2026 Texas elections
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 Texas elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026. Primary elections took place on March 3, while runoffs will take place on May 26 for primary candidates who did not receive a majority of the vote. Early voting in the primary ran from February 17 to February 27, while early voting in the runoff will run from May 18 to May 22.
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November 3, 2026
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All of the states' executive offices are up for election, as well as 16 seats of the Texas Senate and all seats of the Texas House of Representatives, all 38 seats in the United States House of Representatives, and one of the state's United States Senate seats.
In the primaries, Democratic voters outnumbered Republican voters for the first time since the 2020 primaries.[1][2]
Federal
United States Senate
Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn is running for re-election.
United States House of Representatives
All 38 seats are up for election. Congressional districts were redrawn in 2025 by the state legislature in a move seen as beneficial for Republicans.[3]
Executive
Governor
Incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott is running for re-election to a fourth term. He was re-elected in 2022 with 54.76% of the vote.
Lieutenant governor
Incumbent Republican lieutenant governor Dan Patrick is running for re-election to a fourth term. He was re-elected in 2022 with 53.75% of the vote.
Attorney general
Incumbent Republican attorney general Ken Paxton is running for U.S. senate. He was re-elected in 2022 with 53.42% of the vote.
Declared candidates in the Republican primary include state senators Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy Aaron Reitz, and U.S. representative Chip Roy.[4][5] Former mayor of Galveston Joe Jaworski and state senator Nathan Johnson are running for the Democratic nomination.[6]
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Incumbent Republican comptroller Glenn Hegar was re-elected in 2022 with 56.39% of the vote. He resigned on July 1, 2025, to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System and was succeeded by his chief clerk, former state senator Kelly Hancock, as acting Comptroller, who ran for re-election.
Hancock faced Texas Railroad Commission member Christi Craddick and former state senator Don Huffines in the Republican primary.[7] On March 3, 2026, Huffies would dominate the Republican primary with 57% win.[8]
Commissioner of the General Land Office
Incumbent Republican Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is running for re-election to a second four-year term. She was first elected in 2022 with 56.2% of the vote.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Incumbent Republican Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller ran for re-election to a fourth four-year term. He was re-elected in 2022 with 56.4% of the vote. Miller, who received a late endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump, would lose to Nathan Sheets, who was backed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, 52% to 47%.[8] This would mark the first time in years that a statewide Republican official would lose renomination in a primary.[8]
Railroad Commission
Incumbent Republican Railroad Commission of Texas member Jim Wright is running for re-election to a second six-year term. He was first elected in 2020 with 53% of the vote.
Judicial
Texas Supreme Court
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Place 3
Republican primary
Advanced to runoff
- Alison Fox, staff attorney of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals[9]
- Tom Smith, assistant attorney general in the Texas Attorney General's Office[9]
Eliminated in primary
- Brent Coffee, assistant attorney general in the Texas Attorney General’s Office[9]
- Lesli Fitzpatrick, director of special litigation for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of General Counsel[9]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Okey Anyiam, criminal defense attorney[9]
Place 4
Republican primary
Nominee
- Kevin Yeary, incumbent[9]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Audra Riley, judge of the Criminal District Court No. 3 in Dallas County[9]
Place 9
Republican primary
Nominee
- John Messinger, assistant state prosecuting attorney[9]
Eliminated in primary
- Jennifer Balido, judge of the Criminal District Court No. 1 in Dallas County[9]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Holly Taylor, criminal and civil appeals attorney[9]
Legislature
16 seats of the Texas Senate and all 150 seats of the Texas House of Representatives are up for election. The winners of this election will serve in the 90th Texas Legislature.
Senate
In the Texas Senate, 16 of the 31 seats are up for election to four-year terms. The seats up for election in the cycle were determined after the redistricting triggered by the 2020 census through the drawing of lots.[10] Prior to the election, Republicans held a majority of 20 seats against the Democrats' 11 seats.
| Party | Leader | Before | After | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Perry | 20 | |||
| Democratic | Carol Alvarado | 11 | |||
| Total | 31 | ||||
House of Representatives
All 150 seats of the Texas House of Representatives are up for election to two-year terms. Prior to the election, Republicans held a majority of 88 seats against the Democrats' 62 seats.
| Party | Leader | Before | After | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dustin Burrows | 88 | |||
| Democratic | Gene Wu | 62 | |||
| Total | 150 | ||||
Board of Education
Local elections
In Texas, county elections are partisan and are held at the same time as national and state races. Local elections are held on the first Saturday of May, and feature races for city council members, school board members, and local bond elections. In addition, in 2026 three city members of DART held elections to withdraw: Addison, Highland Park, and University Park.
County elections
Local Mayoral elections
Eligible incumbents
- Arlington, Texas: Two-term incumbent Jim Ross is eligible for re-election.
- Laredo, Texas: One-term incumbent Victor Treviño is eligible for re-election.
- Lubbock, Texas: One-term incumbent Mark McBrayer is eligible for re-election.
Ineligible or retiring incumbents
- Corpus Christi, Texas: Two-term incumbent Paulette Guajardo is term-limited and ineligible to run.
- Irving, Texas: Three-term incumbent Rick Stopfer is term-limited and ineligible to run.