Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)

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2022
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
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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

Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2026
Impact of term limits in 2026
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
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A Democratic Party primary takes place on March 3, 2026, in Texas to determine which candidate will earn the right to run as the party's nominee in the state's lieutenant gubernatorial election on November 3, 2026.



This page focuses on Texas' Democratic Party lieutenant gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on Texas' Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list of candidates is unofficial. The filing deadline for this election has passed, and Ballotpedia is working to update this page with the official candidate list. This note will be removed once the official candidate list has been added.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Texas

Vikki Goodwin is running in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Texas on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Vikki Goodwin
Vikki Goodwin Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed 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.

Image of Vikki Goodwin

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "Vikki Goodwin is a Texas State Representative in her 4th term representing Austin and Lake Travis. She is a small business owner, a wife and mom and is involved in the community. Back when she was attending the University of Texas at Austin, she worked for the Texas Legislature and decided in addition to earning a bachelor's degree in business administration, she would minor in government. She graduated in May 1989 and went on to earn a master's degree in public affairs from the LBJ School at UT in May 1991. Goodwin's career experience includes working as the broker and owner of Goodwin & Goodwin Real Estate Inc. and as a systems analyst for the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. She has served as a board member of the Austin Board of Realtors and her neighborhood HOA. She has been involved with Rotary Club Austin SW, South Austin Civic Club and the Metropolitan Breakfast Club."


Key Messages

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


Texas has a great economy built upon a well-educated workforce. To maintain the momentum and prosperity, our public schools require investment and support. Teachers deserve to be well paid and class sizes should be small enough so teachers can give students the attention they deserve. As Lt Governor, my priority will be to put an end to private school vouchers or any program that diverts public dollars to private schools. I will ensure our schools maintain religious freedom, and freedom of speech is protected.


Health care should be affordable and accessible. Women should have the right to make their own personal, private healthcare decisions. We must address the issue of skyrocketing health insurance costs, unaffordable prescriptions, surprise billing, and bankruptcy due to medical emergencies. Mental healthcare needs must be addressed as well. Also, too many people are dying as a result of gun violence, whether homicide or suicide, and we must address the prevalence of gun injuries and deaths. Common sense initiatives include strengthening background checks, implementing extreme risk protective orders that involve due process, and mandatory training and safe storage laws.


We must work toward affordability, good job opportunities and living wages. The American Dream of owning a home should be within reach of hardworking individuals and families. It all starts with a solid public education system giving our young people the critical thinking skills needed for the jobs of today. Texas has not adjusted the minimum wage in decades, and it still remains at an abysmally low $7.25/hour. We should increase it to $15/hour as the minimum. Job opportunities are created when everyone is part of a successful economy. Leaders should focus on ways to increase job opportunities, not ways to penalize people for culture war issues that divide us.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.


See also: Presidential voting trends in Texas and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, Texas
District Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Texas' 1st 26.6% 71.9%
Texas' 2nd 35.9% 62.0%
Texas' 3rd 37.5% 60.1%
Texas' 4th 37.5% 60.5%
Texas' 5th 39.6% 58.6%
Texas' 6th 37.2% 60.6%
Texas' 7th 63.9% 33.9%
Texas' 8th 39.3% 58.8%
Texas' 9th 46.6% 51.6%
Texas' 10th 39.9% 57.6%
Texas' 11th 33.1% 64.7%
Texas' 12th 38.9% 58.9%
Texas' 13th 26.0% 71.9%
Texas' 14th 37.4% 60.7%
Texas' 15th 51.4% 46.8%
Texas' 16th 68.1% 28.8%
Texas' 17th 39.7% 57.8%
Texas' 18th 81.2% 17.1%
Texas' 19th 25.4% 72.5%
Texas' 20th 68.7% 28.8%
Texas' 21st 38.6% 59.0%
Texas' 22nd 38.0% 60.0%
Texas' 23rd 44.8% 53.0%
Texas' 24th 39.2% 58.5%
Texas' 25th 40.4% 57.7%
Texas' 26th 36.9% 60.7%
Texas' 27th 39.1% 58.8%
Texas' 28th 60.6% 37.4%
Texas' 29th 71.8% 26.4%
Texas' 30th 77.0% 21.2%
Texas' 31st 37.7% 59.7%
Texas' 32nd 42.1% 55.7%
Texas' 33rd 71.0% 26.7%
Texas' 34th 51.7% 46.3%
Texas' 35th 46.7% 51.0%
Texas' 36th 39.4% 58.9%
Texas' 37th 78.8% 18.1%
Texas' 38th 37.5% 60.5%
Source: The Downballot

2016-2024

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2024 presidential election, 41.8% of Texans lived in one of the state's 224 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 41.6% lived in one of 11 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Texas was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Texas following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

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

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Texas

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Texas.

U.S. Senate election results in Texas
Race Winner Runner up
2024 53.1%Republican Party 44.6%Democratic Party
2020 53.5%Republican Party 43.9%Democratic Party
2018 50.9%Republican Party 48.3%Democratic Party
2014 61.6%Republican Party 34.4%Democratic Party
2012 56.5%Republican Party 40.7%Democratic Party
Average 55.1 42.4

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Texas

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Texas.

Gubernatorial election results in Texas
Race Winner Runner up
2022 54.8%Republican Party 43.9%Democratic Party
2018 55.8%Republican Party 42.5%Democratic Party
2014 59.3%Republican Party 38.9%Democratic Party
2010 55.0%Republican Party 42.3%Democratic Party
2006 39.0%Republican Party 29.8%Democratic Party
Average 52.8 39.5
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
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Greg Abbott
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Dan Patrick
Secretary of State Republican Party Jane Nelson
Attorney General Republican 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

The table below details demographic data in Texas and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.

Demographic Data for Texas
Texas United States
Population 29,145,505 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 261,257 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 53.9% 63.4%
Black/African American 12.2% 12.4%
Asian 5.3% 5.8%
Native American 0.6% 0.9%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.4%
Other (single race) 8.6% 6.6%
Multiple 19.2% 10.7%
Hispanic/Latino 39.5% 19%
Education
High school graduation rate 85.7% 89.4%
College graduation rate 33.1% 35%
Income
Median household income $76,292 $78,538
Persons below poverty level 13.8% 12.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

State profile

Demographic data for Texas
 TexasU.S.
Total population:27,429,639316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):261,2323,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:74.9%73.6%
Black/African American:11.9%12.6%
Asian:4.2%5.1%
Native American:0.5%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:2.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:38.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:81.9%86.7%
College graduation rate:27.6%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$53,207$53,889
Persons below poverty level:19.9%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Texas.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Texas

Texas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Texas, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[1]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Texas had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Texas coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

Texas State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Texas State Executive Offices
Texas State Legislature
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Texas elections: 20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.