With control of the House on the line in the midterms, every House race will draw attention and scrutiny as Republicans push to maintain control of Congress. One of the races is in TX-08, the seat being vacated by Morgan Luttrell. Luttrell announced in September that he would not seek a third term, after catastrophic flooding in the state led him to rethink how best to serve his fellow Texans. There are several Republicans running to replace Luttrell, including Deddrick T. Wilmer, Nick Tran, Stephen Long, Jay Fondren, Jessica Hart Steinmann, and Brett Jensen.
Steinmann is an attorney and works as general counsel for the America First Policy Institute. She also worked for the office of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and was Director of the Office of Victims of Crime in the Department of Justice from 2020 to 2021. Rep. Luttrell, Senator Ted Cruz, and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick have all endorsed Steinmann. She's also gotten endorsements from several members of the Texas Congressional delegation, including Troy Nehls (TX-22), Brandon Gill (TX-26), and Ronny Jackson (TX-13). Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04), Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, and West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey have also endorsed Steinmann, according to her website.
But while Steinmann is getting endorsements from key Republican officials and conservative leaders, one of her opponents has a very troubling record that Texas voters deserve to know about.
Brett Jensen is running as a self-funded businessman and a conservative outsider, but Jensen's campaign messaging does not match the reality. According to Republican sources familiar with the matter, Jensen's record includes bankruptcies, a long list of unpaid Texas vendors, multiple lawsuits across several counties in the state, broken commitments to charities and Republican groups, and claims of endorsements and residency that do not hold up to basic scrutiny.
While Jensen's campaign website promises success, touting his record as one that "created thousands of jobs" and "built successful companies in energy and real estate," Jensen has delivered thousands in unpaid bills and bankruptcies.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Jensen was the managing member of Hamilton Well Service LLC, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2016 after being slapped with multiple lawsuits for non-payment of vendors. In June 2018, the bankruptcy Trustee sued Jensen, alleging that Jensen created shell companies to acquire assets and avoid debt while Hamilton Well Service was kept insolvent. After that suit, the Trustee was able to recover $1.35 million, and the Trustee determined Jensen owed creditors more than $2 million. This impacted dozens of Texas businesses and individuals, and the bankruptcy case was reopened in 2025 after additional assets were identified.
Jensen also reportedly has faced at least ten lawsuits in state court, and four were still active into last year. According to sources, this includes a lawsuit by two individuals who purchased a jet ski from Jensen's company, Madison Marine Services, LLC. They allege Jensen knowingly sold them the jet ski for $36,000 in April 2022, with the original owner's name still on the title and a lien still attached.
Jensen's Westwood Restoration LLC has also been sued by Aggreko LLC over unpaid services and equipment, with Aggreko LLC alleging that Jensen used a web of companies to conceal funds and defraud creditors. According to sources, that lawsuit was settled confidentially.
Those sources also say Jensen has made big promises to charities and other organizations, but has failed to deliver on those, too. This includes a reported $5,000 pledge to a fundraiser for the Texas Republican Women — Montgomery County that has reportedly yet to be paid. According to a Facebook post on the The Woodlands Republican Women's page, Jensen was listed as a "premier 'DON'T TREAD ON ME' sponsor."
Sources also allege that Jensen pledged $70,000 at a fundraiser for Angel Reach, a Montgomery County, Texas, nonprofit serving youth aging out of foster care. That pledge has not yet been paid, they claim.
Jensen has also claimed endorsements from Republican politicians and conservative organizations are coming, including from Rep. Luttrell, Sen. Cruz, and TPUSA. To date, Jensen's website lists no endorsements, and as mentioned above, both Rep. Luttrell and Sen. Cruz have endorsed Steinmann.
In addition, it appears that Jensen is not even a resident of the Eighth Congressional District. Sources say Jensen lives in Spring, TX — at an address in the Second Congressional District, represented by Dan Crenshaw.
Texas voters deserve to know who is seeking to represent them in Congress, not just campaign promises, but what their records actually show. With control of the House hanging in the balance, Republicans in TX-08 face a consequential choice between a candidate backed by conservative leaders and a self-styled outsider whose history is riddled with lawsuits, unpaid debts, broken pledges, and unanswered questions. In a race this important, transparency isn’t optional, it's necessary.