Former Major League Baseball power hitter Mark Teixeira secured victory in the Republican primary for Texas’ 21st congressional district on Tuesday evening.
Teixeira will advance to the general election in November, where he is scheduled to compete against Democratic contender Kristin Hook, aiming to take over the seat currently held by U.S. Representative Chip Roy, who is involved in a runoff election for the Texas Attorney General position.
The 45-year-old Teixeira, a native of Maryland who now resides close to Austin, Texas, declared at the launch of his campaign that he is “prepared to advocate for Texan households, traditional values, and the America First platform.”
The previous month, President Donald Trump expressed his support for Teixeira, stating that the former MLB athlete was an “absolute victor” and “would not disappoint!”
Teixeira spent 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, featuring for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the New York Yankees. He earned recognition as an All-Star three times, claimed the Silver Slugger Award, and received the Gold Glove Award on five occasions. During the 2009 season, he contributed to the Yankees’ triumph in the World Series.
The Rangers drafted Teixeira as the fifth overall selection in the 2001 MLB Draft, and he played for them for portions of five seasons in Texas prior to his trade to the Braves. He accumulated 409 home runs and accounted for 1,298 runs batted in. His retirement from the sport occurred in 2016.
