By Lauren Fairbanks and J Pete Laney
TAD Governmental Affairs
March 3 was Primary Election Day in Texas and voters chose party nominees for the Republican and Democratic tickets in the 2026 general election. Primary voters chose their party candidates for federal seats (U.S. Senate and U.S. House), statewide offices, state legislative seats and many local positions. If no candidate in a race cleared a majority, the top two advanced to a May 26 runoff.
Texas’ 2026 elections shaped up to be some of the most competitive in recent memory, especially with the races for U.S. Senate and Texas Attorney General, creating high-stakes primaries and heated party infighting.
Of the 150 Texas House members, 21 state representatives chose not to seek re-election, 38 incumbents had primary challengers, with the majority of those Republican (28) versus 10 Democrat incumbents. Ultimately, three incumbents who faced a primary challenger lost their reelection bid. In the Senate, 16 members were up for election this cycle, and five Senators did not seek re-election.
As in all elections, there were a few surprises and some major upsets to incumbents:
- Incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R) heads to a runoff with Ken Paxton.
- Don Huffines secured the Republican nomination for Comptroller without a runoff.
- Incumbent Railroad Commission Chairman Jim Wright heads to a Republican runoff with Bo French.
- Incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller lost his bid in the Republican primary to Nate Sheets.
- Incumbent State Rep. Cecil Bell Jr. (R-Magnolia) was defeated in the House District 3 primary by Republican Kristen Plaisance.
- Incumbent State Rep. Stan Kitzman (R-Pattison) lost in his House District 85 primary to Republican Dennis Geesaman.
- Incumbent State Rep. Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie) was defeated in the House District 101 primary by Democrat Junior Ezeonu.
Voter Turnout
Nearly one in four registered Texans cast a ballot in this year’s primary. This represents a high-water mark for recent midterm elections in the state, with overall turnout reaching approximately 24% – a significant jump from 17% in 2018 and 18% in 2022. Out of roughly 18.7 million registered voters, nearly 4.5 million Texans cast ballots. For the first time since 2020, Democratic turnout outpaced Republican turnout. The Democratic primary saw 2.3 million voters (12% of all registered voters, up from 7% in 2018), while the Republican primary drew nearly 2.2 million voters.
Turnout increased in 158 of Texas’s 254 counties compared to the 2022 midterms. The highest participation (over 25%) occurred in solidly red counties and fast-growing suburbs like Tarrant and Fort Bend. Large liberal counties followed closely at nearly 24%, while border counties saw the lowest turnout at 16% (though this still marked an increase from four years prior).
U.S. Senate
In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn faced a pitched primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt. In what turned out to be the single most expensive primary in U.S. Senate history, with nearly $100 million in total ad buys, the spending isn’t over yet. This one will go to a runoff between Cornyn and Paxton on May 26.
While Trump did not endorse a candidate in the primary, he has since said he will make an endorsement in the runoff and ask the other candidate to drop out (as of press time, this has not happened).
During the primary campaign, Cornyn leaned on institutional support and strong fundraising while Paxton ran as a conservative insurgent with strong grassroots backing despite ongoing controversies. Hunt was the spoiler on this primary ballot – he positioned himself as a Trump-aligned candidate seeking to bridge factions within the party.
In the Democratic primary U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a second-term Congresswoman from Dallas, ran against State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin). Talarico won the bid for the Democratic nominee and will be on the ballot in November against whoever wins the Republican primary runoff.
Governor
Gov. Greg Abbott easily cruised to victory in the primary with an overwhelming 83% of votes. He is seeking an historic fourth term. Primary challengers included a mix of activists, military veterans and local officials. Abbott entered 2026 with a campaign war chest of over $105 million, a stark warning sign to any Republican who would want to go against him after his successful 2024 primary season.
Abbott in November will face State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who emerged victorious with 60% of the vote in the Democratic primary against former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell and six other candidates.
Lieutenant Governor
Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick faced challengers in the Republican primary, but nothing he couldn’t handle, as expected. He secured the Republican nominee with 85% of the vote against three challengers. In the November general election, Patrick will face the winner of the May Democratic primary runoff between State Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin and Marcos Vélez, a steelworker union leader from the Houston area.
Attorney General
The open Attorney General race, triggered by Ken Paxton’s U.S. Senate bid, added another layer of complexity to Texas’ primary ballot. The crowded Republican primary resulted in a May runoff between vote leader State Sen. Mayes Middleton of Houston and Congressman Chip Roy, who served as First Assistant AG under Paxton and Chief of Staff to Senator Ted Cruz.
The Democratic race for the office also has led to a runoff between State Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.
Comptroller
Four candidates were on the ballot competing for the Republican primary election slot, most with years of political and policy experience and tenure shaped by other publicly held offices. Kelly Hancock, the acting Comptroller, was endorsed by Gov. Abbott and left his Senate seat to run for the State’s top accountant. Current Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, threw her hat in the race and did so with a free run, not having to give up her RRC seat. Former state Senator Don Huffines from Dallas said he ran for comptroller to protect taxpayer money by tracking costs for educating undocumented immigrants, overseeing the school choice program and reviewing state contracts.
Huffines won the crowded race outright, securing 57.4% of the vote. He will face state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) in November.
Agriculture Commissioner
One of the hottest races on the Republican primary ticket this spring was the race for the top agriculture chief. Incumbent Sid Miller faced extreme opposition with a candidate, Nate Sheets, who came out of left field with endorsements from Gov. Abbott and many of the state’s agriculture heavy hitters. Miller has served as Agriculture Commissioner since 2014, and was reelected in 2018 and 2022.
Sheets prevailed in the primary and will face uncontested Democrat nominee Clayton Tucker in November.
Railroad Commissioner
The Republican primary for one of three Railroad Commissioner seats became a crowded one. Incumbent Jim Wright, who serves as chair of the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, faced four GOP challengers in the primary: Hawk Dunlap, a fourth-generation oil worker; Katherine Culbert, a chemical engineer; Jim Matlock, a consultant for the oil and gas industry; and Bo French, the former Tarrant County GOP chair.
In May, Wright and French will compete in a runoff to determine who will face Democrat State Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston in November.
Texas Senate
There were four open seats going into the primary election, and a total of 16 senators up for reelection this cycle. The four vacant seats were the result of a retirement from longtime Senate Transportation Chairman Robert Nichols; a run for Attorney General by Mayes Middleton; an open seat due to Brandon Creighton’s move to become Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, and Brian Birdwell’s retirement then subsequent appointment to the U.S. Department of War.
- SD 3. House member Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) threw his hat in the race early to replace retiring Senator Robert Nichols but gained a primary challenger quickly in Rhonda Ward. Ashby won with an overwhelming 63% of the vote.
- SD 5. Senator Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown), chairman of the powerful Senate Business & Commerce committee, faced two primary challengers on the ballot, but no candidate came close.
- SD 11. House member Dennis Paul (R-Houston) announced his intention to run in the vacant Mayes Middleton seat. Paul ran unopposed.
- SD 21. Longtime Senator and Dean of the Texas Senate Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) also faced a primary challenger from Democrat candidate Courtney Jones. Zaffirini easily secured the nomination.
- SD 22. House member David Cook (R-Mansfield) ran in the open seat to replace Brian Birdwell against two Republican challengers. Cook easily secured the nomination with 68% of the vote.
Texas House
All 150 Texas House of Representative seats are up for reelection this year. Unlike state senators who hold four-year terms, House members campaign and run every two years. Last year brought several retirement and resignation announcements – 21 to be exact. As candidates poured into races ahead of the filing deadline in December, the number of contested incumbent races was high, as well, with 28 Republicans and 10 Democrats having serious primary challengers this cycle. Of those 38 contested races, a handful became priority races to Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows, who used both his time and money to help incumbents return to the House. See below for a snapshot of these races.
Key primary races and results:
- HD 3. Rep. Cecil Bell Jr. (R-Magnolia) lost a challenge from Kristen Plaisance.
- HD 13. Rep. Angelia Orr (R-Hillsboro) faced self-funded, two-time congressional contender Kat Wall of Centerville. Orr prevailed.
- HD 23. Rep. Terri Leo Wilson (R-Galveston) faced a challenge from developer Nathan Watkins. Leo Wilson defeated her opponent.
- HD 85. Rep. Stan Kitzman (R-Bellville) was challenged by Dennis Geesaman, former councilman and Mayor of Flatonia. Geesaman was nominated.
- HD 88. Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) was challenged by a political outsider, John Browning, with significant funding from far-right conservative groups. King ultimately prevailed in this Panhandle seat.
- HD 101. Rep. Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie) faced a challenge from Junior Ezeonu. Ezeonu won his bid.
Now with the primaries mostly out of the way except for the May runoffs, we expect the Texas Legislature to again be back at work this interim, holding committee hearings to address interim charges from the Lt. Governor and Speaker of the House as we head into next session.
