The president finally found a winner he can throw his weight behind.
President Donald Trump endorsed former MLB player and World Series champion Mark Teixeira in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. Teixeira is running for the 21st Congressional District in Texas, a seat up for grabs after Republican Rep. Chip Roy announced he would not seek re-election in 2026.
“I know Mark well, and is he a TOTAL WINNER, on and off the field” and that “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump, 79, wrote.
Opens in new windowTeixeira, 45, is a three-time MLB All-Star who played on the New York Yankees when they won the 2009 World Series. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2001 and remained there for five seasons.
“An MLB All-Star, Mark’s career was “loaded up” with Accolades and WINS, including five Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and a World Series Championship," Trump’s endorsement continued. “Mark has a great wife, Leigh, and three beautiful children.”
The first baseman’s career ended in 2016, after playing for the Yankees, Rangers, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Teixeira returned to live in Texas in 2021.
The former MLB star has been involved in conservative politics since his move. Teixeira has donated to Republicans up and down the ticket, including the President, Governor Greg Abbot, and Roy.
Teixeira also worked with a think tank that advocates school choice, a policy integral to his current campaign platform.
Teixeira announced his candidacy for the Central Texas district in August of last year. Since the beginning, the congressional hopeful has been seeking Trump’s favor.
In his initial announcement, Teixeira called out the President and his values by name, stating, “It takes teamwork to win, and I’m ready to help defend President Trump’s America First agenda, Texas families, and individual liberty.”
The former baseball player entered the district race less than a week after four-time incumbent Chip Roy stepped back to run for Texas Attorney General.
He was first to announce in a nearly wide-open playing field. While the field has since crowded, he’s been the only one able to score a Presidential endorsement.
Teixeira’s top issues on his campaign platform include border security, the economy, and ending “woke indoctrination” in education. All of these were included in Trump’s long-winded list of policy issues he believes Teixeira will prioritize.
Teixeira has also received endorsements from Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
After the Presidential endorsement, Teixeira posted on X about an “excellent phone call” he had with the President, adding that he’s “excited to be part of the team.”
A different Republican in Texas did not benefit from Trump’s endorsement this year.
In a special election in Texas’s 9th State Senate District last week, GOP candidate Leigh Wambsganss lost to first-time Democrat candidate Taylor Rehmet, 33, after Trump endorsed Wambsganss. The president won that district by 17 points in 2024.
When asked by a reporter about the loss and his endorsement of Wambsganss, Trump feigned ignorance.
“I don’t know. I didn’t hear about it. Somebody ran—where?” the president said.
