Round one of the 2026 Texas primary elections concluded Tuesday, March 3. While many candidates will now enjoy a brief respite before general election campaigning begins in earnest, and those lucky candidates who won last night and will not be contested in November are finished for the cycle, other candidates—some in high-profile races—are headed to round two: the runoffs. 

A runoff is triggered when a primary race includes more than two candidates and no one candidate receives at least 50% of the vote. The top two finishers then compete in a runoff. This year’s primary election runoff will take place May 26, with early voting May 18–22. 

Analysis

Lots of attention has been focused on the statewide races this year, where there will be runoffs for the Republican and Democratic nomination for attorney general, the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, and the Democratic nomination for lieutenant.

Although the Texas House got a bit of a reprieve following a contentious 2024 cycle, three incumbents lost their seats, and 10 primary races will head to runoff. 

The Texas Senate will have one Republican runoff to face Sen. Roland Gutierrez in SD 19. There were no real surprises in the Senate races.

The SBOE is facing significant shakeup, with incumbent LJ Francis losing and four of eight incumbents choosing not to run again. The makeup of the board seems to be shifting farther to the right. There will be two runoffs for the Democrats in districts 5 and 7.

Primary election results

Read on for a breakdown of the major statewide races, as well as races for the Texas House, Senate, and State Board of Education. 

Keep in mind that current vote tallies are still unofficial as some large counties such as Harris, Dallas, and Tarrant will take longer to fully report their ballot totals. We will update this post as additional information becomes available.  

Follow Teach the Vote for more information about the runoff contenders and how you can participate in those elections between now and May.

For complete election results, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s website. 

Statewide 

Governor

Republican primary

Incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R) easily cruised to a win with 82% of the vote, as expected, once again avoiding a runoff despite a crowded Republican field. Of Abbott’s 10 challengers, Pete “Doc” Chambers was the breakout, with 11% of the vote. Most of the rest of the candidates did not break 1%. 

Democratic primary

Current Texas House member Gina Hinojosa (D–Austin) also easily avoided a runoff with about 58% of the vote. 

Lieutenant Governor

Republican primary

As expected, incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) scored a quick victory, winning the primary outright with around 85% of the vote.

Democratic primary

None of the three Democrats vying to challenge Patrick in the fall topped the 50% mark to win outright. Soon-to-be former Texas House Democrat Vikki Goodwin (D–Austin) and Houston labor leader Marcos Velez will face each other in the May runoff.

Attorney General

Since Ken Paxton (R) announced his Senate run in April 2025, the race for attorney general has been one of the most watched of the primary season. 

Republican primary

The Republican primary featured four candidates, all of whom have name recognition and conservative bona fides, including two sitting state senators and a sitting U.S. representative. There will be a runoff between current Texas Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston) and current U.S. House member Chip Roy (R-TX). They received 39% and 32% of the vote, respectively. Sen. Joan Huffman (R–Houston) will return to the Texas Senate as her seat was not up for reelection this cycle.

Democratic primary

On the Democratic side, current Texas Sen. Nathan Johnson (D–Dallas) narrowly missed the opportunity to avoid a runoff. Johnson will advance with 48% of the vote to face either Joe Jaworski or Tony Box. The numbers between Jaworski and Box are still too close to call at this time. 

Comptroller

The race for Texas comptroller took on a very different tenor in March 2025 when former Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R), who had held the seat since 2014, was selected as chancellor of Texas A&M University, leaving the seat open. 

Republican primary

Former Texas Sen. Don Huffines and current Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick jumped into the race quickly following Hegar’s departure. Abbott complicated the race further in June by appointing Texas Sen. Kelly Hancock to be acting comptroller. Despite Hancock’s quasi-incumbent status and the governor’s endorsement, Huffines won, capturing 57% of the vote and avoiding a runoff.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary featured three candidates: current Texas Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D–Austin), Houston ISD trustee Savant Moore, and Michael Lange. Eckhardt easily won with 65% of the vote.

U.S. Senate 

The U.S. Senate contest was by most accounts the marquee race of the primary election. Well-funded high-profile candidates on each side, drama, and an expectation the winners will face a brawl in November that could shift the balance of power in the U.S. Senate made for two hotly contested races.

Republican primary

The lead-up to Republican Senate primary has been going on for years, practically since the day current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2023 impeachment ended with his acquittal in the Texas Senate. Accordingly, Paxton’s entry into the race surprised few, including long-time current sitting U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). This battle of Republican juggernauts was further complicated by the entry of current U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX). Although Hunt was not expected to win, many expected him to play spoiler for the other two candidates, forcing a runoff. That is exactly what happened, with Cornyn and Paxton headed to a runoff, each having captured roughly 40% of the vote. 

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate featured a race between former colleagues and rising stars in the party: current U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and current Texas House member James Talarico (D–Austin). Early voting showed huge Democratic turnout, with many pundits crediting the Senate race for motivating Democratic voters.

Election Day proved more complicated than expected, with issues in Dallas County leading to uncertainty. Dallas had two key issues impacting its results:

1. The two parties split their primaries in Dallas County, leading to confusion as voters were turned away from their typical polling locations and sent to others. This caused a district judge to extend voting hours to 9 p.m.
2. The decision to extend Dallas County voting hours to 9 p.m. was then stayed by the Texas Supreme Court. This leaves ballots cast between 7–9 p.m. in that county in limbo.

In the end, the disputed numbers from Dallas County were shown not to be enough for Crockett to overtake Talarico. She conceded to Talarico Wednesday morning, avoiding a costly legal fight and calling for her supporters to unify behind Talarico.

State Board of Education (SBOE) 

Eight of the 15 seats on the State Board of Education were up for reelection this year, with four board members—Rebecca Bell-Metereau (D–San Marcos), Will Hickman (R–Houston), Keven Ellis (R–Lufkin), and Evelyn Brooks (R–Frisco)—choosing not to return for another term. This will likely result in a significant shakeup of the board.

SBOE 2: Incumbent LJ Francis (R–Corpus Christi) lost his seat outright, finishing third in the Republican primary. Challenger Victoria Hinojosa, the wife of Sen. Adam Hinojosa (R–Brownsville), won with 59% of the vote, avoiding a runoff. She will move on to face Democrat Thomas Garcia in November in what will likely be a competitive race. Garcia ran unopposed. 

SBOE 5: Six Democratic candidates ran to succeed Bell-Metereau. Allison Bush and Stephanie Bazan will advance to a runoff. The winner will face Republican Mica Arellano, who had an uncontested primary, in the general. 

SBOE 6: Conroe ISD board member Tiffany Nelson garnered the lion’s share of endorsements, including from the governor and lieutenant governor, in her bid to succeed retiring board member Hickman. She easily defeated Barbara Denson to win the Republican nomination. She will face uncontested Democrat and teacher Michelle Palmer in November. 

SBOE 7: Incumbent Julie Pickren (R–Pearland) ran uncontested in the Republican primary. She will face the winner of the Democratic runoff election, either Debra Drake Ambroise or Tiffany Perkinz, in November. 

SBOE 8: Incumbent board member Audrey Young (R–Apple Springs) defeated fellow Republican George Brian Vachris 69% to 31%. Young will defend her seat in November against Democrat Dana Van De Walker. 

SBOE 9: Kason Huddleston easily avoided a runoff in the Republican race to succeed retiring board member Ellis. He will face uncontested Democrat Ericka Ledford in November.

SBOE 13: Incumbent Tiffany Clark (D–Dallas) easily won the Democratic nomination. She will face Republican April Moore in November.

SBOE 14: Mindy Bumgarner, wife of Rep. Benjamin Bumgarner (R–Flower Mound) ran uncontested in the Republican primary to succeed current member Evelyn Brooks (R–Frisco), who ran unsuccessfully for governor. Bumgarner will face Democrat Amy Taylor, who also ran uncontested in the primary, in November.

Texas Senate 

The Texas Senate raced included a staggering five open seats this election cycle and a total of 16 seats up for reelection. 

SD 1: Incumbent Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola) will face Laticia Ambroz in the general. Each ran uncontested in their respective primary elections. 

SD 2: Incumbent Bob Hall (R–Edgewood) easily defeated challenger Jason Eddington to win the Republican nomination. Keenan Colbert was unopposed on the Democratic ballot.

SD 3: This was left open by the decision of Sen. Robert Nichols (R–Jacksonville) not to seek another term. The Republican primary in SD 3 featured current Texas House member Trent Ashby (R–Lufkin) facing Rhonda Ward. Ward, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee and a local realtor, was seen as a serious challenger to Ashby. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who often endorses in Senate races, chose not to endorse in this race. In the end, Ashby defeated Ward easily. He will face Democrat Bobby Tillman in November.

SD 4: This seat was vacated by former Sen. Brandon Creighton, who became chancellor at Texas Tech University in fall 2025. Republicans Brent Ligon and Charlie Miller faced off for this seat, with Ligon winning. Ligon won again during their primary rematch and will face Democrat Ron Angeletti, who ran uncontested in the primary, in November.

SD 5: Incumbent Charles Schwertner (R–Georgetown) easily beat his two challengers with 76% of the vote. On the Democratic side, Paul Thomasson faced Kevin Nelson, and this is currently too close to call, with Thomasson leading Nelson 51% to 49%.

SD 9: One of those five open seats, SD 9, was vacated by former senator and current acting comptroller Kelly Hancock earlier this year. This seat was filled a few weeks ago with the election of Democrat Taylor Rehmet (D–Ft. Worth) over Leigh Wambsganss in a special election to fill the remainder of Hancock’s term, flipping the red seat to blue. Rehmet and Wambsganss each ran unopposed in their respective primaries and will face each other in November for a rematch to see who will fill the seat for the next four years once the current term ends next January.

SD 11: Current House Rep. Dennis Paul (R–Houston), who ran uncontested in the Republican primary will face Shannon Dicely, the victor of the Democratic primary in November.

SD 18: Incumbent Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R–Brenham) will face Democrat Erica Gillum in November. Both candidates ran unopposed in their respective primaries.

SD 19: Incumbent Roland Gutierrez (D–San Antonio), who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, will face either Republican Marcus Cardenas or Robert Marks in November. In the meantime, Cardenas and Marks are headed to a runoff in May.

SD 21: Incumbent Judith Zaffirini (D–Laredo) easily won her primary challenge. She will face Republican Julie Dahlberg, who ran uncontested in her primary, in November.

SD 22: This seat was recently vacated by former Sen. Brian Birdwell, who left in order to become the assistant secretary of defense for the Trump administration and is currently awaiting confirmation to that post. House member David Cook (R–Mansfield), who was endorsed by the president, governor, and lieutenant governor, easily defeated his two opponents with 67% of the vote. He will face Democrat Amy Martinez-Salas in November.

SD 24: Incumbent Pete Flores (R–Pleasanton) will face Democrat Joe Herrera in November. Both candidates ran unopposed in their respective primaries.

SD 28: Incumbent Charles Perry (R–Lubbock) will face Democrat Riley Rodriquez in November. Both candidates ran unopposed in their respective primaries.

SD 31: Incumbent Kevin Sparks (R–Midland) will face Democrat John Betancourt in November. Both candidates ran unopposed in their respective primaries.

Incumbent senators Borris Miles (D–Houston) and Jose Menendez (D–San Antonio) ran unopposed in the primary and are unopposed in November. 

Texas House, select races 

The Texas House faces a bit of turnover this upcoming session, with a little more than 10% of Texas House members not returning and vacating their seats. There has been much less drama this primary season compared with the last, with all incumbent Republicans heading into the primary with the governor’s and president’s endorsements. Two Republican incumbents and one Democrat incumbent lost their seats.

Races of note for open seats 

There are numerous open House seats, in which no incumbent is running for reelection, during the current cycle. Of particular note, several of these seats represent either potential partisan shifts or shifts in support of public education policy issues. 

HD 1: Longtime Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R–New Boston) decided not to seek a new term and endorsed Josh Bray. Bray faced Chris Spencer, whom VanDeaver defeated in a 2024 runoff. This race has not been called yet, but Spencer currently leads Bray 50.9% to 49.1%. The eventual winner will face Democrat Sean Huffman in November.

HD 9: Current Rep. Trent Ashby (R–Lufkin) is vacating his seat to run for Texas Senate. His endorsed candidate, Rocky Thigpen, defeated Paulette Carson handily, with 77% of the vote. Thigpen will face Democrat Shelley Tatum in November.

HD 41: Current Rep. Bobby Guerra (D–McAllen) announced his retirement this fall. This competitive open seat will have a runoff on each side, with Democrats Seby Haddad and Julio Salinas facing off and Republicans Sergio Sanchez and Gary Groves competing on the other side. 

HD 47: Pooja Sethi defeated Joseph Kosper with 76% of the vote. Sethi is the former chief of staff for Rep. Vikki Goodwin, who vacated the seat to run for lieutenant governor. Sethi will face Republican Jennifer Mushtaler in November.

HD 49: Current Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D–Austin) is running for governor. Montserrat Garibay and Kathie Tovo have advanced to a runoff. The winner of the runoff will be the representative-elect as there is no Republican running in the district.

HD 50: Current Rep. James Talarico (D–Austin) is running for U.S. Senate. Samantha Lopez-Resendez appears likely to have avoided a runoff, winning 51.6% of the vote with 99% counted. She faces Republican Howard Olsen in November.

HD 71: Jay Hardaway, who was endorsed by outgoing Rep. Stan Lambert (R–Abilene), avoided a runoff with 56.5% of the vote and will face Democrat Diane Luna in November. Lambert announced his retirement in fall 2025.

HD 86: Current Rep. John Smithee (R–Amarillo) is retiring. Holly Jeffreys defeated Jamie Haynes comfortably with 65.8% of the vote and will face Democrat Cullin Knutson in November.

HD 93: Current Rep. Nate Schatzline (R–Fort Worth) chose not to seek another term. Fort Worth City Councilman Alan Blaylock defeated Steve Sprowls, a Northwest ISD board member, with 87.4% of the vote. He will face Democrat Ericka Lomick in November.

HD 94: Current Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R–Arlington) decided to run for county commissioner instead of seeking another term. Despite a crowded field, Cheryl Bean has avoided a runoff and won outright with 53.8% of the vote, defeating Texans for Vaccine Choice founder Jackie Schlegel and three other candidates. She will face Democrat Katie Duzan in November.

HD 96: Current Rep. David Cook (R–Mansfield) is running for the Texas Senate. The race was uncontested on both sides of the primary. Republican Ellen Fleischmann will face Democrat Ebony Turner in November.

HD 98: Current Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R–Keller) decided not to seek another term. Cate Brennan secured the nomination on the Democratic side, with 78% of the vote. She will face Republican Armin Mizani, the mayor of Keller, who narrowly avoided a runoff with 53.2% of the vote.

HD 118: Current Rep. John Lujan (R–San Antonio) is running for Congress. Democrat Kristian Carranza was unchallenged in the primary and will likely face Republican and former Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) K-12 Education Policy Director Jorge Borrego in November. Borrego was one of the architects of the TPPF voucher push last year. This is likely to be a very competitive race.

HD 125: Current Rep. Ray Lopez (D–San Antonio) decided not to seek another term. Rick Martinez secured the Republican nomination with 58.6% of the vote. On the Democratic side, there will be a runoff between Adrian Reyna and Michelle Barrientes Vela.

HD 126: Current Rep. Sam Harless (R–Houston) decided not to seek another term. Democrat Stefanie Bord won her party’s nomination with 67% of the vote. On the Republican side, a runoff between former Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart and Kelly Peterson seems likely. Stanart is currently at 49.3%, shy of the 50.1% he would need to avoid a runoff.

HD 128: Rep. Briscoe Cain (R–Deer Park) stepped aside to run for Congress. This seat had uncontested primaries, with Republican Tom Butler and Democrat Desiree Klaus set to face off in November.

HD 129: Current Rep. Dennis Paul (R–Houston) is running for the Texas Senate. Scott Bowen easily defeated his opponent with 71.6% of the vote to secure the Republican nomination. The Democrat, Albert Witliff, was unchallenged.

HD 131: Longtime Rep. Dr. Alma Allen (D–Houston) announced her retirement this fall and made clear that she intended for her son, former SBOE member Lawrence Allen, to succeed her. Allen placed second in votes last night, heading to a runoff with current SBOE member Staci Childs, who received 45.5% of the vote to Allen’s 27.5%. The winner will face Republican Scott Whitmarsh in November.

HD 135: Rep. Jon Rosenthal is running for railroad commissioner and endorsed his former chief of staff, Odus Evbagharu, for his seat. The primaries were uncontested, and Evbagharu will face Republican Liz Ramos in November.

Other races of note: Republican primary

Two Republican House members lost their seats Tuesday in surprise upsets. In HD 3, Rep. Cecil Bell (R–Magnolia) was defeated by Kristen Plaisance. In HD 85, Rep. Stan Kitzman (R–Bellville) was defeated by Dennis “Goose” Geesaman. All other Republican incumbents won their races Tuesday.

Other races of note: Democratic primary

One incumbent Democrat appears to have been unseated last night. Chris Turner, who has served in HD 101 in the Dallas area since 2013, has lost his seat to Junior Ezeonu, a city councilman from Grand Prairie, 52.7% to 47.3%. There is no Republican running for that seat, so Ezeonu would be the representative-elect if this result holds.

HD 37: There will be a runoff between Oziel Ochoa and Esmeralda Cantu-Castle in May. The winner will face incumbent Janie Lopez (R–San Benito) in a race that will likely be competitive.

HD 100: Incumbent Venton Jones (D–Dallas) will face a runoff against Amanda Richardson. The winner will face Republican Jordan Hoffnagle in November.

HD 142: Longtime incumbent Harold Dutton (D–Houston) appears to have avoided a runoff. Dutton currently has 50.8% with 95% of the vote counted. Assuming this holds, he will face Republican Heidi Hall in November.

HD 149: Rep. Hubert Vo (D–Houston) appears headed to a runoff with Alief ISD Trustee Darlene Breaux. This race is extremely close, with Breaux leading Vo 37.6% to 37.5%. The winner of the runoff will face Republican Dave Bennett in November.