Astronaut Terry Virts to Run For Senate
Astronaut Terry Virts announced a run for Senate, expressing dissatisfaction with the current crop of politicians on Capitol Hill. He started with sharp criticism of both sides of the aisle.
“Not being on anyone’s short list for this role is exactly why I’m getting in the fight. D.C. insiders are calling the shots and we’ve ended up with chaos and corruption on one side and ineffective leadership on the other,” he said in a Facebook post announcing his run.
“I’m an American first, a Texan second, and a common-sense Democrat 3rd,” he added on X (formerly Twitter).
Virts is targeting the seat currently held by Senator John Cornyn, which goes up for election in 2026. Cornyn is also facing a Republican primary challenge from Texas’ attorney general, Ken Paxton.
Along with calling out Ken Paxton for alleged corruption, Virts was quick to target Cornyn in the below video.
“The Texas senator should not work for the senator from New York. I’m going to work for Texas voters.”
He has indicated a willingness to break with Democrats on some issues like immigration, calling the Democrats’ stance on illegal immigration “gaslighting.” He also accused the Democrats of lacking the leadership needed to tackle Donald Trump head-on.
One challenge: Virts was not on the Democrats’ shortlist to run for Senate in Texas. He would have to convince voters. Democrats have also failed to win a statewide contest in the solidly red Texas since the 1990s.
He might have an advantage among NASA employees at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Some may remember him as a fellow colleague who once led the Astronaut Office’s Robotics Branch and served as CAPCOM for some early International Space Station Expeditions. He also flew on the Endeavour space shuttle during STS-116 in February 2010 and joined the International Space Station crew for Expedition 42/43 from December 2014 to June 2015.
He also rose to the rank of Colonel in the US Air Force, where he flew combat missions in Iraq and served as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base before joining NASA.
Terry Virts is likely to face an uphill battle for John Cornyn’s Senate seat in 2026. He isn’t a Democrat insider, is willing to critique both Democrats and Republicans in equal measure, and is running in a state that has posed a serious challenge for Democrats since the 1990s. He may have some “home field advantage” in Houston, the home of the Johnson Space Center (and the Astros!). It remains to be seen whether he can hit a home run now that he has thrown his hat in the ring.
