Brian Babin Bio
Brian Philip Babin (born March 23, 1948) is an American dentist and Republican politician who has served as the United States representative for Texas’s 36th congressional district since 2015. The district covers much of southeastern Houston, portions of its eastern suburbs, and several exurban and rural communities to the east. A former United States Air Force officer, Babin built a dental practice in East Texas before entering public service at the local, state, and federal levels.
Before his election to Congress, Babin held a wide range of roles in Deep East Texas, including mayor of Woodville, president of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, and member of the Texas Historical Commission. He ran unsuccessfully for Texas’s 2nd congressional district in 1996 and 1998 before winning his current seat in 2014. He is married to Roxanne Babin, and the couple has five children.
Early Life and Background
Brian Philip Babin was born on March 23, 1948, in Port Arthur, Texas. He grew up in Southeast Texas, a region that would shape much of his later professional and political life. After high school, he enrolled at Lamar University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. To help pay for his education, Babin worked as a janitor, a merchant seaman, and a postman, and he sang folk and country music in local restaurants alongside his future wife, Roxanne, whom he met while attending college.
Following his undergraduate studies, Babin pursued a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) at the University of Texas Dental Branch, completing the program in 1976. His decision to combine a science-based education with military service reflected a longstanding commitment to public duty that would later extend into civic life and elected office. He and Roxanne were married in 1972, and the couple went on to raise five children.
Path to US Politics
Babin served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1975 to 1979, leaving the service with the rank of captain. His time overseas included experiences that influenced his political outlook. Babin has said that he felt demoralized by President Jimmy Carter while stationed abroad, a feeling that pushed him toward grassroots political organizing in East Texas.
After leaving the Air Force, Babin opened a general dental practice in Woodville, a small town south of Lufkin, where he has continued to practice. In 1980, he joined Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign as a county coordinator and later as a regional coordinator. He became active in the Republican Party at a time when the GOP was a minor presence in heavily Democratic Deep East Texas. Over the following years, he worked on campaigns for Reagan’s reelection, George H. W. Bush’s presidential run, and the Texas gubernatorial campaigns of Bill Clements and George W. Bush.
Brian Babin Career
Early Career (1981–1995)
Babin’s early political career centered on local and regional offices in Tyler County and across East Texas. He served as mayor of Woodville from 1982 to 1984 and as a member of the Woodville City Council from 1984 to 1989. He was also active in state-level public health governance, serving as president of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners from 1981 to 1987, and in regional planning, sitting on the Deep East Texas Council of Governments from 1982 to 1984.
From 1989 to 1995, Babin served on the Texas Historical Commission. He chaired the Tyler County Republican Party from 1990 to 1995 and served on the Woodville Independent School District Board from 1992 to 1995. He also worked as director of the Tyler County Chamber of Commerce. In 1996, when longtime Representative Charlie Wilson announced his retirement from Texas’s 2nd congressional district, Babin launched his first campaign for the United States House of Representatives.
Breakthrough (1996–2014)
Babin won the 1996 Republican primary runoff for Texas’s 2nd congressional district and faced Democrat Jim Turner in the general election. Turner, a state senator and former state representative, defeated Babin 102,908 votes (52.24%) to 89,838 (45.6%). The campaign drew national attention afterward because of a campaign finance dispute involving businessman Peter Cloeren, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations. Babin paid a $20,000 civil penalty and returned $5,000 in excessive contributions related to the matter.
Babin sought a rematch with Turner in 1998 and was unopposed in the Republican primary, but lost the general election 81,556 votes (58.42%) to 56,891 (40.75%). After the defeat, he returned to local public service. In 1999, Governor George W. Bush appointed him to the Lower Neches Valley Authority; Governor Rick Perry later reappointed him, most recently in 2013 for a term that was to run through 2019.
In 2014, after Representative Steve Stockman decided to run for the United States Senate rather than seek reelection in Texas’s 36th congressional district, Babin entered the race. In a crowded twelve-candidate Republican primary, he finished first with 17,194 votes (33.36%) and then defeated mortgage banker Ben Streusand in the runoff, 19,301 votes (57.84%) to 14,069 (42.16%). He went on to defeat Democrat Michael Cole in the general election, 100,933 votes (75.97%) to 29,291 (22.04%), and was sworn into Congress in January 2015.
Republican Era (2015–Present)
Since taking office in 2015, Babin has been a consistent conservative voice in the House Republican caucus. In January 2015, he was one of twenty-five House Republicans who declined to support John Boehner’s reelection as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, voting “present” rather than backing another candidate. That same year, he introduced the “SCOTUScare Act” in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in King v. Burwell, and the Resettlement Accountability National Security Act in response to the Syrian refugee crisis. He also chaired a hearing of the House Space Committee focused on NASA’s budget and human exploration of Mars.
Babin has aligned himself with several signature priorities of the modern Republican Party. He supported President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order on travel from six Middle Eastern nations and has been an advocate for stronger border security. In 2020, he was one of 126 House Republicans to sign an amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit that sought to contest the results of the 2020 presidential election. In 2025, he introduced legislation intended to end automatic birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, codifying a Trump administration executive order. He has continued to represent Texas’s 36th congressional district through the current Congress.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Babin’s signature congressional moments was his role as chair of a House Space Committee hearing in 2015 that brought NASA executives before lawmakers to discuss the agency’s exploration programs. He has also gained attention for repeated efforts to impeach members of the opposing party, including resolutions targeting President Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. His involvement in post-2020 election litigation and his public advocacy for stronger immigration enforcement have marked his time in Congress.
Brian Babin Career Wins
Brian Babin’s electoral record includes a mix of early losses and subsequent victories at the federal level. After unsuccessful bids for Congress in 1996 and 1998, he returned to the ballot in 2014 and won his first seat in the United States House of Representatives. He has since won reelection to Texas’s 36th congressional district multiple times, becoming one of the longest-serving members of the East Texas congressional delegation.
U.S. House Elections Highlights
Babin’s 2014 victory launched his current congressional career. He won the Republican primary with 33.36% of the vote, secured the runoff with 57.84%, and then dominated the general election with 75.97% against Democrat Michael Cole. He was unopposed in the March 2016 Republican primary after a challenger suspended his campaign, and he went on to win the general election that year. Babin has continued to represent Texas’s 36th congressional district, winning each subsequent race for the seat.
Other Wins & Achievements
Beyond his federal victories, Babin has compiled a substantial record of appointments and local offices, including his tenure as president of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, mayor of Woodville, and member of the Texas Historical Commission. He has also been appointed repeatedly to the Lower Neches Valley Authority by two successive Texas governors.
| Position | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Representative, Texas’s 36th congressional district | Elected | 2014 |
| U.S. Representative, Texas’s 36th congressional district | Reelected | 2016 |
Brian Babin Family
Family Background and Public Service
Brian Babin married Roxanne Babin in 1972, after meeting her while attending Lamar University. The couple later settled in Woodville, where they raised their family and became active members of First Baptist Church of Woodville. Babin has served the congregation as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and choir member, and he is affiliated with Gideons International. The family’s ties to East Texas have shaped his public life, with several members involved in military service, law, education, and journalism.
Personal Life
Brian and Roxanne Babin have five children: Marit, Leif, Kirsten, Lucas, and Laura. Marit is an attorney and former press staffer at the National Republican Congressional Committee. Leif is a former Navy SEAL and is married to journalist and former Fox News Channel anchor Jenna Lee. Twins Kirsten and Lucas include an educator and a district attorney, respectively, while Laura is also part of the family. Babin’s blend of dental practice, military background, and long record of public service has defined his personal and professional identity.