Twenty-two primary candidates are vying for Texas' 21st Congressional District seat this year, 18 Republicans and four Democrats.

The congressional district covers parts of Austin, the Hill Country and northern Bexar County. The primary elections are March 6; early voting starts Tuesday.

Retiring U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, has held the seat for the past 30 years. One of eight Texans in Congress who are not running for re-election, Smith was first voted into office in 1986 and had been re-elected relatively handily ever since.

Even though the district has long been held by a Republican, there are signs of a push to elect a Democrat. According to campaign finance reports filed at the end of January, Democrat Joseph Kopser raised $260,858 during the last three months of 2017 and has $337,338 cash on hand. Both amounts are higher than those of any Republican candidates.

KUT's Ashley Lopez talks with Nadia Hamdan about the race

Here are the GOP candidates:

Here are the Democratic candidates: