Private citizen

Lauren B. Peña is a Republican from East Austin who describes herself as a human trafficking survivor, a mother of six and a constitutional conservative³⁵. She founded Peña Legal Advocacy and has testified before the Texas Legislature on housing and welfare policy¹. She won the May 2026 Republican primary runoff for the 37th District and faces Rep. Greg Casar in November².

Where they stand

• Guns: Remove most restrictions; bearing arms is a right Said · high confidence
  • Her platform opposes federal red flag laws, universal background check mandates and any assault weapons ban, and supports constitutional carry nationwide. (2026) source
• Term limits: Yes, but longer limits that still allow long service, such as 12 years per chamber Said · high confidence
  • Her platform calls for congressional term limits of 12 years maximum. (2026) source
  • Told Ballotpedia she favors four-year House terms with a maximum of three terms. (2025) source
• Politicians trading stocks: No, ban it for members and their spouses Said · medium confidence
  • Her corruption issue page calls for banning members of Congress and their immediate families from trading individual stocks while in office and requiring blind trusts for all investments. (2026) source
  • Her platform summary calls for requiring all congressional stock trades to be disclosed in real time. (2026) source
• Immigration: Secure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steady Said · medium confidence
  • Her campaign site says: close the border, finish the wall, end catch and release. (2026) source
  • Told Ballotpedia she will prioritize securing the border and supports responsible immigration policies that welcome those who follow the law. (2025) source
• AI regulation: Keep rules minimal so AI companies can innovate freely Said · medium confidence
  • Told The Daily Texan that Rep. Casar's AI bill is too restrictive; she said deepfakes and child sexual images should be restricted, but further limits would hurt poor families using AI to gain skills. (2026-09-24) source
• Energy and climate: No single answer fits; see the evidence below. Said · medium confidence
  • Her platform calls for eliminating federal regulations on Texas energy production, opposing Green New Deal mandates, expanding LNG exports and supporting nuclear power. (2026) source
• Nuclear power: No single answer fits; see the evidence below. Said · medium confidence
  • Her platform supports nuclear energy as a clean, reliable baseload power source. (2026) source
• School vaccines: No single answer fits; see the evidence below. Said · medium confidence
  • Her platform opposes federal vaccine mandates of any kind. (2026) source
• Safety net programs: No single answer fits; see the evidence below. Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
  • Told Ballotpedia welfare reform is her priority, saying the current system traps families in poverty and cuts off all benefits at once when a parent starts earning. (2025) source
• Transgender athletes: No, and Congress should set a biological sex rule nationwide Said · high confidence
  • Her parental rights issue page calls for federal legislation prohibiting biological males from competing in women's athletic categories at any institution receiving federal funding. (2026) source
• DEI programs: Ban them and cut federal funds to schools and contractors that keep them Said · medium confidence
  • Her parental rights issue page calls for prohibiting the use of federal education funds for Critical Race Theory curricula and DEI programming. (2026) source

No public position found on: Income taxes, National debt, Social Security, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Abortion, Trade and tariffs, Foreign policy, Judges, Marijuana, Redistricting, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Supreme Court reform, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, Kids online, Birthright citizenship, E-Verify mandate, Religion in schools, Aid to Israel, Aid to Ukraine, China policy.