Of the 435 members who sit in the House, Texas holds 38, with two members in particular who have demanded the media space and are among the up-and-coming political stars from both parties — Reps. Greg Casar (D-TX) and Brandon Gill (R-TX).
Casar, 35, is serving his second term in Congress and where he was named chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The Texas Democrat leads over 100 members, House and Senate, who stand “up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country.” The caucus was formed in 1991 with its first chairman being Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The longtime politician still serves as the leading voice of the left wing of his party.
When the Washington Examiner asked some of his colleagues to describe him, they stated “smart, thoughtful, and down-to-earth.”
Gill, 31, was sworn into Congress just three months ago, days before President Donald Trump assumed the Oval Office and Republicans started their work with a trifecta in Washington. The Texas firebrand became the youngest GOP member in the 119th Congress, while also being named the Republican freshmen class president.
The Washington Examiner also asked some of Gill’s colleagues to describe him, his Republican counterparts see him as “a great asset to the Texas delegation,” saying he is “ready to fight for Texas.”
While the two are close in age, represent the same state, and provide a fresh set of eyes to Congress, they could not differ more when it comes down to the votes they make and the policy they push.
“First of all, I don’t like being compared to Greg Casar and you can quote me on that,” Gill joked with the Washington Examiner.
How they represent Texas
Gill said he is representing a group of people who have not been represented in Washington for some time now. He stands firm on issues such as tightening immigration policy and ending “wokeness.”
“Right now, what I’m focused on is representing the people of Texas 26 well,” Gill told the Washington Examiner. “Pushing the Republican conference, to execute on all the things we said we were going to do on the campaign trail, to secure the border, to deport the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden flooded our country with, to end these woke perversions that the Left is shoved down our throats for four years and to codify President Trump’s executive orders into law.”
Casar has a different vision for the state. Although Texas is widely considered a “red state,” many Democrats believe if the state received the attention and funding that swing states received, the margins would narrow.
“Texas isn’t a red state or a blue state. It’s an unorganized state. It’s a state where we’re regularly ranked at the very bottom for voter turnout. And there are just so many Texans that have just given up on collective action, given up on government, have given up on voting, and I think that what we need in Texas is a lot more folks to feel inspired about what’s possible.”
“I think that the direction that our party is starting to go into now of fighting against corruption and standing up for all people in a more bold way is exactly what we need in a place like Texas,” he continued.
How they have stood out
In 2023, Casar fought back in a big way after a bill passed the Texas House that eliminated mandated water breaks for construction workers in Austin and Dallas. The Texas Democrat went on strike. He stayed on the Capitol steps close to nine hours without taking a break or drinking water.
“After no water and no rest for nearly nine hours on the Capitol steps, I feel more confident than ever that we can make positive change in this country for working people — including winning the right to basic water breaks,” Casar said in the press release. “This was an action of respect and love for each other, for our state, and for our country. No governor, no corporate lobby group, no one can get in our way.”
Actions like these have gained Casar traction in the media. His TikTok account has over 130,000 followers, with many videos reaching hundreds of thousands of views. But the congressman also has some “old-school” Democrat in him.
“I also see myself as sometimes bringing us back to something that’s sort of like more of old school Texas Democrats which is talking about economic populism and the idea that Texans shouldn’t be getting taken advantage of by these huge corporations,” Casar told the Washington Examiner. “And that’s how Texas Democrats used to win rural Texas overwhelmingly, was by being populist.”
Since being sworn in, one of Gill’s most viral moments happened last month in a House Oversight Subcommittee hearing where the congressman hammered NPR’s Chief Executive over her personal beliefs, as the company receives federal funding. He pointedly listed off many of her previous posts prior to her taking the position at NPR, where she then said she does not agree with the statements she made in her past anymore. He concluded by saying he will go to great lengths to ensure they do not get federal funding.
“I’ll spend all of my time doing everything I can to ensure you guys never get another dollar of taxpayer funding,” Gill said in the hearing. “This is complete garbage.”
Gill has also racked up a large following with more than 140,000 followers on X, making many posts a day.
“By utilizing the media as a tool, you’re able to set the tone for a lot of other people in Congress as well,” Gill told the Washington Examiner.
What is the future of their parties?
For Gill, he wants to represent the turning of a new leaf for the institution many people believe is out of date. According to the Pew Research Center as of 2024, “22% of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (21%).” Trust began eroding in the 1960s, as the war in Vietnam escalated and continued to decline after Watergate and worsening economic struggles.
“I think that most Texans, regardless of what age you are, are looking for fresh blood in Washington,” Gill told the Washington Examiner. “They’ve seen the same people in Washington doing the same thing, year after year, and decade after decade, and they just want somebody who’s going to fight for them.”
“For decades, we’ve seen D.C. politics move to the left, while half the country is really, not truly represented there. And that’s what I hope to do, is represent them,” he added.
Republicans are not the only party that feels unheard by leaders in the heart of politics. Democrats, especially since President Donald Trump assumed office, want a party that does more and fights back.
“I’m gonna be working on chairing the caucus well and not just defending people against Trump’s worst attacks, but taking this moment where we’re in the minority to come up with what the set of new, exciting ideas are for the country,” Casar told the Washington Examiner.
“I think for us to have new ideas for what being a progressive means when we beat back this version of the Trump era,” he continued.
