Montserrat Garibay

State Representative — District 49 · Democrat Primary 2026

Democrat

About ✓ Verified

Former U.S. Department of Education official and labor organizer with strong union backing. Received dual endorsement from Austin Chronicle along with Tovo.

Key Positions ✓ Verified

Public education
Workers' rights
Immigration
Higher education
Housing
Transportation
Reproductive freedoms
Utilizing unused public school campuses to build affordable housing
Investing in more hospitals
Taxing hemp and gambling for public school revenue

Strengths Sourced

Strong federal education experience
Extensive labor union support
Immigrant success story and community connection
Top-tier fundraising performance

Concerns Sourced

Less local Austin political experience
May be seen as too Washington-focused
Could face criticism for recent arrival to district
Heavy reliance on union funding

Endorsements ✓ Verified

Austin Chronicle (editorial board)
Texas AFL-CIO (labor union)
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (elected official)
Former gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis (public figure)
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (public figure)
Texas American Federation of Teachers (labor union)
State representative John Bucy (elected official)
Texas AFT COPE (labor union)
Austin American-Statesman (editorial board)

Polling ✓ Verified

No public polling data available for HD-49 primary.

Fundraising ✓ Verified

raised a little over $241,000 total according to campaign finance reports

Sources (20)

Montserrat Garibay, Kathie Tovo lead fundraising in Texas House District 49 race – The Daily Texan (2026-02-24)
Texas House of Representatives District 49 with Endorsements (2026-02-24)
2026 Texas House of Representatives election - Wikipedia (2026-02-24)
Fundraising totals for candidates running for Austin-area Texas House seats - Axios Austin (2026-02-24)
Texas House of Representatives District 49 - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
2026 Primary Election Endorsements - (2026-02-24)
Endorsements | Texas Values ActionTexas Values Action (2026-02-24)
Texas 2026 election: Your March primary sample ballot | The Texas Tribune (2026-02-24)
United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary) - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
Texas House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
Josh Reyna - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
2026 Ballot — Travis County Democratic Party (2026-02-24)
Q&A: Meet the Democratic candidates running for Texas House District 49 ahead of the March primary | Community Impact (2026-02-24)
HD 49 Candidate Forum - Austin - Events - Raise Your Hand Texas (2026-02-24)
HD49: Eight Democrats, One Seat, And A Very Progressive District (2026-02-24)
A Plan to Deliver for House District 49 | Josh Reyna for State Representative (2026-02-24)
Gigs Hodges - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
Kathie Tovo for Texas HD-49 | Official Campaign Site (2026-02-24)
Comments on Montserrat Garibay, Kathie Tovo lead fundraising in Texas House District 49 race (2026-02-24)
Former Austin City Council Member Kathie Tovo is running for Gina Hinojosa's Texas House seat (2026-02-24)

Data last verified: Mar 3, 2026 · 20 sources cited

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Data Confidence
✓ Verified backed by official sources (Ballotpedia, Vote Smart, .gov)
Sourced from web sources cited below
AI-inferred generated by AI from available information