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Yankees Legend Mark Teixeira Announces Campaign For Texas Congress Seat

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 5:20 PM ET

Mark Teixeira, the 14-year MLB vet who amassed 409 career home runs and recorded the final out of the 2009 World Series, is setting his sights on Capitol Hill.

'Tex', who most notably played for the Yankees and Rangers over a storied big league career, announced he would be campaigning for Congress in Texas' 21st District, a seat made vacant by incumbent Chip Roy's pursuit of the role of Texas attorney general.

Teixeira made a statement on X (formerly Twitter) aligning himself with President Trump and announced himself as a Republican candidate.

Big news: I’m ready to go!

As a lifelong conservative who loves this country, I’m running for Congress to fight for the principles that make Texas and America great.

It takes teamwork to win – I’m ready to help defend President Trump’s America First agenda, Texas families,… pic.twitter.com/bVb6j9qP6i
— Mark Teixeira (@teixeiramark25) August 28, 2025

Teixeira is far from the first big leaguer to run for public office. Dodgers legend Steve Garvey won the 2024 Republican primary in California, but lost to Adam Schiff in the general election.

Teixeira would be the first big leaguer to win a seat in Congress since Hall of Famer Jim Bunning, author of the seventh perfect game in MLB history and a US Senator from Kentucky elected in 1999.

Legendary Royals player Frank White, an eight-time Gold Glove winner, was elected to the legislature of Jackson County, Missouri in 2014, and won the 2018 and 2022 County Executive elections.

Other MLB'ers who found recent political success include journeyman Raúl Mondesi, who was elected mayor of San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic in 2010, although later convicted of corruption, and Tigers legend Magglio Ordóñez, who was elected mayor of Sotillo (Puerto La Cruz) Venezuela in 2013.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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