Gary Gates
Texas State Representative, District 28 since 2020. Lost re-election in 2026; leaves office in January 2027.
- In office
- 6 yrs
- Since 2020
- Bills became law
- 11
- 51 sponsored, 2025–2026 session
- Votes missed
- 3.9%
- Chamber median 4.4%
- With party
- 73%
- On votes splitting the parties
- Last margin
- −1.8
- Lost 2026
Source: Wikidata, congress-legislators and Open States; 99chambers legislative recordsUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET
Committees
As of 2026-10.
- Land and Resource Management · chair
- Energy Resources
- General Aviation Select
Source: Open States committeesUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET
Legislation
Elections--Administration (I0277) · Failed in committee Aug 2025
CRIME VICTIMS (S0046) · Failed in committee Aug 2025
City Government--Employees/Officers (I0061) · Failed in committee Aug 2025
PERMITS (S0011) · Failed in committee Jul 2025
City Government--Land Use & Zoning (I0064) · Failed in committee Jul 2025
Source: Open States billsUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:22 PM ET
Voting record
Where Gates sits in the Texas House of Representatives
Gates is closer to the center than 62% of the chamber's Republicans.
Closest: Don McLaughlin, Cecil Bell, John Smithee
Source: 99chambers roll-call scalingUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 5:04 PM ET
With Gates’s party
- Votes with the chamber's Republicans73%
- Cosponsorships of the other party's bills43%
Black tick: the average of Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives.
Source: 99chambers legislative scores from roll calls and cosponsorships
Key votes
Votes chosen for their effect, not their side: Gates’s vote, each party’s majority, and the result. An orange vote differs from most Republicans.
| Date | Bill | Gates | Rep. majority | Dem. majority | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2025 | HB 18: Relating to a restriction on the acceptance of political contributions and the making of… | Yes | No | Yes | Passed 82–42 |
| Aug 28, 2025 | SB 8: Relating to the designation and use of certain spaces and facilities according to sex;… | Yes | No | Yes | Passed 80–48 |
| Aug 27, 2025 | HB 26: Relating to contracting with law enforcement agencies in certain counties. | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 95–29 |
| Aug 27, 2025 | HB 192: Relating to the funding of law enforcement agencies in certain counties. | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 88–45 |
| Aug 26, 2025 | HB 8: Relating to public school accountability and transparency, including the implementation of… | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 71–63 |
Source: 99chambers key votes from Congress.gov, Voteview and Open States roll calls
Career
Offices held, and every time Gates was on a ballot. Filled marks are general elections won; hollow marks are primaries; an orange outline is a loss.
Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Elections
Margin against the seat’s presidential baseline: how the seat voted for president in the same or nearest year.
| Year | Race | Result | Margin | Seat | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas House District 28 | Lost | D+1.8 | R+17.3 | −19.1 |
| 2024 | Texas House of Representatives, District 28 | Won | R+21.1 | — | — |
| 2022 | Texas House of Representatives, District 28 | Won | R+23.1 | — | — |
| 2020 | Texas House of Representatives, District 28 | Won | R+10.5 | — | — |
Source: 99chambers results archive; 2026: Texas Secretary of State (unofficial)Updated Nov 8, 2026, 7:01 PM ET
Campaign money, 2025–26
- Raised
- $703K
- Spent
- $764.2K
- Cash
- $162K
Source: Texas Ethics Commission filings through Oct 24, 2026Updated Nov 1, 2026, 3:49 AM ET
Campaign committees
Open committees can still raise and spend money.
| Gary W. Gates State | Active |
Source: Texas Ethics Commission filings through Oct 24, 2026Updated Nov 1, 2026, 3:49 AM ET
Seats Gates has held
- Texas House of Representatives, District 28 · since 2020
Source: 99chambers results archive
Who Gates has run against
- Sandy Ibanez (D) · 2026 general, lost
- Rocha (D) · 2024 election, won
- Nelvin J. Adriatico (D) · 2022 election, won
- Elizabeth Markowitz (D) · 2020 election, won
Source: 99chambers results archive; 2026: Texas Secretary of State (unofficial)
How we know Gates
One person, matched across every source we use.
- Open States ocd-person/5ff88048-ebd8-4ac3-af9c-d02e1305ef37
- Wikidata Q83933437
Source: Identity links: Wikidata, congress-legislators, Open States, FECUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET