The U.S. will hold its midterm elections on Nov. 8. In Texas, voters will elect officials for seven statewide seats — governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner, comptroller and one of three seats on the Railroad Commission. In addition, voters will also elect officials for district-based congressional and legislative offices, the State Board of Education and judicial seats.
Texas 2022 midterms
- How is the Texas Tribune covering this year’s elections? Here’s what you need to know.
- What issues matter most to you? Help us cover Texans’ top concerns ahead of the midterms.
- Texas has redrawn its political districts. Our map page shows which districts your home is within.
The most closely watched race this November is the race for the governor’s seat. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is running for a third term and faces Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who came within striking distance of defeating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. The mass shooting at a Uvalde elementary school and the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade have reshaped the final months of the race, making it more competitive between the two candidates.
Here are all of the Democrats, Republicans, third-party and independent candidates who will be on the ballot in November. Votes can’t be cast in uncontested statewide races, which will be listed separately on the ballot after races with multiple candidates. Early voting runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4.
If you share your address below, we’ll personalize the results for you by showing the races you get to vote in. (Don’t worry: We don’t store your information.)
You also may see county and local elections on your ballot. Sample ballots by county can be found through the list of county websites maintained by the Texas secretary of state’s office.
Governor
The governor is the chief executive of Texas. A Democrat has not held the seat since 1995. Abbott is seeking a third term and will face O’Rourke, who came within 3 percentage points of defeating Cruz in the 2018 U.S. Senate race.
Attorney General
The attorney general is the top lawyer in Texas, representing the state in mostly civil litigation. Ken Paxton is seeking a third term. His tenure has been clouded by a high-profile securities fraud indictment and an FBI investigation into claims of malfeasance while in office. His Democratic challenger is Rochelle Garza, a civil rights attorney from Brownsville.
Lieutenant Governor
The lieutenant governor, the second-highest executive in the state, presides over the Texas Senate. Republican Dan Patrick, who has quietly amassed influence with former President Donald Trump, is seeking a third term. Mike Collier, the Democratic nominee in 2018, will challenge Patrick again this year.
Agriculture Commissioner
The agriculture department supports farmers and administers school lunch programs. Sid Miller won the Republican primary for a third term, despite his Republican challengers taking aim at his ethics.
Land Commissioner
The land commissioner oversees an agency that manages 13 million acres of state land, administers disaster recovery funds, contributes to public school funding and has administrative control of the Alamo. The race is wide open as incumbent George P. Bush decided to run for attorney general and lost to Paxton.
Comptroller
The comptroller is the state official responsible for collecting taxes, overseeing the state treasury and forecasting the amount of money that’s available to legislators when they craft the state’s two-year budget. Republican Glenn Hegar is running for a third term.
Railroad Commissioner
In Texas, the Railroad Commission regulates the oil and gas industry. Members of the three-person board are elected statewide. One seat is up for election this year.
U.S. House
Texas has a new 38-district congressional map that incorporates two new House seats, which the state gained due to its population growth. U.S. representatives serve two-year terms, and 31 sitting members are running again. The state’s current delegation consists of 23 Republicans and 13 Democrats.
Texas Supreme Court
The Texas Supreme Court, the state’s highest civil court, has nine justices. Three of the nine seats on the Supreme Court are up for election this year. Justices are elected statewide, and Republicans currently hold all seats.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s highest criminal court. The nine members are elected statewide and are currently all Republicans. Three seats are up for election this year.
State Board of Education
There are 15 districts within the State Board of Education. Every seat is up for election because the districts were redrawn last year. Currently, nine are held by Republicans, and six are held by Democrats.
Texas Senate
Every seat in the 31-member Texas Senate is up for election because the districts were redrawn last year. Almost all of the candidates preferred by Patrick nabbed enough votes to make it to the November general election. And 25 candidates on the ballot are incumbents running for reelection.
Texas House
There are 150 members of the Texas House. Each state representative serves a two-year term. This year’s election takes place under a new map drawn by legislators. Almost all the candidates preferred by House Speaker Dade Phelan nabbed enough votes to make it to the November general election. And 120 candidates on the ballot are incumbents running for reelection.
About the data
Candidate information comes from the Texas secretary of state’s office and Texas Tribune research.
Illustration by Emily Albracht.
Disclosure: The Texas secretary of state, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Terry Canales, Senfronia Thompson, Brooks Landgraf, Vikki Goodwin and Todd Hunter have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Corrections: An earlier version of this page incorrectly stated that the Texas Department of Agriculture regulates fuel pumps in the state. Regulation of fuel pumps was transferred to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in 2020.
An earlier version of this page did not list the following candidates as incumbents after they won their respective special election races this year: Mayra Flores, in U.S. House District 34; Erin Elizabeth Gamez, in state House District 38; and Jolanda Jones, in state House District 147.