Former Yankees star Mark Teixeira wins U.S. House seat in Texas
Former Yankees player Mark Teixeira, who is running for U.S. Congress, makes a campaign stop in San Antonio on Feb. 13. Credit: AP/Eric Gay
The blue wave that swept across much of the U.S. on Election Day did not sweep up former Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira in its path.
Teixeira, who played 14 years in the majors, including from 2009-2016 with the Yankees, overwhelmingly won the race in Texas' 21st congressional district on Tuesday, sending the 46-year-old to the House of Representatives.
Teixeira, a Republican, beat Democrat Kristin Hook, accumulating some 54.5% of the vote, according to the Associated Press.
“Thank you to my family, friends, campaign staff, and the countless supporters who stood with us during this campaign,” Teixeira said on a social media post after his victory. “We could not have won this race without every person who knocked on doors, worked the polls, hosted events, and pitched in to help the cause. I am truly grateful to all of you. And of course, I want to thank all of the voters across the district who placed their trust in me. Nobody will work harder to continue earning that trust.”
Teixeira, a native of Annapolis (his father served in the Navy), said during an interview with Newsday in the spring, right after winning the Republican primary, that the idea of a post-baseball career in politics first occurred to him in the spring of 2013 after he tore the tendon sheath in his right wrist while swinging a bat the day before that year’s World Baseball Classic (he was a member of Team USA). Teixeira, a five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner in his career, missed the first two months that 2013 season, came back briefly but was done by late June when surgery was recommended.
“I’m sitting with a cast on my wrist after surgery going, ‘All right, there’s going to be life after baseball, it’s going to be sooner rather than later; what are some things I’m interested in?’ ” Teixeira said. “And politics was something that was on the list."
Through a variety of business ventures, Teixeira became familiar with some of the significant players in Texas politics and when Chip Roy, who previously held the 21st district seat, chose to run for attorney general last year, a lane opened for Teixeira to run and he took it.
Though he intentionally did not make “former Major Leaguer” a part of his campaign, Teixeira told Newsday in March his nearly 15 years in the big leagues, especially his time in New York, prepared him for the rugged world of politics.
"It’s a huge asset," Teixeira said. "No. 1, no one’s going to outwork me, no one understands the dedication that it takes to fight through failure, which happens all the time in baseball and in politics. It happens all the time on the campaign. People turn you down all the time, people boo you. People root against you. I’ve used this example during my campaign: I’ve been booed by 40,000 of my home fans in New York. I can deal with people not agreeing with my politics. [Having] that thick skin is very important.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
More Yankees headlines
