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United States Senate election in Texas, 2026
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| U.S. Senate, Texas |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: December 8, 2025 |
| Primary: March 3, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Likely Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
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Voters in Texas will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025. Cook Political Report's Jessica Taylor wrote, "Texas isn’t initially a top Democratic target, but the minority party only has two obvious offensive opportunities in North Carolina and Maine. In order to find a way to flip the four seats they need to regain the majority... they need to put one of the other double-digit Trump states in play."[1]
As of July 1, three noteworthy candidates have declared their candidacies.
On the Republican side:
- Incumbent John Cornyn (R) is running for re-election for a fifth term. He was most recently elected in 2020 with 53% of the vote. Cornyn has campaigned on continuing to work with President Donald Trump (R), saying, "In President Trump’s first term, I was Republican whip, delivering the votes for his biggest wins. Now I’m running for reelection... so President Trump and I can pick up where we left off."[2]
- Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced his candidacy on April 8, 2025.[3] He is campaigning on bringing new leadership to the Senate and said, "It’s definitely time for a change in Texas. We have another great U.S. senator, Ted Cruz, and it’s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas and also support Trump."[4]
On the Democratic side:
- Former U.S. Rep and 2024 Democratic nominee for Senate Colin Allred (D) announced his campaign on July 1, 2025. He said, "Today I’m announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate, because you deserve someone who will fight for you. I get it. Real change might feel impossible, but I’m not giving up."[5]
Other candidates that have either discussed or received media attention over their potential entry include:
- According to reporting by the Associated Press, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R) has reportedly discussed entering with Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and a PAC has run ads across the state about Hunt's biography.[6]
- Former U.S. Rep and 2018 Democratic nominee for Senate Beto O'Rourke (D) said when asked at an April 2025 town hall: "If it comes to pass that this is what the people of Texas want, that it’s the highest and best use of what I can give to you, then yes I will [run]."[7]
Texas' congressional delegation to the U.S. House is composed of 25 Republicans and 12 Democrats. The state's Senate delegation is represented by two Republicans, Cornyn and Ted Cruz. The last Democrat to represent the state in the Senate was Robert Kruger (D), who left office in 1993.[8] In 2024, Cruz was re-elected 53% to 45%. To read more about historical members of Congress from Texas, click here.
Texas has voted for the Republican candidate for president since 1980. The last Democrat to win the state was Jimmy Carter (D) in 1976. In 2024, Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) 56% to 42%. In 2020, Trump defeated Joe Biden (D) 52% to 46%.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for U.S. Senate Texas
Joshua Cain and Camencia Ford are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Joshua Cain (Independent) | ||
| Camencia Ford (Independent) | ||
| ||||
 = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Keith Allen (R)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas
Colin Allred, Emily Morgul, Michael Swanson, and Terry Virts are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | John Cornyn | |
 | Andrew Alvarez | |
 | Virgil Bierschwale | |
 | Alexander Duncan | |
| Ronald Evans | ||
| Matthew Elliot Kelley | ||
 | Gulrez Khan | |
 | Rennie Mann | |
 | Barrett McNabb | |
 | Ken Paxton | |
 | Tony Schmoker | |
| Leo Wyatt | ||
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Texas
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Cornyn | Republican Party | $8,046,983 | $2,773,090 | $5,907,354 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Colin Allred | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Emily Morgul | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Michael Swanson | Democratic Party | $2,504 | $1,330 | $1,174 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Terry Virts | Democratic Party | $201,255 | $115,653 | $85,602 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Andrew Alvarez | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Virgil Bierschwale | Republican Party | $5,980 | $0 | $5,980 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Alexander Duncan | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Ronald Evans | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Matthew Elliot Kelley | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Gulrez Khan | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Rennie Mann | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Barrett McNabb | Republican Party | $215,163 | $36,392 | $178,771 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Ken Paxton | Republican Party | $2,908,591 | $391,140 | $2,517,451 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Tony Schmoker | Republican Party | $2,500 | $2,500 | $3,650 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Leo Wyatt | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Joshua Cain | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Camencia Ford | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
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." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[9]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[10][11][12]
| Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Texas, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 9/9/2025 | 9/2/2025 | 8/26/2025 | 8/19/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.
Election history
The section below details election results for this state's U.S. Senate elections dating back to 2018.
2024
See also: United States Senate election in Texas, 2024
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent Ted Cruz defeated Colin Allred, Ted Brown, Analisa Roche, and Tracy Andrus in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ted Cruz (R) | 53.1 | 5,990,741 |
 | Colin Allred (D) | 44.6 | 5,031,249 | |
 | Ted Brown (L) | 2.4 | 267,039 | |
 | Analisa Roche (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 1,906 | |
 | Tracy Andrus (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 919 | |
| Total votes: 11,291,854 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dan McQueen (Independent)
- Mason Cysewski (G)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Colin Allred | 58.9 | 569,585 |
 | Roland Gutierrez | 16.6 | 160,978 | |
 | Mark A. Gonzalez | 8.8 | 85,228 | |
 | Meri Gomez | 4.6 | 44,166 | |
 | Carl Sherman Sr. | 3.3 | 31,694 | |
 | Ahmad Hassan | 2.3 | 21,855 | |
 | Steve Keough | 2.3 | 21,801 | |
| Heli Rodriguez Prilliman | 1.9 | 18,801 | ||
 | Thierry Tchenko | 1.4 | 13,395 | |
| Total votes: 967,503 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Zachariah Manning (D)
- Aaron Arguijo (D)
- Soren Pendragon (D)
- John Love III (D)
- Sherri Taylor (D)
- Victor D. Dunn (D)
- Tracy Andrus (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent Ted Cruz defeated Holland Gibson and Rufus Lopez in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ted Cruz | 88.3 | 1,977,961 |
| Holland Gibson | 6.0 | 134,011 | ||
| Rufus Lopez | 5.7 | 127,986 | ||
| Total votes: 2,239,958 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Cody Andrews (R)
- Carlos Garza (R)
- Josiah Ingalls (R)
- Montgomery Markland (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas
Ted Brown advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas on April 14, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Ted Brown (L) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2020
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent John Cornyn defeated Mary Jennings Hegar, Kerry McKennon, David B. Collins, and Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Cornyn (R) | 53.5 | 5,962,983 |
 | Mary Jennings Hegar (D) | 43.9 | 4,888,764 | |
 | Kerry McKennon (L) | 1.9 | 209,722 | |
 | David B. Collins (G) | 0.7 | 81,893 | |
 | Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 678 | |
| Total votes: 11,144,040 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Arjun Srinivasan (Independent)
- Cedric Jefferson (People Over Politics Party)
- James Brumley (The Human Rights Party)
- Tim Smith (Independent)
Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas
Mary Jennings Hegar defeated Royce West in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas on July 14, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Jennings Hegar | 52.2 | 502,516 |
 | Royce West | 47.8 | 459,457 | |
| Total votes: 961,973 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Jennings Hegar | 22.3 | 417,160 |
| ✔ | | Royce West | 14.7 | 274,074 |
 | Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez | 13.2 | 246,659 | |
 | Annie Garcia | 10.3 | 191,900 | |
 | Amanda Edwards | 10.1 | 189,624 | |
 | Chris Bell | 8.5 | 159,751 | |
 | Sema Hernandez | 7.4 | 137,892 | |
 | Michael Cooper | 4.9 | 92,463 | |
 | Victor Harris | 3.2 | 59,710 | |
 | Adrian Ocegueda | 2.2 | 41,566 | |
 | Jack Daniel Foster Jr. | 1.7 | 31,718 | |
 | D.R. Hunter | 1.4 | 26,902 | |
| Total votes: 1,869,419 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Love III (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent John Cornyn defeated Dwayne Stovall, Mark Yancey, John Castro, and Virgil Bierschwale in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Cornyn | 76.0 | 1,470,669 |
 | Dwayne Stovall | 11.9 | 231,104 | |
 | Mark Yancey | 6.5 | 124,864 | |
 | John Castro | 4.5 | 86,916 | |
| Virgil Bierschwale | 1.1 | 20,494 | |
| Total votes: 1,934,047 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Green convention
Green convention for U.S. Senate Texas
David B. Collins advanced from the Green convention for U.S. Senate Texas on April 18, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | David B. Collins (G) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas
Kerry McKennon advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas on August 3, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry McKennon (L) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2018
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent Ted Cruz defeated Beto O'Rourke and Neal Dikeman in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ted Cruz (R) | 50.9 | 4,260,553 |
 | Beto O'Rourke (D) | 48.3 | 4,045,632 | |
 | Neal Dikeman (L) | 0.8 | 65,470 | |
| Total votes: 8,371,655 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Bob McNeil (Independent)
Election analysis
This section will contain facts and figures related to this state's elections when those are available.
See also
| Texas | 2026 primaries | 2026 U.S. Congress elections |
|---|---|---|
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Voting in Texas Texas elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries |
U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "GOP Sweats and Democrats Dream as the Lone Star State Primary Heats Up," April 10, 2025
- ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Sen. John Cornyn launches 2026 reelection bid by embracing Donald Trump in video," March 26, 2-25
- ↑ FOX 4 News, "Ken Paxton announces run for US Senate," April 8, 2025
- ↑ Roll Call, "Ken Paxton launches primary challenge to John Cornyn in Texas," April 9, 2025
- ↑ The New York Times, "Colin Allred Will Run Again for Senate in Texas," July 1, 2025
- ↑ Associated Press, "Wesley Hunt has met with White House aides about entering the Texas Senate primary, AP sources say," April 25, 2025
- ↑ The Hill, "Beto O’Rourke says he’ll run for Senate if Texans want him to," April 28, 2025
- ↑ FOX 4, "No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994," October 30, 2024
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
