2026 Texas Primary Run-Off Results
May 27, 2026
Texas Primary Run-Off Elections – Republican and Democratic Primary Run-Offs were held on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Here are the results.
REPUBLICAN RUN-OFF TURNOUT:
Historical Turnout Numbers:
• 2026 – 1,387,674 (7.44%)
• 2024 – no Statewide R/O
• 2022 - 931,800 (5.4%)
• 2020 – no Statewide R/O
• 2018 – no Statewide R/O
• 2016 – 376,387 (2.64%)
• 2014 – 752,780 (5.53%)
• 2012 – 1,449,477 (11.09%)
• 2010 – 335,667 (2.58%)
• 2008 – no statewide R/O
• 2006 – 166,667 (1.31%)
• 2004 – 223,769 (1.82%)
• 2002 – 227,342 (1.86%)
• 2000 –224,472 (1.93%)
DEMOCRATIC RUN-OFF TURNOUT:
Historical Turnout Numbers:
• 2026 – 552,678 (2.96%)
• 2024 – no Statewide R/O
• 2022 – 486,912 (2.82%)
• 2020 - 955,735 (5.84%)
• 2018 – 432,180 (2.83%)
• 2016 – 186,912 (1.31%)
• 2014 – 201,283 (1.48%)
• 2012 – 236,305 (1.81%)
• 2010 – no statewide R/O
• 2008 – 187,708 (1.47%)
• 2006 – 207,252 (1.63%)
• 2004 – no statewide R/O
• 2002 – 620,301 (5.08%)
• 2000 – 245,350 (2.11%)
STATEWIDE RACES – Almost all statewide races are on the ballot in 2026. Republicans hold all statewide offices in Texas.
Republican Primary:
U.S. Senate – Senator John Cornyn was defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton, who got 63.84% of the vote to Cornyn’s 36.16%.
Attorney General – State Senator Mayes Middleton (55.24%) defeated Congressman Chip Roy (44.76%).
Railroad Commissioner – Commissioner Jim Wright was narrowly defeated by former Tarrant County Republican Party Chair Bo French (R-Fort Worth). Wright got 49.44% and French got 50.56%.
Court of Criminal Appeals – Thomas Smith got 58.09% of the vote to defeat Alison Fox.
Democratic Primary:
Lt. Governor – State Representative Vikki Goodwin of Austin got 67.76% of the vote to defeat Marcos Isaias Velez (D-Deer Park) who took 32.24%.
Attorney General – State Senator Nathan Johnson of Dallas (60.51%) defeated Joe Jaworski of Galveston (39.49%).
TEXAS SENATE:
The Texas Senate currently has 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Until recently, when Taylor Rehmet (D-Fort Worth) won the Special Election Run-off in Senate District 9, the Senate had 20 Republicans and 11 Democrats. 16 of the 31 Texas Senate districts have candidates on the ballot in 2026.
5 Incumbent Members of the Texas Senate Did Not Seek Re-election:
• Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) District 22 – not seeking re-election; appointed by President Trump as Assistant Secretary of Defense on October 21, 2025. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and will resign from the Texas Senate
• Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) District 4 – resigned to become Chancellor of Texas Tech University System; special election was held on May 2, 2026
• Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) District 9 – resigned to become Acting-Comptroller; special election run-off was held on January 31, 2026
• Mayes Middleton (R-Wallisville) District 11 – not seeking re-election; Republican nominee for Attorney General
• Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) District 3 – not seeking re-election
Run-Off to Challenge Incumbent – Marcus Cardenas (R-San Antonio) defeated Robert Marks, Jr. (R-San Antonio) in District 19 with 52% of the vote. Cardenas will challenge Senator Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) in the General Election.
TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
The Texas House has 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats. All 150 House Districts are on the ballot in 2026.
21 Incumbent House Members Did Not Seek Re-election:
• Alma Allen (D-Houston) District 131 – not seeking re-election
• Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) District 9 – Republican nominee for Senate in District 3
• Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) District 128 – ran for Congress in C-9; was defeated in the Republican Primary Run-Off
• Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) District 98 – not seeking re-election
• David Cook (R-Mansfield) District 96 – Republican nominee for Senate in District 22
• Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin) District 47 – Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor
• Bobby Guerra (D-McAllen) District 41 – not seeking re-election
• Sam Harless (R-Spring) District 126 – not seeking re-election
• Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) District 49 – Democratic nominee for governor
• Stan Lambert (R-Abilene) District 71 – not seeking re-election
• Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio) District 125 – not seeking re-election
• John Lujan (R-San Antonio) District 118 – ran for Congress in C-35; was defeated in the Republican Primary Run-Off
• Dennis Paul (R-Webster) District 129 – Republican nominee for Senate in District 11
• Dade Phelan (R-Nederland) District 21 – not seeking re-election
• Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston) District 135 – Democratic nominee for Railroad Commission
• Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) District 93 – not seeking re-election
• John Smithee (R-Amarillo) District 86 – not seeking re-election
• James Talarico (D-Austin) District 50 – Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
• Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) District 94 – Republican nominee for Tarrant County Commission Precinct 2
• Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands) District 15 – Republican nominee for Congress in C-2
• Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston) District 1 – not seeking re-election
3 Incumbent House members were Defeated in the Primary:
H-3 Cecil Bell, Jr. (R-Magnolia)
H-85 Stan Kitzman (R-Pattison)
H-101 Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie)
1 Incumbent House member Won the Run-Off:
H-100 Venton Jones (D-Dallas) got 83% of the vote to defeat challenger with Amanda Richardson.
1 Incumbent House member Was Defeated in the Run-Off:
H-149 Hubert Vo (D-Houston) was defeated by Darlene Breaux. Vo got 37% and Breaux took 38%.
There Were Run-off Elections in 5 Open seats:
H-41 Republican Gary Groves (63%) defeated Sergio Sanchez (37%) and; Democrat Julio Salinas (56%) defeated Victor “Seby” Haddad (44%)
H-49 Democrat Montserrat Garibay (62%) defeated Kathie Tovo (38%)
H-125 Democrat Adrian Reyna (80%) defeated Michelle Barrientes Vela (20%)
H-126 Republican Stan Stanart (67%) and Kelly Peterson (33%)
H-131 Democratic State Representative Staci Childs (62%) defeated Lawrence Allen, Jr. (38%)
Run-offs to Determine Challengers to 3 Incumbents:
H-37 Democrat Oziel ‘Ozzie” Ochoa, Jr. (62%) defeated Esmeralda “Esmi” Cantu-Castle (38%) to challenge Janie Lopez (R-San Benito)
H-40 Republican Celeste Cabrera-Huff (69%) defeated Nehemias “Memo” Gomez (31%) to challenge Representative Terry Canales (D-Edinburg)
H-97 Democrat Beth Llewellyn McLaughlin (56%) defeated Diane Symons (44%) to challenge John McQueeney (R-Fort Worth)
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION:
The State Board of Education has 10 Republicans and 5 Democrats. 8 of the 15 SBOE Districts are on the ballot in 2026.
4 Incumbent Members of the SBOE Did Not Seek Re-election:
• Evelyn Brooks (R-Frisco) District 14 – not seeking re-election; she is running for governor
• Keven Ellis (R-Lufkin) District 9 – not seeking re-election
• Will Hickman (R-Houston) District 6 – not seeking re-election
• Rebecca Bell-Metereau (D-San Marcos) District 5 - not seeking re-election
1 Incumbent Member of the SBOE was Defeated in the Republican Primary:
E-2 Member L.J. Francis (R-Corpus Christi)
2 SBOE Run-Offs:
E-5 Democrat Allison Bush of Austin (61%) defeated Stephanie Limon Bazan of Austin (39%)
E-7 Democrat Tiffany Perkinz (51%) defeated Debra Drake Ambroise (49%) to challenge Member Julie Pickren (R-Pearland) in the General Election.
Note: SBOE Member Staci Childs (D-Houston) won the Special Election Run-Off in House District 131.
TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS:
There are 25 Republicans and 13 Democrats in the Texas Congressional Delegation. All 38 Texas Congressional districts have candidates on the ballot in 2026.
9 Incumbent Members of the Texas Congressional Delegation Did Not Seek Re-election:
• Jodey Arrington (R-Lubbock) District 19 – not seeking re-election
• Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) District 30 – ran for U.S. Senate; was defeated in the Democratic Primary
• Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) District 37 – not seeking re-election
• Wesley Hunt (R-Houston) District 38 – ran for U.S. Senate; was defeated in the Republican Primary
• Morgan Luttrell (R-Magnolia) District 8 – not seeking re-election
• Michael McCaul (R-Austin) District 10 – not seeking re-election
• Troy Nehls (R-Richmond) District 22 – not seeking re-election
• Chip Roy (R-Austin) District 21 – ran for AG; was defeated in the Republican Primary Run-Off
• Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth) District 33 – not seeking re-election
1 Incumbent was Defeated in the Republican Primary:
C-2 Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-Houston)
3 Incumbents Were Defeated in Run-Offs:
C-18 Congressman Christian Menefee of Houston (69.36%) defeated Congressman Al Green of Houston (30.64%)
C-23 Congressman Tony Gonzales of San Antonio) dropped out of the Republican Primary run-off with Brandon Herrera leaving Herrera the Republican nominee. Gonzales has since resigned from Congress
C-33 Congresswoman Julie Johnson of Carrollton (46.08%) was defeated by former Congressman Colin Allred (53.92%)
In the open seats, there were Run-Offs In:
C-1 Democrat Yolanda Prince (72.32) defeated Dax Alexander (27.68%)
C-9 Republican Alex Mealer (68.28%) defeated State Representative Briscoe Cain (31.72%)
C-19 Republican Tom Sell (64.26%) defeated Abraham Enriquez (35.74%)
C-30 Republican Everett Jackson (57.48%) defeated Sholdon Daniels (42.52%)
C-35 Republican Carlos de la Cruz (57.64%) defeated John Lujan (42.36%); and Democrat Johnny Garcia (63.77%) defeated Maureen Galindo (36.23%)
C-38 Republican Jon Bonck (64.75%) defeated Shelly De Zevallos (35.25%)
Run-Off’s to Determine Challengers to Incumbents:
C-5 Democrat Chelsey Hockett (52.99%) defeated Ruth “Truth” Torres (47.01%) to challenge Congressman Lance Gooden
C-7 Republican Alexander Hale (64.3%) defeated Tina Cohen (35.7%) to challenge Congresswoman Lizzie Pannell Fletcher
C-14 Democrat Thurman Bartie (50.96%) defeated Richard Davis (49.04%) to challenge Congressman Randy Weber
C-16 Republican Adam Bauman (68.58%) defeated Manuel Barraza (31.42%) to take on Congresswoman Veronica Escobar
C-17 Democrat Casey Sheperd (59.89%) defeated Milah Flores (40.11%) to challenge Congressman Pete Sessions
C-24 Democrat Kevin Burge (78.01%) defeated T.J. Ware (21.9%) to challenge Beth VanDuyne
C-33 Republican Patrick David Gillespie (57.11%) defeated John Sims (42.89%) to challenge former Congressman Colin Allred
C-37 Republican Lauren Peña (58.16%) defeated Ge’Nell Gary (41.84%) to challenge Congressman Greg Casar
