Houston-area voters have never had so many choices for Congress.

A record 63 candidates are on the crowded March 3 primary ballot in the area’s nine congressional districts — more than twice as many candidates as in the 2016 presidential election cycle and a few more than the previous record, which was set just two years ago.

The back-to-back records are part of a national spike in political activism that has translated into more candidates running for office in the era of President Donald Trump, said Jennifer Lawless, a politics professor at the University of Virginia.

“Trump’s election provided the political catalyst for Democrats in 2018,” Lawless said. “Now there is a response from Republicans, which is an indirect effect of Trump.”

But there are other factors also driving the activity. The number of retirements in Congress from Texas has opened an easier path for many candidates who see a chance to win a seat without vying with an incumbent. And then there’s the impact of New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old bartender who shocked the political world by defeating longtime Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley in a 2018 primary. Lawless said a lot of young Democrats, particularly progressives, have taken inspiration from her success.

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Whatever the motivator, in Houston it has led to 39 Republicans and 24 Democrats on the ballot to run for Congress. In 2016, a total of 29 candidates ran for Congress in the nine Harris County districts.

Trump was certainly part of the inspiration for Republican Matt Hinton, a 34-year-old auto sales finance director who is making his first run for Congress in the 22nd Congressional District, which includes most of Fort Bend County, plus parts of Brazoria and Harris counties. Hinton, one of 15 Republicans battling in the GOP primary, said seeing Trump come from a non-political background and beat more seasoned politicians made him believe more people from outside the political establishment should get involved.

“Outsiders are the key to fixing the government,” Hinton said. “Look at how much resistance there was to Trump, as he’s been pushing back against the Republicans and the establishment.”

A few years ago, Democrat Elisa Cardnell said she couldn’t have imagined being a candidate for Congress. But the 33-year-old Navy veteran and single mom said she’s fed up watching a Congress filled with people out of touch with regular Americans. She said watching other veterans — particularly women — win seats in Congress, encouraged her to take a shot.

“I can bring a fresh perspective,” Cardnell said. “We need an influx of everyday Americans.”

More Information Key primary election dates Feb. 3 - Last day to register in order to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary Feb. 18-28 - Early voting March 3 - Texas presidential primary

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Cardnell is one of three Democrats running in the 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from West Houston to Spring and wraps around to Atascocita. U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, currently holds that seat. The race has become even more competitive with former U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke endorsing another Democrat in the field, Sima Ladjevardian, who is also making her first-ever run for office.

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Even longtime incumbents are finding more primary opposition than in the past. An example is in Houston’s 18th Congressional District, which U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has held since 1995, rarely facing any primary opponents. This year, she has six challengers in the Democratic primary.

That list includes Stevens Orozco, a teacher and 2017 Texas Southern University graduate, who said Ocasio-Cortez is an inspiration for himself and many other young progressives.

“I absolutely credit her, and others like (Michigan Rep.) Rashida Tlaib and (Minnesota Rep.) Ilhan Omar, for showing that progressive policy can work and can win,” said Orozco, who frequently retweets posts from Ocasio-Cortez and whose agenda includes backing Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal as well as Medicare for all, free public college and student loan forgiveness.

Rep. Al Green of the 9th Congressional District, also faces one primary challenger, Melissa Wilson, who runs an insurance and real estate business. She is Green’s first primary foe since 2004.

The surge of candidates also comes as the state’s congressional delegation undergoes a serious makeover. In 2018, eight members of Congress from Texas retired and two longtime incumbents were defeated. This year, six incumbents are not seeking re-election. A total of 14 retirements in two election cycles is dramatic given that, in the prior decade, only four Congress members from Texas retired.

Fifteen Republicans qualified to compete the GOP primary for the seat being vacated by the retirement of U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, in the 22nd Congressional District. Four Democrats are battling in the other primary. Olson narrowly won his re-election in 2018, beating Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni, who is running again this year, by just 4 percentage points — one of the closest elections in the state.

While the candidates include familiar names such as Sheriff Troy Nehls, Republican activist Kathaleen Wall and Pierce Bush, the grandson of President George H.W. Bush, other candidates with little political experience are also in the race. Aaron Hermes, a 40-year-old professional musician, said he has little doubt he knows more about the Constitution and liberty than many of the contenders. He said after Olson announced he wasn’t running, he got a lot more serious about jumping into the race.

“I thought, not only am I qualified to do this, but I have to do this right now,” Hermes said.

He said it’s definitely a challenge to run for Congress when you don’t have political connections — and even harder to raise money. But he said it feels like this is the time for outsiders to challenge career politicians.

“I can stand up to these people,” he said.

Another race drawing a large field is Houston’s 7th Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, defeated longtime Republican incumbent John Culberson in 2018 by 6 percentage points.

But this year, six Republicans have qualified to battle in the GOP primary, all with the hope of taking out Fletcher and proving the last election was an aberration. The best-funded candidates in the GOP race, former Bellaire Mayor Cindy Siegel and Army veteran Wesley Hunt, have both pointed to Fletcher’s support for impeachment of Trump as a key campaign issue in a race that national Republicans have targeted as one of the most important in the nation. While it’s never easy to beat an incumbent, political experts say if it’s going to happen, it is usually in a candidate’s first re-election, before their name identification has been established.

“We have a window of opportunity to beat Lizzie Fletcher and take back the House,” Siegel said.