Resources, and Licensing & Administrative Procedures committees
  • Served on the Smithville City Council before his election to the House
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): won, 60.7% over Tom Glass
Top priorities
  • Will "keep fighting until the border is fully secured from cartels, traffickers, and anyone who threatens the safety of our state" (per his campaign)
  • Will "continue fighting for permanent property tax relief and reforms that keep government small, efficient, and accountable" (per his campaign)
  • Will "keep fighting to protect groundwater, invest in new water projects" (per his campaign)
  • "Strong schools build strong communities."
Tidbits
  • Abortion: Campaign site: "Stan Gerdes is unapologetically pro-life."
  • Border and immigration: Campaign site: he will "keep fighting until the border is fully secured from cartels, traffickers, and anyone who threatens the safety of our state"
  • Guns: Campaign site: "He believes every citizen has a right to protect themselves and their family."
  • Public schools and vouchers: Campaign site: "Stan Gerdes supported a historic $8.5 billion investment in public education"
  • Property taxes: Campaign site: he will "continue fighting for permanent property tax relief and reforms that keep government small, efficient, and accountable"
Endorsements
  • Texas Home School Coalition
  • Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
  • Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) PAC
  • TEXPAC (Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee)
  • Texas Alliance for Life
Show all 9
  • NFIB Texas PAC (primary)
  • TruckPAC (Texas Trucking Association) (primary)
  • National Rifle Association (listed by campaign)
  • Texas State Rifle Association (listed by campaign)
Campaign website
stangerdes.com
Mary Elizabeth Klenz

Mary Elizabeth Klenz

Democratic
On ballot as
MARY ELIZABETH KLENZ
Current role
Retired physician (per Secretary of State filing)
Background
  • Bachelor's degree, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1986) (per Ballotpedia)
  • M.D., Duke University School of Medicine (1995) (per Ballotpedia)
  • Obstetrics and gynecology training, New York University (per campaign)
  • U.S. Peace Corps, southern Africa, after college (per campaign)
  • Practiced for 25 years in the Rio Grande Valley (per campaign)
Show all 8
  • Grew up in North Carolina (per campaign)
  • Came to Texas in 1999 (per campaign)
  • Lives on a small ranch outside Giddings in Lee County (per campaign)
Experience
  • Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): won, 60.2% over Frank Gomez III and Robert Salter
Top priorities
  • On groundwater export projects: "We need to pause future projects of this kind, conduct an assessment of the current state of our aquifer, and ensure that local residents and landowners are heard."
  • "I will support strengthening the Affordable Care Act and continuing Medicaid expansion"
  • "Increase public school funding, with a focus on raising teacher salaries"
  • "If elected, I will work to repeal HB 2127 and restore genuine local control."
  • "I will work to repeal SB 8 and HB 1280, restoring safe and compassionate standards of care."
Tidbits
  • Abortion: "I will work to repeal SB 8 and HB 1280, restoring safe and compassionate standards of care."
  • Border and immigration: "I will oppose costly, ineffective projects like an expanded border wall that damage private property, harm our environment, and divert funds from proven security measures."
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: "The recently implemented Voucher program threatens to siphon even more resources away from public classrooms and into private institutions"
  • Property taxes: No public statement found
Endorsements
  • Texas AFL-CIO
  • National Democratic Redistricting Committee
Campaign website
drklenzfortexas.com

Open in the full comparison: Burleson County, Caldwell County, Bastrop County, Lee County, Milam County

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