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Texas gubernatorial election, 2022 (March 1 Republican primary)

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2026
2018
Governor of Texas
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 13, 2021
Primary: March 1, 2022
Primary runoff: May 24, 2022
General: November 8, 2022

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Greg Abbott (Republican)
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 2022
Impact of term limits in 2022
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Texas
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Comptroller
State Board of Education (15 seats)
Agriculture Commissioner
Public Lands Commissioner
Railroad Commissioner

Incumbent Greg Abbott defeated seven other candidates in the Republican primary election for governor of Texas on March 1, 2022. Three candidates—Abbott, Don Huffines, and Allen West— received the most media attention. Reuters' Joseph Ax and Julia Harte wrote, "Abbott is facing at least two credible Republican rivals for the first time in his tenure," referring to Huffines and West.[1] The Houston Chronicle's Jeremy Wallace wrote about intraparty conflicts over Abbott's responses to the coronavirus, saying, "Abbott was the target of GOP-led protests for his early moves to allow mask mandates and restrict business operations."[2]

At the time of the primary, no incumbent governor in Texas had lost his or her party's nomination since 1978, when Gov. Dolph Briscoe (D) lost to then-Attorney General John Hill (D).[2] Republicans won every gubernatorial election in Texas from 1994 to 2018 by an average margin of 16.9 percentage points.

Abbott was first elected governor in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018. Before becoming governor, Abbott was a justice on the Texas Supreme Court from 1996 to 2001. He also served three terms as state attorney general from 2002 to 2015. Abbott said he would "[continue] to build on his record as a strong conservative leader who fights to preserve Texas values," and said, as governor, he "achieved significant legislative victories to build a safer, freer, and more prosperous future for Texas."[4] Abbott received endorsements from President Donald Trump (R) and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Huffines was a member of the Texas Senate representing the Dallas-area District 16 from 2015 to 2019. At the time of the primary, he owned Huffines Communities, a real-estate development company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.[5] Huffines said Abbott was not conservative enough and that "Texans deserve a real leader who delivers actual results rather than lies," adding that he would "finish the wall, secure our elections, and ban vaccine mandates."[6] Huffines received endorsements from former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

West represented Florida's 22nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. West was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Texas in 2020 and held the position until resigning in 2021 to run for governor. Before entering politics, West was a member of the U.S. Army from 1983 to 2004, retiring as lieutenant colonel.[7] West said that, during the coronavirus pandemic, "[T]he leadership in Austin was complicit in shutting down businesses, enforcing illegal mandates, and undermining the rights of Texans."[8] West received endorsements from former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Grassroots America: We The People.

Also running in the primary were Paul Belew, Daniel Harrison, Kandy Kaye Horn, Rick Perry[9], and Chad Prather.

A candidate winning more than 50% of the vote automatically advances to the Nov. 8 general election. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to a primary runoff.

Daniel Harrison (R), Kandy Kaye Horn (R), and Allen B. West (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click on a candidate's name to view that candidate's responses.

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

Election news

Click below to view a timeline leading up to the election, including polling, debates, and other noteworthy events.

HOTP-GOP-Ad-1-Small.png

Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Texas

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott
 
66.5
 
1,299,059
Image of Allen B. West
Allen B. West Candidate Connection
 
12.3
 
239,557
Image of Donald Huffines
Donald Huffines
 
12.0
 
234,138
Image of Chad Prather
Chad Prather
 
3.8
 
74,173
Rick Perry
 
3.1
 
61,424
Image of Kandy Kaye Horn
Kandy Kaye Horn Candidate Connection
 
1.2
 
23,605
Paul Belew
 
0.6
 
11,387
Image of Daniel Harrison
Daniel Harrison Candidate Connection
 
0.6
 
10,829

Total votes: 1,954,172
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate comparison

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 Greg Abbott

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Abbott received a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981 and a law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1984. He worked as an attorney at Butler and Binion LLP from 1984 to 1992.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Abbott highlighted his experience as governor, saying he would "[continue] to build on his record as a strong conservative leader who fights to preserve Texas values."


Abbott said he had accomplished much of the agenda he outlined during his earlier runs for governor and said his next term would "build on the successes Texas achieved ... under Governor Greg Abbott's leadership."


Abbott said he would defeat Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke in the general election, saying O'Rourke "is dangerous to the communities and to the safety of the public ... and he is not fitting to serve as governor."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Texas in 2022.

Image of Daniel Harrison

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I am an independent Conservative and small business owner living in North Texas, originally from the community of Humble, Texas. I am an advocate for rural Texas and rural Texas issues running on a platform that puts the needs of rural Texans on a level platform of the population centers. I believe in a free market, secure border and strong, new, innovative ideas to old problems that should have been dealt with a long time ago."


Key Messages

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


Rural Texas Is Equal To Urban Centers.


New revenue streams in Texas such as legalized cannabis and gaming.


Represent All Texans With Fairness and Balance

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Texas in 2022.

Image of Kandy Kaye Horn

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I am a Christian, conservative public Servant."


Key Messages

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


Education Reform


Legalize and decriminalize Marijuana use


Secure the border.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Texas in 2022.

Image of Donald Huffines

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Huffines received a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981. In 1985, he co-founded Huffines Communities, a real-estate development company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Huffines said Abbott was not conservative enough and said, "Texans deserve a real leader who delivers actual results rather than lies," adding that he would "finish the wall, secure our elections, and ban vaccine mandates."


Huffines highlighted his experience in the Texas Senate, saying, "I was always ranked one of the top three most conservative senators in the history of the State of Texas."


Huffines said he never accepted a paycheck or pension from the state government, saying, "I'm not looking for a new job or new career. I'm looking to solve the problems that affect Texas."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Texas in 2022.

Image of Allen B. West

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Submitted Biography "Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Allen B. West is a Christian constitutional conservative, combat veteran, and former member of the US Congress. His life has been defined as one of service, sacrifice, and commitment to this Republic, the United States of America. He believes it will be conservative, free market policies, not politics that secures a sound economic future for Americans – with growth, opportunity and returning the promise of the American dream for this generation and those to come."


Key Messages

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


Defending the Texas Republic


It is within us, as human beings, to create and establish a legacy that will transcend our own lives. I believe our Founding Fathers reflected upon this creation, these United States of America. I believe that these seemingly ordinary men, and women, breathed life into something that was unheard of: a nation founded upon individual liberty, rights, and sovereignty.


As Governor of Texas, I will strenuously defend the sovereignty of Texas and will never support an open borders policy. Such policies put the safety and security of Texans at risk. Such policies have resulted in Texas’ designation as the number one state in America for human and sex trafficking. Dallas and Houston are the top two cities in America for the same. Illegal immigration is a multi-headed hydra that undermines our national security, endangers our local communities, threatens our educational and healthcare systems, and supports the cartels . . . It must be stopped.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Texas in 2022.

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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Rural Texas Is Equal To Urban Centers.

New revenue streams in Texas such as legalized cannabis and gaming.

Represent All Texans With Fairness and Balance
Education Reform

Legalize and decriminalize Marijuana use

Secure the border.
Defending the Texas Republic

It is within us, as human beings, to create and establish a legacy that will transcend our own lives. I believe our Founding Fathers reflected upon this creation, these United States of America. I believe that these seemingly ordinary men, and women, breathed life into something that was unheard of: a nation founded upon individual liberty, rights, and sovereignty.

As Governor of Texas, I will strenuously defend the sovereignty of Texas and will never support an open borders policy. Such policies put the safety and security of Texans at risk. Such policies have resulted in Texas’ designation as the number one state in America for human and sex trafficking. Dallas and Houston are the top two cities in America for the same. Illegal immigration is a multi-headed hydra that undermines our national security, endangers our local communities, threatens our educational and healthcare systems, and supports the cartels . . . It must be stopped.
I am focused on creating a place where true conservative principals can flourish and benefit all Texans. I believe in a balanced budget, finding new revenue streams such as legalized cannabis sales, expansion of horse racing and legalized gaming in Texas. I am also open to ensuring that we enact policy that creates jobs and protects small business owners now and in the future.
please see above
Rule of Law

Border Security Property Taxes Energy Independence Protecting Texas Children and Families Defending Education Curtailing Foreign Influence Medical Freedom Election Integrity Gun Rights

I look up to innovators and dreamers. People like our astronauts and researchers that are looking to make humanity better through innovative solutions and priorities. I also admire strong business leaders like H. Ross Perot and Ed Whitacher, Jr, both of Texas. I admire their leadership abilities and their being able to find new and innovative solutions to very complex problems.
Govern with balance and fairness for all Texans and be free from special interest groups and their influential money trail
I would like people to KNOW that I left Texas a lot better than what our two established parties have given us.
The legacy of being one who honored his oath to the constitution and safeguarded individual rights, freedoms, and liberty.
JFK assassination. I was about 8.
The shooting of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. I was 8 years old and was raised in the same neighborhood where Dr King was born and preached.
Texas State Historical Commission—Rural Revitalization Campaign
The Bible. It has changed my life entirely.
Gone with the Wind. Resilience, Survival
My biggest struggle has simply been keeping my mouth shut about things that bother me.
It means that he or she must come to the table with new ideas and ways to get them through the legislature. It means that they must stand firm to their convictions while being willing to adapt, improvise and overcome the challenges set out before. I believe that the leader of a state must show poise and stand strong during times of crisis—not caving into pressure from special interest groups and national party leaders.
It means that I am the top servant of the people and guardian of their rights.
Simple: Creating new revenue streams such as legalized gaming and recreational cannabis. One of my top priorities is that we ensure the money collected from existing industries is equally spread out to our rural areas and ensure that our hospitals, medical clinics, schools and other vital services and resources are within access to our rural residents.
I believe that the governor should have more involvement into the state budget process and allowed more input into how state funds are administered. However, I feel that he should also be limited in his power to direct those funds unless the state legislature grants him the privileges to do it outside of a session. During a crisis our Governor has far too reaching of power and has proven that it can be taken advantage of.
I think the Governor of TExas has a lot of authority over the legislature. However, in our state the legislature only meets once every two years and when the legislature is out of session the Governor has nearly complete authority to act on their own unsupervised. We cannot allow this. We need a group of bipartisan legislators available full-time to ensure that the Governor is making the best decisions for all Texans.
I love our natural resources and I believe in protecting them to the fullest.
The impeccable grandeur of Texas, it’s vastness and varying terrain.
A lack of creative revenue and overcoming establishment politics.
Over the next decade, our state's greatest challenge is combatting federal overreach.
Q: What do Texans call OPEC?
A: Oil Pricing Evil Cartel! 
Terrorist attacks. Natural Disaster. Detailed and documented civil unrest.


Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Greg Abbott

Feb. 9, 2022
Feb. 8, 2022
Jan. 27, 2022

View more ads here:


Republican Party Daniel Harrison

View Harrison's ads here:

Republican Party Donald Huffines

Feb. 22, 2021
Feb. 10, 2022
Jan. 14, 2022

View more ads here:


Republican Party Chad Prather

View Prather's ads here:

Republican Party Allen West

Feb. 13, 2022
Feb. 10, 2022
Jan. 30, 2022

View more ads here:

Debates and forums

This section includes links to debates, forums, and other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated. If you are aware of any debates or forums that should be included, please email us.

February 14 candidate forum

On Feb. 14, 2022, The Bunker Bob Show released a candidate forum featuring Harrison, Huffines, and Prather. The three candidates were recorded separately and then edited together into a single format. West was scheduled to participate but could not attend due to inclement weather.[19]

News 4 San Antonio candidate interviews

On Feb. 13, News 4 San Antonio began releasing candidate interviews as part of its "Beyond the Podium" series.[22] Candidates whose interviews have been released are shown below:

January 26 candidate forum

On Jan. 26, 2022, Huffines, Prather, and West participated in a candidate forum hosted by the South Texas Alliance of Republicans.[33]

January 21 candidate forum

On Jan. 21, 2022, Huffines, Prather, and West participated in a candidate forum hosted by Grassroots America: We the People.[34][35]

Click on the link below for a summary of the event:

January 19 candidate forum

On Jan. 19, 2022, Harrison, Huffines, Prather, and West participated in a candidate forum hosted by Texas Scorecard.[36]

Click on the link below for a summary of the event:

January 17 candidate forum

On Jan. 17, 2022, Huffines, Prather, and West participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Denton County Conservative Coalition.[37]

January 13 candidate forum

On Jan. 13, 2022, Huffines, Prather, and West participated in a candidate forum hosted by the True Texas Project.[38]

Click on the link below for a summary of the event:

October 27 debate

On Oct. 27, 2021, Huffines, Prather, and West participated in a debate hosted by the Wise County Conservatives.[42]

News and conflicts in this primary

This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. Click here to read more about conflict in this and other 2022 Republican gubernatorial primaries. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.

Noteworthy endorsements

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.


Republican primary endorsements
Endorser Republican Party Greg Abbott Republican Party Donald Huffines Republican Party Allen B. West
Government officials
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R)  source    
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R)  source    
Individuals
Frmr. Donald Trump Campaign Legal Adviser Jenna Ellis  source    
Frmr. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn  source    
Radio host Mark Levin  source    
Guitarist Ted Nugent  source    
Frmr. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul  source    
Frmr. Donald Trump Campaign Spokeswoman Katrina Pierson  source    
Frmr. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders  source    
Frmr. President Donald Trump  source    
Newspapers and editorials
Houston Chronicle Editorial Board  source    
The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board  source    
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram  source    
Organizations
Grassroots America: We The People  source    
National Border Patrol Council  source    
National Cutting Horse Association  source    
National Federation of Independent Business - Texas  source    
National Rifle Association of America Political Victory Fund  source    
Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas  source    
Stand for Health Freedom  source    
Texas Alliance Oil & Gas PAC  source    
Texas Association of Business  source    
Texas Association of Manufacturers  source    
Texas Blockchain Council  source    
Texas Chemical Council - FREEPAC  source    
Texas Farm Bureau (AGFUND)  source    
Texas Food & Fuel Association PAC  source    
Texas Hospital Association  source    
Texas Liberty Defenders  source    
Texas Medical Association  source    
Texas Oil & Gas Association - TXOGA PAC  source    
Texas Pharmacy Association  source    
Texas Pipeline Association  source    
Texas Restaurant Association  source    
Texas State Rifle Association  source    
Texas Trucking Association  source    
Texas Wildlife Association  source    

Election competitiveness

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.[45] 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."[46] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

Below we provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval.


Texas gubernatorial election, 2022: Republican primary election polls
Poll Date Abbott Belew Harrison Horn Huffines Perry Prather West Undecided/Other Margin of error Sample size[47] Sponsor[48]
The Trafalgar Group[49] Feb. 25-28, 2022 62% 1% 3% 1% 10% 2% 2% 15% 3%[50] ± 3.0 1,040 LV N/A
Emerson College/The Hill[11] Feb. 21-22, 2022 64% 0% 4% 0% 11% 3% 3% 14% -[12] ± 4.2 522 LV N/A
University of Texas at Tyler/
The Dallas Morning News
Feb. 8-15, 2022 60% 1% 3% 1% 3% 6% 3% 7% 15%[51] ± 4.4 581 LV N/A
University of Texas at Austin/YouGov[21] Jan. 28 - Feb. 7, 2022 60% -- -- 1% 14% 5% 3% 15% 2%[52] ± 5.1 375 LV The Texas Politics Project
University of Texas at Tyler/
The Dallas Morning News
Jan. 18-25, 2022 59% 1% 1% 2% 4% 4% 2% 6% 20%[53] ± 5.1 514 LV N/A



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.[63]
  • 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.[64][65][66]

Race ratings: Texas gubernatorial election, 2022
Race trackerRace ratings
November 8, 2022November 1, 2022October 25, 2022October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely 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.

Election spending

Campaign finance

The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. View each candidates’ loan totals, if any, by clicking “View More” in the table below and learn more about this data here.

Election context

Election history

2018

See also: Texas gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Texas

Incumbent Greg Abbott defeated Lupe Valdez and Mark Tippetts in the general election for Governor of Texas on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott (R)
 
55.8
 
4,656,196
Image of Lupe Valdez
Lupe Valdez (D)
 
42.5
 
3,546,615
Image of Mark Tippetts
Mark Tippetts (L)
 
1.7
 
140,632

Total votes: 8,343,443
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Governor of Texas

Lupe Valdez defeated Andrew White in the Democratic primary runoff for Governor of Texas on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lupe Valdez
Lupe Valdez
 
53.0
 
224,091
Image of Andrew White
Andrew White
 
47.0
 
198,407

Total votes: 422,498
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Texas

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Texas on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lupe Valdez
Lupe Valdez
 
42.9
 
435,484
Image of Andrew White
Andrew White
 
27.4
 
278,333
Image of Cedric Davis
Cedric Davis
 
8.3
 
83,817
Image of Grady Yarbrough
Grady Yarbrough
 
5.4
 
54,372
Jeffrey Payne
 
4.8
 
48,269
Image of Adrian Ocegueda
Adrian Ocegueda
 
4.4
 
44,681
Image of Thomas Wakely
Thomas Wakely
 
3.4
 
34,737
James Clark
 
2.2
 
21,871
Joe Mumbach
 
1.4
 
13,878

Total votes: 1,015,442
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Texas

Incumbent Greg Abbott defeated Barbara Krueger and Larry SECEDE Kilgore in the Republican primary for Governor of Texas on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott
 
90.4
 
1,389,562
Barbara Krueger
 
8.3
 
127,134
Image of Larry SECEDE Kilgore
Larry SECEDE Kilgore
 
1.3
 
20,384

Total votes: 1,537,080
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Texas gubernatorial election, 2014

Republican Greg Abbott won election on November 4, 2014.

Governor of Texas, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGreg Abbott 59.3% 2,796,547
     Democratic Wendy Davis 38.9% 1,835,596
     Libertarian Kathie Glass 1.4% 66,543
     Green Brandon Parmer 0.4% 18,520
     Write-in Sarah Pavitt 0% 1,062
Total Votes 4,718,268
Election results via Texas Secretary of State

Earlier results


Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Texas in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Texas, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source Notes
Texas Governor Ballot-qualified party 5,000 $3,750.00 12/13/2021 Source Petition signatures only required in lieu of filing fee.
Texas Governor Unaffiliated 83,434 N/A 6/23/2022 Source Signature formula: 1% of all votes cast for governor in 2018.

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.[67]

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

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.

Presidential elections

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

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Texas, 2022
District Incumbent Party PVI
Texas' 1st Open Ends.png Republican R+26
Texas' 2nd Daniel Crenshaw Ends.png Republican R+15
Texas' 3rd Open Ends.png Republican R+11
Texas' 4th Pat Fallon Ends.png Republican R+16
Texas' 5th Lance Gooden Ends.png Republican R+14
Texas' 6th Jake Ellzey Ends.png Republican R+15
Texas' 7th Lizzie Pannill Fletcher Electiondot.png Democratic D+13
Texas' 8th Open Ends.png Republican R+16
Texas' 9th Al Green Electiondot.png Democratic D+26
Texas' 10th Michael McCaul Ends.png Republican R+13
Texas' 11th August Pfluger Ends.png Republican R+23
Texas' 12th Kay Granger Ends.png Republican R+12
Texas' 13th Ronny Jackson Ends.png Republican R+26
Texas' 14th Randy Weber Ends.png Republican R+17
Texas' 15th Open Electiondot.png Democratic R+1
Texas' 16th Veronica Escobar Electiondot.png Democratic D+17
Texas' 17th Pete Sessions Ends.png Republican R+14
Texas' 18th Sheila Jackson Lee Electiondot.png Democratic D+23
Texas' 19th Jodey Arrington Ends.png Republican R+26
Texas' 20th Joaquin Castro Electiondot.png Democratic D+15
Texas' 21st Chip Roy Ends.png Republican R+13
Texas' 22nd Troy Nehls Ends.png Republican R+11
Texas' 23rd Tony Gonzales Ends.png Republican R+5
Texas' 24th Beth Van Duyne Ends.png Republican R+10
Texas' 25th Roger Williams Ends.png Republican R+19
Texas' 26th Michael Burgess Ends.png Republican R+13
Texas' 27th Michael Cloud Ends.png Republican R+13
Texas' 28th Henry Cuellar Electiondot.png Democratic D+3
Texas' 29th Sylvia Garcia Electiondot.png Democratic D+18
Texas' 30th Open Electiondot.png Democratic D+27
Texas' 31st John Carter Ends.png Republican R+14
Texas' 32nd Colin Allred Electiondot.png Democratic D+14
Texas' 33rd Marc Veasey Electiondot.png Democratic D+24
Texas' 34th Mayra Flores / Vicente Gonzalez Jr. Ends.png Republican D+9
Texas' 35th Open Electiondot.png Democratic D+21
Texas' 36th Brian Babin Ends.png Republican R+18
Texas' 37th Lloyd Doggett Electiondot.png Democratic D+24
Texas' 38th New Seat N/A R+12


2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Texas[68]
District Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Texas' 1st 26.5% 72.4%
Texas' 2nd 37.9% 60.7%
Texas' 3rd 42.0% 56.4%
Texas' 4th 36.4% 62.4%
Texas' 5th 38.2% 60.6%
Texas' 6th 37.4% 61.3%
Texas' 7th 64.2% 34.5%
Texas' 8th 35.8% 63.0%
Texas' 9th 76.2% 22.8%
Texas' 10th 39.8% 58.6%
Texas' 11th 29.1% 69.5%
Texas' 12th 40.1% 58.3%
Texas' 13th 26.5% 72.0%
Texas' 14th 35.0% 63.6%
Texas' 15th 48.1% 51.0%
Texas' 16th 67.0% 31.5%
Texas' 17th 38.0% 60.5%
Texas' 18th 73.6% 25.1%
Texas' 19th 26.2% 72.4%
Texas' 20th 65.8% 32.7%
Texas' 21st 39.4% 59.1%
Texas' 22nd 41.3% 57.4%
Texas' 23rd 45.8% 52.9%
Texas' 24th 43.0% 55.4%
Texas' 25th 33.8% 64.9%
Texas' 26th 40.0% 58.6%
Texas' 27th 38.1% 60.6%
Texas' 28th 52.9% 45.9%
Texas' 29th 67.8% 31.0%
Texas' 30th 77.8% 21.0%
Texas' 31st 39.0% 59.2%
Texas' 32nd 65.7% 32.7%
Texas' 33rd 74.2% 24.4%
Texas' 34th 57.3% 41.8%
Texas' 35th 71.7% 26.5%
Texas' 36th 33.6% 65.2%
Texas' 37th 75.5% 22.7%
Texas' 38th 40.2% 58.4%


2012-2020

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 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2020 presidential election, 45.5% of Texans lived in one of the state's 18 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 40.1% lived in one of 223 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Texas was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Texas following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Texas presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 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
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

Statewide elections

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
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
2008 54.8%Republican Party 42.8%Democratic Party
Average 55.5 42.0

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
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
2002 57.8%Republican Party 40.0%Democratic Party
Average 53.4 38.7

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Texas' congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Texas, November 2022
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 12 12
Republican 2 24 26
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 36 38

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Texas' top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Texas, November 2022
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Greg Abbott
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Dan Patrick
Secretary of State Republican Party John Scott
Attorney General Republican Party Ken Paxton

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Texas State Legislature as of November 2022.

Texas State Senate

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 13
     Republican Party 18
     Vacancies 0
Total 31

Texas House of Representatives

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 65
     Republican Party 83
     Vacancies 2
Total 150

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Texas was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Texas Party Control: 1992-2022
Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty 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
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
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
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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Texas and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Texas
Texas United States
Population 25,145,561 308,745,538
Land area (sq mi) 261,266 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 74% 72.5%
Black/African American 12.1% 12.7%
Asian 4.8% 5.5%
Native American 0.5% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.2%
Other (single race) 5.8% 4.9%
Multiple 2.7% 3.3%
Hispanic/Latino 39.3% 18%
Education
High school graduation rate 83.7% 88%
College graduation rate 29.9% 32.1%
Income
Median household income $61,874 $62,843
Persons below poverty level 14.7% 13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**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.


2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

See also

Texas State Executive Elections News and Analysis
Seal of Texas.png
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Texas State Executive Offices
Texas State Legislature
Texas Courts
2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Texas elections: 2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. Reuters, "Texas governor moves state sharply to the right ahead of 2022 election," Oct. 13, 2021
  2. 2.0 2.1 Houston Chronicle, "Gov. Greg Abbott’s primary showing will settle whether he’s ‘undisputed leader’ of Texas GOP," Jan. 9, 2022
  3. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. Greg Abbott's campaign website, "Bio," accessed Jan. 24, 2022
  5. Don Huffines' campaign website, "About," accessed Jan. 24, 2022
  6. Don Huffines' campaign website, "Home," accessed Jan. 24, 2022
  7. The Dallas Morning News, "Texas GOP ousts chairman, picks tea party firebrand Allen West to lead in 2020 elections," July 20, 2020
  8. Allen West's campaign website, "Lt. Col. West Officially Files for TX Governor’s Race Calls on Texas Patriots to Act," Nov. 23, 2021
  9. This is not former Texas Gov. and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry (R).
  10. YouTube, "Mark Levin Endorses Allen West for TX Governor," Feb. 28, 2022
  11. 11.0 11.1 Emerson College Polling, "Texas 2022: Beto and Abbott Matchup Likely in Governor’s Race; AG Paxton Tries to Avoid Runoff in Republican Primary," Feb. 24, 2022
  12. 12.0 12.1 In the initial question, nine percent of respondents were undecided. These figures show the totals after those undecided respondents indicated who they would likely support.
  13. Facebook, "Greg Abbott," Feb. 24, 2022
  14. News 4 San Antonio, "Paul Belew: Candidate for Texas Governor," Feb. 22, 2022
  15. Allen West's campaign website, "'Stand for Health Freedom' Endorses LTC Allen West," Feb. 21, 2022
  16. News 4 San Antonio, "Greg Abbott: Candidate (incumbent) for Texas Governor," Feb. 17, 2022
  17. Facebook, "Greg Abbott," Feb. 16, 2022
  18. Facebook, "Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas," Feb. 16, 2022
  19. 19.0 19.1 YouTube, "121: Candidate Forum for Texas Governor," Feb. 14, 2022
  20. News 4 San Antonio, "Danny Harrison: Candidate for Texas Governor," Feb. 14, 2022
  21. 21.0 21.1 The Texas Policy Project, "Abbot Leads O'Rourke 57-37 in Projected 2022 Gubernatorial Contest Amid Signs of Fallout from the 87th Legislature and the Corrosive Impact of GOP Rejection of the 2020 Presidential Election," accessed Feb. 14, 2022
  22. 22.0 22.1 News 4 San Antonio, "Beyond the Podium," accessed Feb. 17, 2022
  23. News 4 San Antonio, "Kandy Kaye Horn: Candidate for Texas Governor," Feb. 13, 2022
  24. The Dallas Morning News, "We recommend for Texas governor, Republican primary," Feb. 13, 2022
  25. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Texas Republicans have only one real choice for governor if they want to hold power," Feb. 13, 2022
  26. Houston Chronicle, "Editorial: We recommend Greg Abbott in Republican primary for Governor," Feb. 13, 2022
  27. Facebook, "Greg Abbott," Feb. 10, 2022
  28. Facebook, "Greg Abbott," Feb. 8, 2022
  29. YouTube, "Healthcare Groups Endorse Governor Abbott," Feb. 4, 2022
  30. YouTube, "Energy Groups Announce Endorsement of Governor Abbott," Feb. 2, 2022
  31. Facebook, "West4Texas," Feb. 1, 2022
  32. Texas Scorecard, "Grassroots America – We The People Endorses Allen West for Governor," Jan. 31, 2022
  33. 33.0 33.1 YouTube, "STAR GOP Primary Gubernatorial Debate," Jan. 26, 2022
  34. 34.0 34.1 Facebook, "Grassroots America: We The People," Jan. 23, 2022
  35. 35.0 35.1 KLTV, "Gov. Abbott’s GOP challengers face off at Tyler candidate forum," Jan. 21, 2022
  36. 36.0 36.1 YouTube, "Texas GOP Governor Candidate Forum," Jan. 19, 2022
  37. 37.0 37.1 Facebook, "Denton County Conservative Coalition - D3C," Jan. 17, 2022
  38. 38.0 38.1 YouTube, "True Texas Project 2022 Gubernatorial Forum," Jan. 13, 2022
  39. KXAN, "Border Patrol Council announces endorsement of Gov. Abbott on re-election campaign," Jan. 10, 2022
  40. 40.0 40.1 The Texas Tribune, "Texas Statewide Survey," accessed Jan. 27, 2022
  41. The Texas Tribune, "Greg Abbott leads Beto O’Rourke by 9 percentage points in hypothetical matchup, UT/TT Poll finds," Nov. 5, 2021
  42. 42.0 42.1 YouTube, "[LIVE Texas Republican Governor's 1st Debate | October 27th, 2021," Oct. 27, 2021]
  43. Facebook, "Don Huffines," Sept. 16, 2021
  44. The Amarillo Pioneer, "Katrina Pierson Endorses Huffines for Governor," Aug. 12, 2021
  45. 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.
  46. Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
  47. RV=Registered Voters
    LV=Likely Voters
  48. The sponsor is the person or group that funded all or part of the poll.
  49. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named traf
  50. Undecided: 3%
  51. Don't know: 15%
  52. Someone else: 2%
  53. Not sure: 20%
  54. RV=Registered Voters
    LV=Likely Voters
  55. The sponsor is the person or group that funded all or part of the poll.
  56. Someone else: 3%
    Don't know: 18%
  57. Kurt Schwab: 0%
    Someone else: 4%
    Undecided: 16%
  58. This poll also contained hypothetical polling between Abbott and actor Matthew McConaughey, which found 66% of Republican primary voters supporting Abbott, 21% supporting McConaughey, and 13% indicating they would have voted for someone else.
  59. Someone else: 15%
  60. Someone else: 15%
  61. This poll also contained hypothetical polling between Abbott and actor Matthew McConaughey, which found 67% of Republican primary voters supporting Abbott, 22% supporting McConaughey, and 11% indicating they would have voted for someone else.
  62. Someone else: 11%
  63. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  64. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  65. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  66. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  67. The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  68. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022