How to File to Run for Federal Office

The process to file for federal office is different than the one to file for local, county, or state office. Find our How to File for State, County, or Local Office guide here. This guide is meant to help you understand the steps you'll need to take to file for U.S. Representative or Senator. If you have questions that aren't answered by this guide, please email us at info@texasmajoritypac.com.


Step 1: Determine Eligibility

Step 2: Obtain a Federal EIN

Step 3: Open a Bank Account

Step 4: File Paperwork and Appoint a Treasurer

Step 5: Get on the Ballot

Step 1: Determine Eligibility

In order to run for U.S. Representative or Senator, you must meet the following criteria:

Office Sought

U.S. Citizen

Texas Resident

District Resident

Registered to Vote in Area of Office Sought

Minimum Age

Senate

9 years

Yes

Not required

Not required

30

Representative

7 years

Yes

Not required

Not required

25

Step 2: Obtain a Federal EIN (Employer Identification Number)

You'll need to obtain an EIN before you can set up a bank account. You cam easily apply online. Note that the application portal only works Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central time.

Apply for an EIN


Step 3: Open a Campaign Bank Account

Local banks and credit unions are typically the best places to open a campaign account as they offer lower fees and personal service. Read our in depth guide on How to Open a Campaign Bank Account.


Step 4: File Paperwork and Appoint a Treasurer

Once you've raised or spent $5,000 for your campaign, you will need to:

  1. File a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
  2. File a statement of organization with the FEC.

When you file your statement of organization you'll need to include your bank account information. The name of your committee must match the name of your bank account (e.g. "Smith for Congress", "Jones for Texas", etc).

You will need to appoint a treasurer on your statement of organization. Legally speaking, your treasurer is responsible for all things related to campaign finance—approving expenditures, tracking contributions, and submitting reports. However, campaigns often transfer these responsibilities to campaign staff, volunteers, or a vendor.

Your treasurer should be someone you trust, but they don't need to have a campaign finance background.


Step 5: Get on the Ballot

Once you've completed the above steps, you'll need to submit your Application for Place on Primary Ballot for a Federal Candidate form.

You have the option to either pay a filing fee or gather petition signatures from registered voters in your district.

  • The cost to file for United States Representative is $3,125.
  • You typically have to gather 500 petition signatures to avoid paying the fee.

If you go the petition route, you will need to use this petition signature form. A few things to note:

  • Only registered voters within the district can sign the form.
  • A signature must have the date it was signed, signature, printed name, and date of birth or VUID.
  • An opponent can challenge your signatures and any illegible or ineligible signatures will be thrown out.
  • One petition form must be notarized and dated after the date the last signature was collected.

Make sure you gather more signatures than you need in case some get thrown out. A good rule of thumb is to collect 20% more than you need. Blue Texas highly recommends you try to gather petitions instead of just paying the filing fee—it's always good to save money, and it's good practice to start talking to voters about why you're running!

You will turn in the application form plus either the filing fee (cash, check, money order, or chashiers check are accepted) or the notarized petition forms at the same time. If your district is contained within a single county, you'll submit these materials to your county Democratic Party. If your district crosses multiple counties, you'll submit these materials to the Texas Democratic Party.

If you are submitting your materials to the TDP, mail them to:

Texas Democratic Party

PO Box 15707

Austin, TX 78761


Filing to be on the primary ballot starts on Saturday, November 8th, 2025, and closes at 6 PM CT on December 8th.