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Texas' 26th Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| 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. |
| Race ratings |
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 |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th • 29th • 30th • 31st • 32nd • 33rd • 34th • 35th • 36th • 37th • 38th Texas elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 26th Congressional District of Texas, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline was December 8, 2025. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Texas' 26th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
- Texas' 26th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
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.
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
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 | ||
| Ernest Lineberger III | ||
Steven Shook ![]() | ||
= 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. House Texas District 26
Incumbent Brandon Gill, Robert Chick, and Gavin Solomon are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 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. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Gill | Republican Party | $1,238,209 | $597,550 | $768,482 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Ernest Lineberger III | Democratic Party | $59,745 | $47,644 | $15,594 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Steven Shook | Democratic Party | $2,696 | $0 | $2,696 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Robert Chick | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Gavin Solomon | Republican Party | $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.[1]
- 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.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Texas' 26th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/23/2025 | 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | 12/2/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe 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
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 | 2/13/2026 | Source |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 26
Brandon Gill (R) defeated Ernest Lineberger III (D) and Phil Gray (L) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 26 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brandon Gill (R) | 62.1 | 241,096 |
| | Ernest Lineberger III (D) ![]() | 35.7 | 138,558 | |
| | Phil Gray (L) | 2.3 | 8,773 | |
| Total votes: 388,427 | ||||
= 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
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 26
Ernest Lineberger III (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ernest Lineberger III ![]() | 100.0 | 18,308 |
| Total votes: 18,308 | ||||
= 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
- Kelvin Leaphart (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brandon Gill | 58.4 | 49,876 |
| | Scott Armey ![]() | 14.5 | 12,400 | |
| | John Huffman | 10.0 | 8,559 | |
| | Luisa Del Rosal ![]() | 4.6 | 3,949 | |
| | Doug Robison | 3.5 | 2,999 | |
| | Mark Rutledge | 2.5 | 2,130 | |
| | Joel Krause ![]() | 2.3 | 1,959 | |
| | Neena Biswas ![]() | 1.9 | 1,665 | |
| | Burt Thakur ![]() | 1.1 | 975 | |
| | Vlad De Franceschi ![]() | 0.7 | 572 | |
| | Jason Kergosien ![]() | 0.4 | 366 | |
| Total votes: 85,450 | ||||
= 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
Libertarian Party convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 26
Phil Gray (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 23, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Phil Gray |
= 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. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 26
Incumbent Michael C. Burgess (R) defeated Mike Kolls (L) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 26 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael C. Burgess (R) | 69.3 | 183,639 |
| | Mike Kolls (L) ![]() | 30.7 | 81,384 | |
| Total votes: 265,023 | ||||
= 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
- William Cunningham (Independent)
Democratic primary
The Democratic primary scheduled for March 1, 2022, was canceled.
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26
Incumbent Michael C. Burgess (R) defeated Vincent Gallo (R), Brian Brazeal (R), Isaac Smith (R), and Raven Harrison (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael C. Burgess | 66.8 | 42,006 |
| | Vincent Gallo ![]() | 10.2 | 6,437 | |
| | Brian Brazeal | 9.4 | 5,892 | |
| | Isaac Smith ![]() | 8.1 | 5,085 | |
| Raven Harrison | 5.5 | 3,427 | ||
| Total votes: 62,847 | ||||
= 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
- Beverly Foley (R)
- Craig Walker (R)
Libertarian Party convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 26
Mike Kolls (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 19, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Kolls ![]() |
= 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. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 26
Incumbent Michael C. Burgess (R) defeated Carol Iannuzzi (D) and Mark Boler (L) in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 26 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael C. Burgess (R) | 60.6 | 261,963 |
| | Carol Iannuzzi (D) | 37.3 | 161,099 | |
| | Mark Boler (L) | 2.1 | 9,243 | |
| Total votes: 432,305 | ||||
= 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
- Michael Moates (L)
- William Cunningham (Independent)
- Jay Taylor (Independent)
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 26
Carol Iannuzzi (D) defeated Mat Pruneda (D) and Neil Durrance (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carol Iannuzzi | 55.3 | 31,019 |
| | Mat Pruneda ![]() | 28.0 | 15,701 | |
| Neil Durrance | 16.6 | 9,329 | ||
| Total votes: 56,049 | ||||
= 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
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26
Incumbent Michael C. Burgess (R) defeated Jack Wyman (R), Michael Armstrong (R), and Jason Mrochek (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael C. Burgess | 73.6 | 51,312 |
| | Jack Wyman ![]() | 11.2 | 7,816 | |
| | Michael Armstrong ![]() | 8.2 | 5,745 | |
| | Jason Mrochek ![]() | 7.0 | 4,846 | |
| Total votes: 69,719 | ||||
= 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 Party convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 26
Mark Boler (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Texas District 26 on March 21, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Boler |
= 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. | ||||
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

2026

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.[5]
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.
| Kamala Harris |
Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 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.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
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 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
