United States Senate election in Texas, 2026
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| U.S. Senate, Texas |
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 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary Republican primary runoff 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: 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 was March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline was 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]
Five 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]
- U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R) announced his candidacy on October 6, 2025. In an interview with the Associated Press, Hunt said, "What I’ve seen in polling over the past few months is people want an alternative, and I’m going to give it to them."[3]
- Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced his candidacy on April 8, 2025.[4] 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."[5]
On the Democratic side:
- U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) declared her candidacy on December 8, 2025. She said, "For too long, Texas has elected Senators who have defended politics as usual and protected the status quo, while Texans have paid the price... I’m running for the United States Senate because I believe Texas deserves a Senator who will be an independent voice for all 30 million Texans – not a rubber stamp or party line vote for Donald Trump."[6]
- State Rep. James Talarico (D) declared his candidacy on September 9, 2025. He said, "It’s been 10 years of Trumpian politics — politics as blood sport. This campaign can show people what a different kind of politics would look like — one that actually fights for people regardless of their party or their race or their gender or their religion — and takes on this broken political system and the very powerful people who benefit from this system being broken."[7]
Former U.S. Rep and 2024 Democratic nominee for Senate Colin Allred (D) withdrew on December 8.[8]
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.[9] 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%.
Ballotpedia identified the May 26 Republican primary runoff as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary runoff, click here.
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in the 120th Congress. Thirty-three of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for election, and another two seats are up for special election. Democrats hold 13 of the seats up for election, and Republicans hold 22.
Currently, Republicans have a 53-45 majority in the chamber.[10] To read more about the U.S. Senate elections taking place this year, click here.
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)
- United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (May 26 Republican primary runoff)
Candidates and election results
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
The primary runoff will occur on May 26, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary runoff.
General election for U.S. Senate Texas
James Talarico, Joshua Cain, Camencia Ford, Jade Simmons, and Hans Truelson are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | James Talarico (D) | |
| Joshua Cain (Independent) | ||
| Camencia Ford (Independent) | ||
 | Jade Simmons (Independent) | |
 | Hans Truelson (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
- Ronald Evans (Independent)
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent John Cornyn and Ken Paxton are running in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas on May 26, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | John Cornyn | |
 | Ken Paxton | |
| ||||
| = 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
James Talarico defeated Jasmine Crockett and Ahmad Hassan in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Talarico | 53.2 | 1,103,371 |
 | Jasmine Crockett | 45.5 | 943,168 | |
 | Ahmad Hassan | 1.3 | 27,211 | |
| Total votes: 2,073,750 | |||
| = 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
- Terry Virts (D)
- Colin Allred (D)
- Paula Williams (D)
- Michael Swanson (D)
- Emily Morgul (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Cornyn | 42.5 | 665,169 |
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton | 40.8 | 638,481 |
 | Wesley Hunt | 13.0 | 203,555 | |
 | Sara Canady | 1.2 | 18,168 | |
| Anna Bender | 1.1 | 17,112 | ||
 | Gulrez Khan | 0.7 | 10,917 | |
 | Virgil Bierschwale | 0.4 | 6,086 | |
| John Adefope | 0.4 | 5,865 | ||
| Total votes: 1,565,353 | |||
| = 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
- Andrew Alvarez (R)
- Tony Schmoker (R)
- Alexander Duncan (R)
- Leo Wyatt (R)
- Matthew Elliot Kelley (R)
- Keith Allen (R)
- Barrett McNabb (R)
- Connor Kraus (R)
- Rennie Mann (R)
- Andrew Trakas (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas
Ted Brown and Daniel Mark Sims are running in the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas on April 12, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Ted Brown (L) | |
| Daniel Mark Sims (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. | ||||
May 26 Republican primary runoff
Ballotpedia identified the May 26 Republican primary runoff as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary runoff, click here.
Incumbent John Cornyn (R) and Ken Paxton (R) are running in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate in Texas on May 26, 2026. Cornyn and Paxton were the top two finishers in the March 3 primary. The race advanced to a runoff because neither received more than 50% of the vote. As of March 18, 2026, Cornyn led Paxton 42.5%–40.8% in unofficial tallies of the March 3 primary results.
Axios' Nicole Cobler said the runoff "extends one of the most consequential primaries in the country and sets up a bruising fight for the GOP Senate nomination."[11] CNN's David Wright said "[m]any national Republicans and allies of Thune believe Cornyn is their safest bet on retaining the Senate seat in reliably red Texas. But Paxton, the three-term state attorney general, has a record of backing Trump – notably on his debunked claims of election fraud that preceded January 6 – and strong ties to the state Republican grassroots."[12]
Writing in Politico, Liz Crampton said the primary results "showed some surprising strength for Cornyn, who had trailed Paxton in most public polls and whose allies were worried might finish far behind the MAGA firebrand...[indicating] the four-term senator still has a real chance to retain his seat in late May."[13] Punchbowl News wrote that "the runoff dynamics favor Paxton. The electorate in a runoff is smaller and much more conservative. It’s the hard-core activist types who show up to vote the day after Memorial Day."[14]
On March 4, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) said he would issue an endorsement in the runoff and would call on the other candidate to withdraw from the race.[15]
Cornyn was first elected to the Senate in 2002. He earlier served as state attorney general and on the Texas Supreme Court. Cornyn says he has delivered for Texas while in office and was running for re-election "so President Trump and I can pick-up where we left off."[16] The Texas Tribune's Gabby Birenbaum described Cornyn's message in the runoff as "saying that Paxton would be laden down by his history of legal and personal baggage if he is the nominee, costing Republicans untold millions in the general election that could be spent in more competitive states."[15] Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R) and the National Border Patrol Council endorsed Cornyn.
Paxton was elected Texas Attorney General in 2014. He was also a member of the Texas House for ten years and of the Texas Senate for two. Birenbaum described Paxton's message in the runoff as "[arguing] that his grassroots support among the MAGA base of the party will make it easier for Republicans to turn out the lower-propensity members of Trump’s coalition who tend to stay home when the president is not on the ballot and counteract Democratic enthusiasm."[15] U.S. Reps. Lance Gooden (R) and Troy Nehls (R) endorsed Paxton.
As of March 2026, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Likely Republican. In the 2024 election, incumbent Ted Cruz (R) defeated Colin Allred (D) 53%–45%. In 2020, Cornyn defeated M.J. Hegar (D) 54%–44%.
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.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- U.S. Senate (Assumed office: 2002)
- Texas Attorney General (1999–2002)
- Texas Supreme Court (1990–1997)
- Bexar County District Court (1984–1990)
Biography: Cornyn obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism from Trinity University, a law degree from St. Mary's University, and a master of laws degree from the University of Virginia.
Show sources
Sources: John Cornyn campaign website, "On The Issues," accessed October 21, 2025; John Cornyn campaign website, "THE TRUMP-CORNYN RECORD," accessed October 21, 2025; John Cornyn campaign website, "Meet Senator Cornyn," accessed October 21, 2025; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "CORNYN, John," accessed October 21, 2025
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Texas Attorney General (Assumed office: 2015)
- Texas State Senate (2013–2015)
- Texas House of Representatives (2003–2013)
Biography: Paxton obtained a bachelor's and a master's degree from Baylor University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Before seeking elected office, Paxton operated a private law practice for 14 years.
Show sources
Election news
This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election, such as debates, polls, and noteworthy endorsements. Know of something we missed? Let us know.
- March 11, 2026
- March 9, 2026
- March 3, 2026
John Cornyn (R) and Ken Paxton (R) advanced from the Republican primary with 43% and 41% of the vote, respectively. The race went to a runoff since neither received more than 50% of the vote. Wesley Hunt (R) followed with 13% of the vote. No other candidate received more than 2% of the vote.
See more
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.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Texas House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2018)
Biography: Talarico obtained a bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in education from Harvard University. Before entering elected politics, Talarico taught middle school language arts at a public school in San Antonio.
Show sources
Sources: James Talarico campaign website, "Why I'm Running," accessed October 14, 2025; James Talarico campaign website, "Meet James Talarico," accessed October 14, 2025; James Talarico campaign website, "Meet James Talarico," accessed October 14, 2025; Facebook, "James Talarico on Facebook," accessed October 14, 2025
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[32] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[33] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.
| Poll | Dates | Brown | Cornyn | Crockett | Hunt | Paxton | Talarico (D) | Undecided | Sample size | Margin of error | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | -- | 43 | -- | -- | -- | 44 | 13 | 576 LV | ± 4.1% | Senate Majority PAC | |
– | -- | -- | -- | -- | 45 | 47 | 8 | 576 LV | ± 4.1% | Senate Majority PAC | |
Hart Research NoteHypothetical matchup between Jasmine Crockett (D) and Ken Paxton (R). | – | -- | -- | 49 | -- | 45 | -- | 6 | 803 LV | ± 3.5% | Forward Texas |
– | 5 | 45 | 43 | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 1,502 LV | ± 2.5% | ||
– | 5 | 44 | -- | -- | -- | 43 | 8 | 1,502 LV | ± 2.5% | ||
– | 3 | -- | 43 | 46 | -- | -- | 8 | 1,502 LV | ± 2.5% | ||
– | 4 | -- | 43 | -- | 45 | -- | 8 | 1,502 LV | ± 2.5% | ||
– | 3 | -- | -- | 46 | -- | 42 | 9 | 1,502 LV | ± 2.5% | ||
– | 3 | -- | -- | -- | 46 | 44 | 7 | 1,502 LV | ± 2.5% | ||
| Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters. | |||||||||||
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Texas
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.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Cornyn | Republican Party | $11,155,399 | $6,816,042 | $4,972,818 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Jasmine Crockett | Democratic Party | $8,577,757 | $5,092,872 | $3,484,885 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Ahmad Hassan | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| James Talarico | Democratic Party | $20,694,809 | $15,906,718 | $4,788,090 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| John Adefope | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Anna Bender | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | As of March 31, 2026 |
| Virgil Bierschwale | Republican Party | $9,988 | $9,657 | $383 | As of March 16, 2026 |
| Sara Canady | Republican Party | $770 | $7,061 | $-6,291 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Wesley Hunt | Republican Party | $1,971,633 | $4,116,502 | $342,307 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Gulrez Khan | Republican Party | $10,443 | $10,964 | $-521 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Ken Paxton | Republican Party | $5,857,093 | $1,925,816 | $3,931,277 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Ted Brown | Libertarian Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Daniel Mark Sims | Libertarian 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*** |
| Jade Simmons | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Hans Truelson | 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." |
|||||
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.[34]
- 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.[35][36][37]
| Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Texas, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 3/17/2026 | 3/10/2026 | 3/3/2026 | 2/24/2026 | ||||||
| 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
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate 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. Senate candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Texas | U.S. Senate | Democratic or Republican | 5,000 | $5,000.00 | 12/8/2025 | Source |
| Texas | U.S. Senate | Unaffiliated | 1% of all votes cast for governor in the last election | N/A | 12/8/2025 | Source |
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. | ||||
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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. | ||||
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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
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.
Cook PVI by congressional district
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| 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:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
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.
| Texas county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 224 | 41.8% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 11 | 41.6% | |||||
| Battleground Republican | 2 | 9.4% | |||||
| New Republican | 8 | 5.7% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 1 | 0.9% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 8 | 0.5% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 12 | 42.5% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 242 | 57.5% | |||||
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
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Texas.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Texas
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Texas.
- See also: Party control of Texas state government
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Texas' congressional delegation as of February 2026.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Texas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Republican | 2 | 25 | 27 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 | Greg Abbott |
| Lieutenant Governor | Dan Patrick |
| Secretary of State | Jane Nelson |
| Attorney General | 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. | ||
See also
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
- ↑ Associated Press, "Rep. Wesley Hunt is running for US Senate in Texas, defying GOP leaders to take on Cornyn and Paxton," October 6, 2025
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Politico, "Jasmine Crockett announces Texas Senate bid," December 8, 2025
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "In U.S. Senate bid, Rep. James Talarico promises to take on GOP billionaires and bridge political divides," September 9, 2025
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Democrat Colin Allred drops out of Senate race, announces run for 33rd Congressional District," December 8, 2025
- ↑ FOX 4, "No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994," October 30, 2024
- ↑ Both independent U.S. senators — Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Angus King (I-Maine) — caucus with the Democrats.
- ↑ Axios, "Cornyn, Paxton advance to runoff in Texas GOP Senate clash," March 3, 2026
- ↑ CNN, "John Cornyn and Ken Paxton will advance to a runoff in Texas’ US Senate Republican primary," March 4, 2026
- ↑ Politico, "Cornyn, Paxton head to runoff in Texas Senate GOP race," March 3, 2026
- ↑ Punchbowl News, "Texas is going to get ugly over the next 3 months," March 4, 2026
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 The Texas Tribune, "Trump says he will soon endorse in runoff between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton," March 4, 2026
- ↑ CBS News, "Senator Cornyn kicks off re-election campaign early as Ken Paxton weighs primary challenge," March 30, 2025
- ↑ Emerson College, "Texas 2026 Poll: Cornyn and Paxton in Dead Heat for GOP Senate Nomination," August 15, 2025
- ↑ Squarespace, "Texas Southern University August 2025 Poll," accessed October 22, 2025
- ↑ Document Cloud, "election2026," accessed October 22, 2025
- ↑ Texas Scorecard, "Poll Shows Cornyn Slipping to Third in GOP Senate Primary," November 24, 2025
- ↑ DecisionDesk HQ, "The Texas GOP Senate Primary is a Two-man Race," December 1, 2025
- ↑ co/efficient, "Texas Statewide 2026 GOP Primary," December 3, 2025
- ↑ J.L. Partners, "Texas GOP Senate Primary polling December 2025," accessed December 19, 2025
- ↑ Emerson College, "Texas 2026 Poll: Talarico Leads Crockett for Democratic Senate Nomination, Cornyn and Paxton Face Potential Runoff," January 15, 2026
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2026 Election United States Senate – Texas," accessed February 3, 2026
- ↑ The New York Times, "Republicans Make a Costly Push to Try to Save Cornyn in Texas," February 4, 2026
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Rick Perry says his political group will spend “whatever we need” to support John Cornyn in Senate primary," February 17, 2026
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2026 Election United States Senate – Texas," accessed February 25, 2026
- ↑ The Texas Politics Project, "Competition Remains Fierce in Both U.S. Senate Primaries in Texas, According to Latest UT/Texas Politics Project Poll." February 23, 2026
- ↑ Google Drive, "New Poll: Paxton Leads Cornyn by 8 Points Heading into Republican Senate Runoff," March 9, 2026
- ↑ Google Drive, "Another Poll Shows Paxton Leading Cornyn in Texas U.S. Senate Republican Primary Runoff Election," March 11, 2026
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ 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
