Republican incumbent Gary Gates and Democrat Sandy Ibáñez will compete for the Texas House District 28 seat on Nov. 3. The district covers Missouri City and Stafford, and the race offers voters a choice between a businessman-legislator and a first-time candidate focused on public school funding.

Gates, a landlord and businessman first elected in 2020, chairs the House Land and Resource Management Committee, according to the Houston Chronicle. He ran unopposed in the March 3 Republican primary, collecting 14,815 votes, according to Ballotpedia.

Gates' general-election platform positions were not available in published candidate questionnaires as of Sept. 30.

Ibáñez, a former Fort Bend ISD teacher who now works at a real estate investment firm, won a contested Democratic primary on March 3. She defeated Kristyna Loundy with 53.5% of the vote, or 7,500 votes to Loundy's 6,522.

In a Community Impact Newspaper Q&A published Tuesday, Sept. 29, Ibáñez listed fully funding public education, expanding healthcare access, improving affordability and investing in transportation and water infrastructure as her top priorities.

"Fort Bend County is expected to surpass one million residents by the end of 2026," Ibáñez said in the Q&A. "We must ensure schools, roads, water systems and other infrastructure keep pace while protecting affordability and quality of life."

At the July 30 inaugural meeting of the Greater Fort Bend Area LULAC Council 22571, Ibáñez presented on education gaps for the county's Hispanic students, saying only one in five are enrolled in college, Houston Public Media reported.

Fort Bend County participates in the countywide polling place program. That means registered voters can cast ballots at any polling location in the county on Election Day.

The deadline to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 5. Early in-person voting runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30. The deadline to request a mail ballot is Oct. 23.