A retired Special Forces surgeon who earned his medical degree in Maine is running for Texas governor – and vowing to arrest COVID vaccine guru Anthony Fauci.
Republican Peter Chambers, a retired decorated lieutenant colonel, first broke into the headlines in the Biden years organizing an armed border-enforcing militia in protest of the open Texas/Mexico border.
Chambers received his medical training from the University of New England School of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford. He is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, the equivalent of which is the more commonly known allopathic medical doctor.
DOs, trained in all aspects of medicine, including surgery and prescribing medication, share the same privileges as MDs. They also receive additional training in “osteopathic manipulative treatment.”
Chambers spent nearly 40 years in the Army, including Special Forces overseas medical-service combat.
“Texas doesn’t need another politician,” the former Army medic said in his announcement. “It needs a warrior with integrity. That’s Doc.”
Chambers says he was forced out of the military protesting what he believed were unlawful vaccine requirements that he blames on Fauci.
In a Texas town meeting Sunday, Chambers told a room full of supporters that if elected governor, he will use his position to issue an arrest warrant to bring Fauci to trial in the Lone Star State for his alleged illegal vaccine mandates.
He’s promising “conservative leadership” as Texas’ chief executive.
“We are launching a full-scale Texas Border Invasion & Counter-Trafficking Task Force, including the Texas State Guard, to shut down cartel activity, intercept trafficking networks, and restore safety to our communities,” Chambers announced. “Texas will defend its sovereignty and protect the vulnerable – no exceptions.”
The only announced Democrat contender so far is a rancher and retired firefighter named Bobby Cole.
Cook Political report and Inside Elections rate the November 3, 2026 race as “solid Republican.” Sabato’s Crystal Ball calls it “safe Republican.”
To get to the general election, Chambers would first have to prevail in a primary and defeat the incumbent Republican, Governor Greg Abbott, who is running for an unprecedented fourth term.
