Texas Ballot Compare

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Nonpartisan voter guide · Texas

State Representative, District 137

Race · November 3, 2026 general election

State of Texas
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
Helen ZhouHelen ZhouRepublican
Gene WuGene WuDemocratic Incumbent
On ballot as
HELEN ZHOU
GENE WU
Current role
Certified public accountant and real estate broker
State Representative, Texas House District 137 (since 2013; first elected 2012); Chair, Texas House Democratic Caucus (chosen by House Democrats, December 2024)
Background
  • Bachelor's and master's degrees in accountancy and economics, Purdue University (per campaign)
  • Moved to Houston in 1998 to work for a Big 4 accounting firm (per campaign)
  • Has owned a home in Sharpstown since 2004 (per campaign)
  • Born in Shanghai, China (per campaign)
  • Came to the U.S. with her family as a high school student (per campaign)
  • Bachelor's degree, Texas A&M University
  • Master's, LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin
  • Law degree, South Texas College of Law
  • Attorney in private practice
  • Former prosecutor, Harris County District Attorney's Office
  • Grew up in the Southwest Houston neighborhood of Sharpstown
Experience
  • Elected member, Sharpstown Civic Association board and executive committee (since 2022) (per campaign)
  • Executive board member, Chinese Civic Center, over a decade (per campaign)
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): won over Robert McKenzie
  • Committee service includes Appropriations, Redistricting and vice chair of Criminal Jurisprudence (per official biography)
  • Appointed to the Texas Access to Justice Commission (per official biography)
  • Appointed to the Texas State Child Fatality Review Team (per official biography)
  • Led more than 50 Democratic colleagues out of the Capitol in 2025 to break quorum over a redistricting map (per campaign)
Top priorities
  • Job training: "bring debt-free job training directly into our community colleges, high schools, and adult vocational programs"
  • Public safety: "Support laws that bring real consequences for repeat offenders and gang activity"
  • Flooding: "full state funding to finish Project Brays and every flood-protection project that shields District 137"
  • Water: "$2–3 billion from the Rainy Day Fund and the Texas Water Fund to rebuild the East Water Purification Plant"
  • Economy: "An economy that works for working families — fair wages, fair housing, and lower costs."
  • Health care: "Lower the cost of care and protect the health programs working families count on."
  • Elections: "Voters should choose their leaders — not the other way around."
  • Education: "Fully fund and restore our neighborhood schools — and stop voucher schemes from draining classrooms."
  • Youth: "Safer kids and a justice system that gives every young Texan a real shot."
Tidbits
  • Abortion: No public statement found
  • Border and immigration: Told the Houston Chronicle editorial board she would represent "immigrants who want to make a contribution, immigrants who are for law and order, who don't break rules"
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: No public statement found
  • Property taxes: Campaign site: "I feel the pain when property taxes rise faster than paychecks"
Claims and the record
  • Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
  • Abortion: No public statement found
  • Border and immigration: Campaign site: "Gene opposes alien land laws and attacks on immigrant communities"
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: Campaign site: "Fully fund and restore our neighborhood schools — and stop voucher schemes from draining classrooms."
  • Property taxes: No public statement found
Claims and the record
  • 2025 quorum-break fine: Fined $8,354.25 by the House Administration Committee (April 2026) for the August 2025 quorum break. The Texas Supreme Court denied the attorney general's petition to remove him and the governor's separate request to remove him (May 2026). He said he had not abandoned his office and would pay his fine out of pocket.
Endorsements
  • Houston Police Officers' Union
  • Houston Chronicle Editorial Board (primary)
  • The LINK Letter (listed by campaign)
  • Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller (listed by campaign)
  • Howard Barker, Harris County Republican Party Senate District 17 Chair (listed by campaign)
Show all 11
  • Shari Newton, Harris County Republican Party Senate District 13 Chair (listed by campaign)
  • Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association (listed by campaign)
  • Conservative Republicans of Harris County (listed by campaign)
  • “The C-Club” of Houston (listed by campaign)
  • Paul Sullivan, former Harris County Republican Party precinct chair (listed by campaign)
  • Julie Hunt, former Harris County Republican Party precinct chair (listed by campaign)
  • Texas AFL-CIO
  • Texas AFT
  • Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
  • Texas State Teachers Association
Campaign website
helenforstaterep.com
genefortexas.com
Helen Zhou

Helen Zhou

Republican
On ballot as
HELEN ZHOU
Current role
Certified public accountant and real estate broker
Background
  • Bachelor's and master's degrees in accountancy and economics, Purdue University (per campaign)
  • Moved to Houston in 1998 to work for a Big 4 accounting firm (per campaign)
  • Has owned a home in Sharpstown since 2004 (per campaign)
  • Born in Shanghai, China (per campaign)
  • Came to the U.S. with her family as a high school student (per campaign)
Experience
  • Elected member, Sharpstown Civic Association board and executive committee (since 2022) (per campaign)
  • Executive board member, Chinese Civic Center, over a decade (per campaign)
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): won over Robert McKenzie
Top priorities
  • Job training: "bring debt-free job training directly into our community colleges, high schools, and adult vocational programs"
  • Public safety: "Support laws that bring real consequences for repeat offenders and gang activity"
  • Flooding: "full state funding to finish Project Brays and every flood-protection project that shields District 137"
  • Water: "$2–3 billion from the Rainy Day Fund and the Texas Water Fund to rebuild the East Water Purification Plant"
Tidbits
  • Abortion: No public statement found
  • Border and immigration: Told the Houston Chronicle editorial board she would represent "immigrants who want to make a contribution, immigrants who are for law and order, who don't break rules"
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: No public statement found
  • Property taxes: Campaign site: "I feel the pain when property taxes rise faster than paychecks"
Claims and the record
  • Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
Endorsements
  • Houston Police Officers' Union
  • Houston Chronicle Editorial Board (primary)
  • The LINK Letter (listed by campaign)
  • Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller (listed by campaign)
  • Howard Barker, Harris County Republican Party Senate District 17 Chair (listed by campaign)
Show all 11
  • Shari Newton, Harris County Republican Party Senate District 13 Chair (listed by campaign)
  • Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association (listed by campaign)
  • Conservative Republicans of Harris County (listed by campaign)
  • “The C-Club” of Houston (listed by campaign)
  • Paul Sullivan, former Harris County Republican Party precinct chair (listed by campaign)
  • Julie Hunt, former Harris County Republican Party precinct chair (listed by campaign)
Campaign website
helenforstaterep.com
Gene Wu

Gene Wu

Democratic Incumbent
On ballot as
GENE WU
Current role
State Representative, Texas House District 137 (since 2013; first elected 2012); Chair, Texas House Democratic Caucus (chosen by House Democrats, December 2024)
Background
  • Bachelor's degree, Texas A&M University
  • Master's, LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin
  • Law degree, South Texas College of Law
  • Attorney in private practice
  • Former prosecutor, Harris County District Attorney's Office
  • Grew up in the Southwest Houston neighborhood of Sharpstown
Experience
  • Committee service includes Appropriations, Redistricting and vice chair of Criminal Jurisprudence (per official biography)
  • Appointed to the Texas Access to Justice Commission (per official biography)
  • Appointed to the Texas State Child Fatality Review Team (per official biography)
  • Led more than 50 Democratic colleagues out of the Capitol in 2025 to break quorum over a redistricting map (per campaign)
Top priorities
  • Economy: "An economy that works for working families — fair wages, fair housing, and lower costs."
  • Health care: "Lower the cost of care and protect the health programs working families count on."
  • Elections: "Voters should choose their leaders — not the other way around."
  • Education: "Fully fund and restore our neighborhood schools — and stop voucher schemes from draining classrooms."
  • Youth: "Safer kids and a justice system that gives every young Texan a real shot."
Tidbits
  • Abortion: No public statement found
  • Border and immigration: Campaign site: "Gene opposes alien land laws and attacks on immigrant communities"
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: Campaign site: "Fully fund and restore our neighborhood schools — and stop voucher schemes from draining classrooms."
  • Property taxes: No public statement found
Claims and the record
  • 2025 quorum-break fine: Fined $8,354.25 by the House Administration Committee (April 2026) for the August 2025 quorum break. The Texas Supreme Court denied the attorney general's petition to remove him and the governor's separate request to remove him (May 2026). He said he had not abandoned his office and would pay his fine out of pocket.
Endorsements
  • Texas AFL-CIO
  • Texas AFT
  • Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
  • Texas State Teachers Association
Campaign website
genefortexas.com

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