James Gordon Mitchell
TX-17 Democratic nominee?
$10.0K
MAY 27, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current rolePolitical candidate
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
LocationTexas
BackgroundPolitical candidate
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EducationBachelor's degree in Human and Social Services
Notable personal detailsJames Gordon Mitchell is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas’s 17th Congressional District. He previously served two terms as a trustee on the Leander Independent School District Board (under the name Jim MacKay) and later legally changed his name in 2024. He has described completing a bachelor’s degree in Human and Social Services and a master’s degree in Government, Education, and Cultural Studies, and has stated he is pursuing an additional master’s program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mitchell has also described himself as a retired U.S. Air Force veteran.
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Positions
Economy & Taxes
The candidate supports policies aimed at economic fairness, including raising the minimum wage, protecting unions, expanding social programs (paid family leave, childcare, and healthcare options) and closing tax loopholes and special breaks for billionaires and large corporations so the wealthiest pay more. These positions prioritize strengthening supports for working families and funding expanded public programs.
Healthcare
The candidate supports treating healthcare as a right and endorses major public coverage expansion, including making Medicare available to everyone who wants it or offering a strong public option. The plan includes Medicare negotiation of drug prices, caps on out-of-pocket costs, expanded mental health and substance-abuse services, protections for reproductive healthcare, and investments in rural health and telehealth.
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Immigration & Border
Supports comprehensive immigration reform centered on a pathway to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants, ending family separation, and dismantling abusive border practices while calling for accountability of federal agencies and targeted, evidence-based border security focused on trafficking and other real threats.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports protecting and expanding access to reproductive healthcare, including restoring federal protections for abortion and defending bodily autonomy. Opposes restrictions that limit access to necessary reproductive services.
Climate & Energy
Supports significant investments in clean energy, sustainable infrastructure, and environmental justice and advocates that Texas lead a managed transition to a clean-energy future while addressing climate change. Emphasizes government action and investment to drive innovation and protect communities from extreme weather and environmental harms.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports common-sense gun reform including universal background checks, raising the minimum purchase age for some firearms, red-flag laws, and restrictions on bump stocks, high-capacity magazines, and suppressors. Emphasizes policies to protect children and reduce mass-casualty gun violence while noting personal gun ownership.
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 20262026
LatestCycle 2026
Source: FEC
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