2008Final results
2008 election for Texas's 31st District
U.S. House · Texas
John Carter (R) won with 60.3% of the vote, defeating Brian P. Ruiz (D) by 23.7 points.
John CarterRepublican · winner
60.3%175,563
Brian P. RuizDemocrat
36.6%106,559
Barry N. CooperLibertarian
3.2%9,182
291,304 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2008
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Brian P. RuizJohn Carter
$23.2K
Raised by the campaign
$947.7K
$23K
Spent by the campaign
$1.1M
$233
Cash on hand
$51.9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Nov 30, 2008; FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008