Former Major League Baseball slugger Mark Teixeira has been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Kyeonghyang Shinmun. The newspaper reported on Nov. 5 that Teixeira, running as a Republican in Texas's 21st Congressional District, defeated Democrat Kristin Hook in the midterm elections.
Teixeira, 46, took 55.0 percent of the vote with 188,745 ballots, while Hook, a former National Institutes of Health scientist, received 45.0 percent with 154,720, a margin of about 10 percentage points, the paper reported, citing AP and ESPN.
Why it matters
Teixeira's victory marks a rare bright spot for Republicans in a midterm cycle that Kyeonghyang Shinmun described as difficult for the party. The district, which covers the area west of Austin and San Antonio, has long leaned conservative, and the seat opened up after incumbent Republican Rep. Chip Roy announced he would not seek reelection.
The result also draws attention in South Korea because of Teixeira's ties to Korean baseball fans. He played alongside Park Chan-ho, the first Korean to appear in the major leagues, in Texas from 2003 to 2005, when the Korean pitcher was in the starting rotation. The two were teammates again in 2010 when Park joined the New York Yankees as a relief pitcher.
From the ballpark to the ballot
Teixeira's political rise came quickly. He won the Republican primary in March with 60.9 percent of the vote, beating 11 rivals, according to Kyeonghyang Shinmun. During the campaign he promised to work with President Donald Trump to strengthen security along the southern border and to end what he called radical ideological teaching in schools.
After his win was confirmed, Teixeira said he was eager to get to work. "Together we can build a better future for our families, our neighbors, and every community across Texas's 21st District," he said, adding that he would pray for the country's future and for all of his constituents.
Teixeira graduated from Georgia Tech and was taken fifth overall by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 2001 draft. He made his big-league debut in 2003 and played 14 seasons with Texas, Atlanta, the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees before retiring in 2016. Over 1,862 games he hit .268 with 409 home runs and 1,298 RBIs, one of the best switch-hitters of his era.
His honors include three All-Star selections, three Silver Slugger awards and five Gold Gloves. In 2009, the first year of an eight-year, $180 million free-agent contract with the Yankees, he led the American League in home runs (39) and RBIs (122) and helped the team win the World Series. After retiring he worked as a baseball commentator for ESPN, and in 2021 he moved with his family to Texas, where he began his professional career, to prepare for a run for office.
What to watch: Teixeira will be sworn in when the new Congress convenes, and his early moves will show whether the former slugger can carry his on-field success into the House chamber.
