Texas Ballot Compare

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Nonpartisan voter guide · Texas

State Representative, District 147

Race · November 3, 2026 general election

State of Texas
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
Theodis DanielRepublican
Jolanda JonesJolanda JonesDemocratic Incumbent
On ballot as
THEODIS DANIEL
JOLANDA JONES
Current role
Not found
State Representative, Texas House District 147 (since May 18, 2022); attorney
Background
  • Proud Texan and military veteran
  • Wildlife consultant, philanthropist, U.S. veteran and entrepreneur
  • Son, DJ Daniel, who has brain cancer, was a guest at President Trump's joint address to Congress
  • Lost his house to Hurricane Harvey
  • Alief Elsik High School graduate
  • B.S., University of Houston (1989)
  • J.D., University of Houston (1995)
  • Owner and attorney, Law Office of Jolanda Jones
  • 4-time national track and field champion (per official biography)
  • Basketball All-American (per official biography)
Experience
  • Ran for U.S. House District 18 (Nov. 4, 2025 special election); received 1.2% of the vote
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
  • Ran for U.S. House District 18 (Nov. 4, 2025 special election); finished third with 19.1%
  • Houston ISD Trustee, District IV (2016–2020)
  • Houston City Council member (January 2008–January 2012)
Top priorities
  • Crime: "Texas needs tougher sentencing for violent offenders" and "serious investment in youth programs"
  • Police: "I'll fight to raise starting pay, recruit officers from the communities they serve, and expand training in de-escalation"
  • Spending: "I'll push for strict audits, transparent contracting, and an end to runaway overtime that drains public budgets"
  • Schools: "I support school choice and high-quality charter programs"; also "Teachers deserve fair pay and meaningful training"
  • "Reducing and/or removing property taxes for Texans" among his top priorities
  • "Protecting voting rights and making life affordable" (Community Impact Q&A)
  • Says she will file legislation to "expand Medicaid, increase affordable housing and childcare, and raise wages"
  • Education: "Texas must fully fund public education" and "I will also fight to end TEA's takeover of HISD and restore local control"
  • "Ensuring health care is affordable and accessible to all Texans" (campaign site)
  • "Driving policies that enforce good policing and reforming our criminal justice system" (campaign site)
Tidbits
  • Abortion: Supports Faith and family values. No specific statement on Abortion
  • Border and immigration: "Solutions for the influx of illegal immigrants"
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: "Support school choice and high-quality charter programs that give parents the power to choose the best education for their children"
  • Property taxes: "Reducing and/or removing property taxes for Texans"
Claims and the record
  • Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
  • Abortion: Pro Abortion
  • Border and immigration: Criticized ICE operations and immigration enforcement tactics. She has stated that she cares about and will fight for immigrants, noting that her own family includes immigrants.
  • Guns: "Supporting legislation to eliminate guns from falling into the wrong hands"
  • Public schools and vouchers: "I voted against the Republican voucher bill and, given the opportunity, will vote to repeal it in a heartbeat."
  • Property taxes: "I voted to raise the small business exemption for business personal property taxes"
Claims and the record
  • 2011 city ethics investigation: Houston's inspector general found she improperly used city resources and employees in connection with her law practice (2011). The district attorney's office said evidence was insufficient to prosecute; a mayor-led panel said she "used extremely poor judgment" but declined formal punishment and faulted the investigation's thoroughness. She called the accusations "baseless and defamatory".
  • 2025 quorum-break fine: Fined $8,354.25 by the House Administration Committee (April 2026) for the August 2025 quorum break. She said she would not pay and would appeal because she did nothing wrong.
Endorsements
None found in our research
  • Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
  • CLEAT PAC
  • Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Campaign website
theodisfortexas.com
jolandajones.com

Theodis Daniel

Republican
On ballot as
THEODIS DANIEL
Current role
Not found
Background
  • Proud Texan and military veteran
  • Wildlife consultant, philanthropist, U.S. veteran and entrepreneur
  • Son, DJ Daniel, who has brain cancer, was a guest at President Trump's joint address to Congress
  • Lost his house to Hurricane Harvey
Experience
  • Ran for U.S. House District 18 (Nov. 4, 2025 special election); received 1.2% of the vote
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
Top priorities
  • Crime: "Texas needs tougher sentencing for violent offenders" and "serious investment in youth programs"
  • Police: "I'll fight to raise starting pay, recruit officers from the communities they serve, and expand training in de-escalation"
  • Spending: "I'll push for strict audits, transparent contracting, and an end to runaway overtime that drains public budgets"
  • Schools: "I support school choice and high-quality charter programs"; also "Teachers deserve fair pay and meaningful training"
  • "Reducing and/or removing property taxes for Texans" among his top priorities
Tidbits
  • Abortion: Supports Faith and family values. No specific statement on Abortion
  • Border and immigration: "Solutions for the influx of illegal immigrants"
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: "Support school choice and high-quality charter programs that give parents the power to choose the best education for their children"
  • Property taxes: "Reducing and/or removing property taxes for Texans"
Claims and the record
  • Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
Endorsements
None found in our research
Campaign website
theodisfortexas.com
Jolanda Jones

Jolanda Jones

Democratic Incumbent
On ballot as
JOLANDA JONES
Current role
State Representative, Texas House District 147 (since May 18, 2022); attorney
Background
  • Alief Elsik High School graduate
  • B.S., University of Houston (1989)
  • J.D., University of Houston (1995)
  • Owner and attorney, Law Office of Jolanda Jones
  • 4-time national track and field champion (per official biography)
  • Basketball All-American (per official biography)
Experience
  • Ran for U.S. House District 18 (Nov. 4, 2025 special election); finished third with 19.1%
  • Houston ISD Trustee, District IV (2016–2020)
  • Houston City Council member (January 2008–January 2012)
Top priorities
  • "Protecting voting rights and making life affordable" (Community Impact Q&A)
  • Says she will file legislation to "expand Medicaid, increase affordable housing and childcare, and raise wages"
  • Education: "Texas must fully fund public education" and "I will also fight to end TEA's takeover of HISD and restore local control"
  • "Ensuring health care is affordable and accessible to all Texans" (campaign site)
  • "Driving policies that enforce good policing and reforming our criminal justice system" (campaign site)
Tidbits
  • Abortion: Pro Abortion
  • Border and immigration: Criticized ICE operations and immigration enforcement tactics. She has stated that she cares about and will fight for immigrants, noting that her own family includes immigrants.
  • Guns: "Supporting legislation to eliminate guns from falling into the wrong hands"
  • Public schools and vouchers: "I voted against the Republican voucher bill and, given the opportunity, will vote to repeal it in a heartbeat."
  • Property taxes: "I voted to raise the small business exemption for business personal property taxes"
Claims and the record
  • 2011 city ethics investigation: Houston's inspector general found she improperly used city resources and employees in connection with her law practice (2011). The district attorney's office said evidence was insufficient to prosecute; a mayor-led panel said she "used extremely poor judgment" but declined formal punishment and faulted the investigation's thoroughness. She called the accusations "baseless and defamatory".
  • 2025 quorum-break fine: Fined $8,354.25 by the House Administration Committee (April 2026) for the August 2025 quorum break. She said she would not pay and would appeal because she did nothing wrong.
Endorsements
  • Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
  • CLEAT PAC
  • Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Campaign website
jolandajones.com

Open in the full comparison: Harris County

Not every voter sees every race. Your districts depend on your address. Candidate photos link to their source.
Information comes from public sources and campaign websites and may contain errors. Report errors to admin@stg-fortbendranchersball-staging.kinsta.cloud.

All counties and races