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Texas' 26th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)

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Texas redrew its congressional district boundaries in August 2025. Voters will elect representatives under the new map in 2026. Click here to read more about mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections.


← 2024
Texas' 26th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 8, 2025
Primary: March 3, 2026
Primary runoff: May 26, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Texas

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Texas' 26th Congressional District
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Texas elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Democratic Party primary takes place on March 3, 2026, in Texas' 26th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
December 8, 2025
March 3, 2026
November 3, 2026



A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. State law requires voters to sign the following pledge before voting in a primary: "I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year."[1]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Texas' 26th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 26

Ernest Lineberger III and Steven Shook are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Ernest Lineberger III
Ernest Lineberger III Candidate Connection
Image of Steven Shook
Steven Shook Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Ernest Lineberger III

Image of Ernest Lineberger III

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "Hi, I’m Ernest R. Lineberger, III. I’m a common man of the people. I’ve been blessed with many experiences and achievements, some of which I detail in my book, “There I Was:…Life Memories from Ernest Lineberger” available on Amazon.com. My life has had highs and lows, but throughout “Love your neighbor” and “service” have been key. I often see multiple sides of an issue. I believe in communication and compromise, but also in right from wrong. I’m eager to restore respectfulness and civility to congress while working hard to restore democracy and help everyone to achieve their full potential, especially those who may not have started with all of the advantages of wealth."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

My campaign is about “Putting People’s Needs First! Your needs. Your neighbor’s needs.” Our people, our communities, our nation all have critical needs that aren’t being considered by the current administration that gives us chaos, corruption, cruelty and a large variety of consequences that we are left to deal with. Enough! It’s well past time for the people to stop believing the lies, to stop being cheated out of our vote by slick politicians, to stop excusing the bad behavior, to stop acting like the current administration cares about us or what we care about, to stop voting for Republicans on a single issue like the border, abortion or guns, when we know that we are losing our democracy in a very bad trade. Enough!

As a retired naval officer, specialized in nuclear, with tours on multiple warships including the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, I have lived service, dedication, and responsibility. I have sworn the same oath to the constitution as a congressman, and I’ve kept it. After retirement, my next 29 years were working the technicalities of semiconductor manufacturing with Texas Instruments in the Dallas area, keeping high paying jobs in this critical industry here in America. Long before that, I was the youngest in a family of six where my dad was a navy chaplain and Lutheran minister. We moved a lot, lived in a lot of different places, and interacted with a wide variety of people. I believe in ‘Love your neighbor and we are all neighbors.’

This 2026 election is our last best chance to right the ship of American democracy. We have seen firsthand throughout 2025 how the Trump 2.0 administration has ignored the constitution, cancelled or reduced important programs that serve true needs of our veterans, seniors, and people in general with no concern for the consequences they leave behind. In the past we had been used to thoughtful and considerate administrations. Now, we see the impact of the opposite. The Trump tax cuts of 2017 and now furthered with the One Big Bill have accelerated our deficit and debt, which went from $37,000,000,000,000 to $38T in just 2 months. A rate to be at $44T by the November election. They are cashing in while our future pays the price. Vote Dem!

Steven Shook

Image of Steven Shook

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "For nearly twenty years, I’ve served the people of North Texas as a healthcare provider, caring for the critically ill and injured. That experience has shaped how I view leadership — it’s about service, not self-promotion. I’ve stood with families during their hardest moments, and I’ve learned that good leadership means showing up when people need you most, not when the cameras are rolling. I’m running for Congress because North Texas deserves representation that focuses on people, not politics. My priorities are keeping rural hospitals open, lowering healthcare costs, supporting local businesses, creating good jobs, strengthening public safety through community policing, and restoring accountability and balance in Washington. This campaign is about repairing what’s broken — in healthcare, in the economy, and in our politics — so that every Texan has a fair chance to succeed."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I’m running for Congress because Washington has lost touch with the people it’s supposed to serve. I believe in restoring balance, rebuilding trust, and putting people before politics.

My priorities are keeping rural hospitals open, lowering healthcare costs, supporting local businesses and job growth, strengthening public safety, and protecting constitutional rights.

This campaign is about repairing what’s broken — in our healthcare system, in our economy, and in our democracy — so every American has a fair chance to thrive.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

Election information in Texas: March 3, 2026, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Feb. 2, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by Feb. 2, 2026
  • Online: N/A

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Feb. 20, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Feb. 20, 2026
  • Online: N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: March 3, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by March 3, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Feb. 17, 2026 to Feb. 27, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CT/MT)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Ernest Lineberger III Democratic Party $96,364 $93,165 $6,692 As of December 31, 2025
Steven Shook Democratic Party $10,643 $9,324 $754 As of December 31, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district before and after redistricting ahead of the 2026 election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map used in the 2024 election next to the map in place for the 2026 election. Click on a map below to enlarge it.

2024

2023_01_03_tx_congressional_district_026.jpg

2026

2027_01_03_tx_congressional_district_026.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+11. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 11 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 26th the 110th most Republican district nationally.[2]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Texas' 26th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
36.9%60.7%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Texas, 2024

Texas presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 16 Democratic wins
  • 15 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D D R D D D D D R R D D D R D R R R R R R R R R R R R
See also: Party control of Texas state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Texas' congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Texas
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 12 12
Republican 2 25 27
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 1 1
Total 2 38 40

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Texas' top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Texas, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Greg Abbott
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Dan Patrick
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Jane Nelson
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party Ken Paxton

State legislature

Texas State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 11
     Republican Party 18
     Other 0
     Vacancies 2
Total 31

Texas House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 62
     Republican Party 88
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 150

Trifecta control

Texas Party Control: 1992-2025
Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Texas in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Texas, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Texas U.S. House Democratic or Republican 2% of votes cast for governor in the district in the last election, or 500, whichever is less $3,125 12/8/2025 Source
Texas U.S. House Unaffiliated 5% of all votes cast for governor in the district in the last election, or 500, whichever is less N/A 12/8/2025 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Tex. Election Code Ann. § 172.086," accessed December 23, 2025
  2. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
John Cornyn (R)
Ted Cruz (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
Al Green (D)
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
Chip Roy (R)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
Republican Party (27)
Democratic Party (13)


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