Here's your 2026 Texas ballot for the November election
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Midterm elections in Texas are on Nov. 3. Here are all the candidates on the general election ballot, according to the Secretary of State.
Statewide seats, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner and comptroller are on the ballot. Voters will also elect officials for congressional and legislative offices, the State Board of Education and judicial seats.
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5. In-person early voting runs from Oct. 19 to 30.
The Brief finds it first
Below are all of the Democrats, Republicans and third-party candidates on November’s ballot.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name in this guide. Elections in Texas are run by its 254 counties, and each county determines the order of candidates on the ballots there. To see each county’s ballot order, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s site.
What you should know:
- Here’s how to register to vote and everything you need to know about voting in the general election.
- One of the most high-profile matchups in Texas this November is the U.S. Senate race between state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, and his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico has been consistently out-polling and out-raising Paxton throughout the campaign.
- The Trump administration is planning a border project in the Big Bend region, which has put Texas Republicans in a tough spot. They are stuck between constituents who are outraged over federal plans to carve roads and barriers in the region and a president who they don’t want to cross.
- Texas’ U.S. House delegation will experience high turnover this election cycle because of retirements and redistricting-related changes. It also stands to get wealthier.
If you share your address below, we’ll personalize the results for you by showing the state and federal races you get to vote in. (Don’t worry: We don’t sell your information.)
Republicans redrew Congressional districts last year, in an effort to gain more seats. The U.S. House districts shown below are based on those new maps.
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You’ll also see county and local elections on your ballot. Sample ballots for specific counties can be found through this list of county websites maintained by the Texas Secretary of State. In September, we’ll update this page to include local ballots for Texans living in the 50 most populous counties.
U.S. Senate
Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton faces Democratic Texas State Representative James Talarico in the general election. Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff. The last time a Texas Democrat won a U.S. Senate election was in 1988. In 2018, Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke came within 3 percentage points of defeating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
Governor
The governor is the chief executive of Texas, signing or vetoing bills from the Legislature and prioritizing emergency items for state lawmakers. The governor also leads the state’s military in emergencies and makes about 1,500 state appointments during a four-year term. Gov. Greg Abbott is running for a fourth term in office. Texas hasn’t had a Democrat as governor since 1995.
Attorney General
The attorney general is Texas’ top lawyer, representing the state primarily in civil litigation. Paxton, who has served as attorney general for more than a decade, is running for U.S. Senate. Texas Sen. Mayes Middleton won the GOP nomination in the May primary runoff, defeating U.S. Rep. Chip Roy.
Lieutenant Governor
The lieutenant governor is the second-highest executive in the state and presides over the Texas Senate. Incumbent Dan Patrick seeks his fourth term in office.
Comptroller
The comptroller is the state’s chief financial officer and treasurer, in charge of collecting taxes and forecasting how much money is available to state lawmakers when they create the state’s two-year budget. The comptroller’s office is also responsible for managing the state’s school voucher program, which allocates taxpayer money to families to cover their children’s private or home-schooling costs. Then-Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock resigned from his seat after losing the Republican primary to former state Sen. Don Huffines. Abbott appointed Huffines as comptroller in July to serve the rest of the term.
Land Commissioner
The land commissioner is in charge of the General Land Office, an agency that manages 13 million acres of state land, administers federal allocations of disaster relief and flood mitigation funds, contributes to public school funding and has administrative control over the Alamo. Incumbent Dawn Buckingham is running for a second term.
Agriculture Commissioner
The agriculture commissioner leads a department that advocates for farmers, regulates the farming industry and administers school nutrition programs. Nate Sheets won the Republican nomination in March, defeating three-term incumbent Sid Miller.
U.S. House
All 38 Texas congressional seats are up for election this November. Republican state lawmakers redrew the congressional map last year, which will likely give House Republicans more districts this election. The map, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law, pushed many Democratic incumbents to run in districts already led by another Democrat, causing them to choose between competing in a primary or retiring.
Railroad Commissioner
The three-person Railroad Commission regulates the Texas oil and gas industry, including drilling, natural gas facilities, pipelines, hydrogen storage and carbon dioxide injection and storage. One seat is up for election this year. Former Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French defeated incumbent Commissioner Jim Wright by 1 percentage point in a close Republican primary runoff this May.
Texas Supreme Court
The Texas Supreme Court, the state’s highest civil court, has nine seats, all of which are currently filled by Republican justices. Four seats are up for election in 2026, all with incumbents seeking reelection.
Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest criminal court in the state. The court hears appeals from lower courts, death penalty cases and “habeas corpus” appeals from convicted felons who claim they were wrongly punished or detained. All nine current members, who are elected statewide, are Republicans. Three seats are up for election, two of which are open races.
State Board Of Education
The State Board of Education sets curriculum and chooses instructional materials for Texas public schools. The board also develops educational policies and approves new charter schools in tandem with the Texas Education Agency and the Commissioner of Education. Eight of the 15 district seats on the board are up for election this year, including three where incumbents are seeking re-election.
Texas Senate
Sixteen seats in the 31-member Texas Senate are up for election, including a dozen with incumbents hoping to win reelection this November.
Texas House
All 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives are up for election in November. Republicans have controlled the House since the 2002 election. Democrats are aiming to potentially flip a dozen battleground districts and narrow the Republican’s 88-62 majority in the House.
Disclosure: The Texas secretary of state, Cathy Broadrick, Kristen Hawkins, Laura Jones, Merrie Fox, Shelby & Brooks Landgraf, Terry Canales and Todd Hunter have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.
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