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November 3, 2026
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| Elections in Texas |
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 Government |
The 2026 Texas Senate election will be held concurrently to the 2026 Texas House of Representatives elections on November 3, 2026.[1] Elections will be held in 16 of the 31 Senate districts for four-year terms. The winners of this election will serve in the 90th Texas Legislature. 18 Senate seats are currently held by Republicans, 12 seats are held by Democrats, and one seat, formerly held by a Republican, is vacant. Primary elections will be held on March 3, 2026, with runoffs taking place, if necessary, on May 26, 2026.[2]
Background
[edit]Republicans have controlled the Senate since the 1996 election. Republicans gained one seat in the heavily-Hispanic Rio Grande Valley in the 2024 election, increasing their majority to 20 out of 31 seats.[3]
2025 regular session
[edit]During the regular session, the legislature passed a number of bills to advance a conservative agenda. Chief among them a school voucher bill, long a priority of the Senate which had historically been stifled in the more moderate House of Representatives.[4] The bill allocates $1 billion of public funds for children to attend private schools or for their parents to homeschool them, prioritized based on income and disability.[5] Other conservative hallmarks related to education included requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms, banning diversity, equity, and inclusion policies from public schools, and restricting free speech on college campuses in the wake of Gaza war protests at universities. Other new laws included the tightening of bail, restricting the rights of transgender people, easing access to vaccine exemption, and cutting property taxes.[6] On a more bipartisan basis, the legislature passed bills to alleviate water supply issues, clarify medical exceptions in the state's abortion ban, and ease the construction of housing in amidst the state's growing housing crisis.[7][8][9]
Special sessions and redistricting
[edit]Greg Abbott had already planned to call a special session to address legislation that did not pass in time during the regular session or that Abbott vetoed, such as a ban on THC products, as well as to address new issues such as deadly flooding in central Texas. At the request of President Donald Trump, Abbott added congressional redistricting to the agenda with the goal of flipping five Democratic-held U.S. House seats to the Republicans in the 2026 elections.[10] Senate Democrats staged a walkout before the final vote on the bill, with all but two of them leaving the chamber, but unlike in the House, this was not enough to break quorum and block the bill's passage.[11] The House walkout forced the chamber to pass the bill in a second special session after their walkout ended, which it did on a party-line vote.[12]
District partisanship
[edit]
2024 Presidential data by Senate district:- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
In the 2024 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump won 21 districts, while Democrat Kamala Harris won 10 districts. Democrats hold 2 districts in which Trump won, although one one is up for election in 2026. Republicans hold no districts won by Harris. Republicans made massive gains across the historically-Democratic Rio Grande Valley region in 2024.[13]
| District | Trump margin of victory in 2024 |
Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Incumbent's previous margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9th district | R+17.4 | Taylor Rehmet | Democratic | 2025 (special) | D+14.5 |
| 20th district | R+4.3 | Juan Hinojosa | Democratic | 2002 | D+100[a] |
Retirements
[edit]- District 3: Robert Nichols is retiring[14]
- District 4: Brandon Creighton resigned early to serve as Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System[15]
- District 11: Mayes Middleton is retiring to run for Attorney General[16]
- District 22: Brian Birdwell is retiring[17]
Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[18] | Safe R | January 22, 2026 |
Special elections
[edit]A special election took place to fill the unexpired term in Texas's 9th Senate district. A special election is scheduled for May 2, 2026, to fill the unexpired term in Texas's 4th Senate district.
2025 District 9 special election
[edit]Kelly Hancock resigned to become chief clerk of the Texas Comptroller's office in June 2025. A special election to serve the remainder of the term took place on November 4th, 2025.[19] Democratic candidate Taylor Rehmet received the most votes at 47.6%. He was followed by Republicans Leigh Wambsganss, 36%, and John Huffman, 16%.[20] Rehmet and Wembsganss advanced to a runoff held on January 31, 2026, which Rehmet unexpectedly won by a large margin.[21]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Taylor Rehmet | 56,565 | 47.57% | |
| Republican | Leigh Wambsganss | 42,739 | 35.94% | |
| Republican | John Huffman | 19,608 | 16.49% | |
| Total votes | 118,912 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Taylor Rehmet | 54,473 | 57.27% | |
| Republican | Leigh Wambsganss | 40,648 | 42.73% | |
| Total votes | 95,121 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
District 4 special election
[edit]Brandon Creighton resigned to serve as Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.[15] A special election is scheduled for May 2, 2026. Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon is currently running in the special election as a Republican,[24] with the endorsement of Lieutenant governor and Senate President Dan Patrick and former senator Creighton.[25][26]
Results summary
[edit]| Party | Candidates | Votes | Seats | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | Before | Up | Won | After | +/– | ||||||||
| Republican | 14 | 18 | 11 | |||||||||||
| Democratic | 16 | 13 | 5 | |||||||||||
| Green | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Total | 31 | 16 | 16 | 31 | 
| |||||||||
| Source: | ||||||||||||||
Summary of results by district
[edit]† - Incumbent not seeking re-election
| District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bryan Hughes | Rep | ||||
| 2nd | Bob Hall | Rep | ||||
| 3rd | Robert Nichols† | Rep | ||||
| 4th | Vacant | N/A | ||||
| 5th | Charles Schwertner | Rep | ||||
| 9th | Taylor Rehmet | Dem | ||||
| 11th | Mayes Middleton† | Rep | ||||
| 13th | Borris Miles | Dem | ||||
| 18th | Lois Kolkhorst | Rep | ||||
| 19th | Roland Gutierrez | Dem | ||||
| 21st | Judith Zaffirini | Dem | ||||
| 22nd | Brian Birdwell† | Rep | ||||
| 24th | Pete Flores | Rep | ||||
| 26th | Jose Menendez | Dem | ||||
| 28th | Charles Perry | Rep | ||||
| 31st | Kevin Sparks | Rep | ||||
Detailed results
[edit]|
District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 9 • District 11 • District 13 • District 18 • District 19 • District 21 • District 22 • District 24 • District 26 • District 28 • District 31 |
District 1
[edit]Incumbent Republican Bryan Hughes is running for re-election.[27] He will face Democrat Laticia Ambroz.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bryan Hughes (incumbent) | |||
| Democratic | Laticia Ambroz | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 2
[edit]Incumbent Republican Bob Hall is running for re-election.[28] He will face Republican Jason Eddington in the primary, the Republican nominee will face Democrat Keenen Colbert.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Hall (incumbent) | |||
| Republican | Jason Eddington | |||
| Total votes | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | TBD | |||
| Democratic | Keenen Colbert | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 3
[edit]Incumbent Republican Robert Nichols is retiring.[29] Trent Ashby, state representative from the 9th district, is running to replace him.[30] Rhonda Ward, a first-time candidate who is running against Ashby, received nearly $2 million in campaign funds from businessman James Moyer, one of the largest donations to any legislative candidate this election cycle. The disproportionate size of Moyer's donation compare to the rest of Ward's campaign funds has raised concerns among residents about Moyer's influence over Ward, especially regarding the construction of AI data centers, although Moyer's company is not directly tied to any construction efforts in the district. Ward is considered a hardline conservative, having signed a pledge to call a referendum on Texas's secession from the United States.[31]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Trent Ashby | |||
| Republican | Rhonda Ward | |||
| Total votes | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | TBD | |||
| Democratic | Bobby Tillman | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 4
[edit]The incumbent will be determined by the May 2, 2026 special election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brett Ligon | |||
| Republican | Charlie Miller | |||
| Total votes | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | TBD | |||
| Democratic | Ron Angeletti | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 5
[edit]Incumbent Republican Charles Schwertner is running for re-election.[32] Schwertner faces two primary challengers and has faced multiple scandals during his time in office, including an arrest for driving while intoxicated and allegations of sexual harassment, although no charges were brought against him for either.[33][34] In light of these scandals, the Austin American-Statesman endorsed challenger Apollo Hernandez in the primary against Schwertner.[35]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Schwertner (incumbent) | |||
| Republican | Apollo Hernandez | |||
| Republican | Larry Nance | |||
| Total votes | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kevin Nelson | |||
| Democratic | Paul Thomasson | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 9
[edit]Incumbent Democrat Taylor Rehmet was elected in a January special election runoff. He faces a rematch against Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the general election.[36] District 9 voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in the 2024 election, leading Republicans to project confidence in their ability to win the district back.[37]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Taylor Rehmet (incumbent) | |||
| Republican | Leigh Wambsganss | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 11
[edit]Incumbent Republican Mayes Middleton is retiring to run for Attorney General.[16] Republican state representative Dennis Paul is running to succeed Middleton, Paul's campaign was endorsed by lieutenant governor Dan Patrick.[38] Two Democrats, coordinator Shannon Dicely and systems specialist Cameron Rollwitz, are running for the Democratic nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shannon Dicely | |||
| Democratic | Cameron Rollwitz | |||
| Total votes | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dennis Paul | |||
| Democratic | TBD | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 13
[edit]Incumbent Democrat Borris Miles is running for re-election unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Borris Miles (incumbent) | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 18
[edit]Incumbent Republican Lois Kolkhorst is running for re-election. She will face Democrat Erica Gillum.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lois Kolkhorst (incumbent) | |||
| Democratic | Erica Gillum | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 19
[edit]Incumbent Democrat Roland Gutierrez is running for re-election. Republicans Marcus Cardenas, Robert Marks Jr. and Adam Ernest Salyer are running for the Republican nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roland Gutierrez (incumbent) | |||
| Republican | TBD | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 21
[edit]Incumbent Democrat Judith Zaffirini is running for re-election. She will face social worker Cortney Jones in the Democratic primary. The winner of the primary will run unopposed in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Judith Zaffirini (incumbent) | |||
| Democratic | Cortney Jones | |||
| Total votes | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | TBD | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 22
[edit]Incumbent Republican Brian Birdwell is retiring.[17] Three Republicans have filed for the nomination. State representative David Cook is running for the nomination, he will face McLennan County District Clerk Jon Gimble and Angel Wings Ranch director Rena Schroeder. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Amy Martinez-Salas.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Cook | |||
| Republican | Jon Gimble | |||
| Republican | Rena Schroeder | |||
| Total votes | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | TBD | |||
| Democratic | Amy Martinez-Salas | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 24
[edit]Incumbent Republican Pete Flores is running for re-election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pete Flores (incumbent) | |||
| Democratic | Joe Herrera | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 26
[edit]Incumbent Democrat José Menéndez is running for re-election. He will face Julián Villarreal, the Green Party nominee for this seat in 2020.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | José Menéndez (incumbent) | |||
| Green | Julián Villarreal | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 28
[edit]Incumbent Republican Charles Perry is running for re-election. He will face Democrat Riley Rodriquez
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Perry (incumbent) | |||
| Democratic | Riley Rodriquez | |||
| Total votes | ||||
District 31
[edit]Incumbent Republican Kevin Sparks is running for re-election.[39] he will face Democrat and Amarillo College regent John Betancourt.[40]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Sparks (incumbent) | |||
| Democratic | John Betancourt | |||
| Total votes | ||||
Notes
[edit]- ^ Incumbent was unopposed.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Texas State Senate elections, 2026". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ "Important Election Dates". www.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Downey, Renzo (November 6, 2024). "Adam Hinojosa flips Texas Senate seat, becomes first Republican to represent Rio Grande Valley district since Reconstruction". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Scherer, Jasper; Downey, Renzo (January 14, 2025). "Rep. Dustin Burrows voted Texas House speaker in blow to insurgent GOP movement". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Gainey, Blaise (May 2, 2025). "Amid cheers and protests, Gov. Abbott signs $1 billion Texas school voucher bill into law". KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ "School vouchers, THC ban, property tax cuts: Here's what Texas lawmakers did in the 2025 regular session". The Texas Tribune. June 2, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Martinez, Alejandra; Carver, Jayme Lozano (April 2, 2025). "From desalination to water treatment: Bill that prioritizes creating new water supplies get Texas Senate OK". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Klibanoff, Eleanor (May 21, 2025). "Bill clarifying exceptions to Texas' abortion ban passes". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Fechter, Joshua (June 16, 2025). "Texas lawmakers laid the foundation for a housing boom. Here's how". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Serrano, Alejandro (July 21, 2025). "The Texas Legislature is back for a special session. Here's what we're watching". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Gainey, Blaise (August 12, 2025). "Majority of Democrats in the Texas Senate walk out ahead of chamber's vote on redistricting bill". KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Astudillo, Carla; Klibanoff, Eleanor (August 29, 2025). "Gov. Greg Abbott signs new Texas GOP congressional map". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Gainey, Blaise (November 7, 2024). "How Republicans managed to flip Texas' Rio Grande Valley". Houston Public Media. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ Awtrey, Jeff (June 24, 2025). "Sen. Nichols announces he won't seek reelection; Ashby vying for position". KLTV. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "Texas Tech University System Regents Name Senator Brandon Creighton as Sole Finalist for Chancellor". Texas Tech University System. September 4, 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ a b Scherer, Jasper (May 15, 2025). "Sen. Mayes Middleton announces bid for Texas attorney general". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ a b Serrano, Alejandro (June 30, 2025). "GOP state Sen. Brian Birdwell says he won't seek reelection". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ Jacobson, Louis (January 22, 2026). "Handicapping The 2026 State Legislative Map: A First Look". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
- ^ Kumar, Atirikta (June 27, 2025). "Gov. Greg Abbott sets Nov. 4 special election for open state Senate seat". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Guo, Kayla (November 6, 2025). "Democrats see promise for 2026 in Texas Senate near upset". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
- ^ Democrat Taylor Rehmet wins a reliably Republican Texas state Senate seat, stunning GOP, at National_Public_Radio; published February 1, 2026; retrieved February 1, 2026
- ^ "Texas 2025 election results". November 7, 2025.
- ^ "Election Night Reporting". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
- ^ Serrano, Alejandro (October 16, 2025). "Abbott sets May special election for open Texas Senate seat". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ^ "May special election set for Senate District 4 after Brandon Creighton vacates seat". Community Impact. October 13, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ "May special election set for Senate District 4 after Brandon Creighton vacates seat". Community Impact. October 13, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ Wellerman, Zak (June 23, 2025). "Sen. Bryan Hughes says he'll focus on Texas Senate, won't enter attorney general race". KYTX. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ "Hall announces re-election bid for State Senator". Wills Point Chronicle. July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ "Senator Robert Nichols won't seek another term". Palestineherald.com. June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ TrentAshby.com (June 24, 2025). "Ashby announces candidacy for Texas Senate". The Lufkin Daily News. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ Keemahill, Dan; Huff, Jess (February 20, 2026). "$2M donation to Texas Senate candidate raises eyebrows". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ Item, Special to The (June 10, 2025). "Dr. Charles Schwertner Announces for Re-Election to Texas Senate District 5". Itemonline.com. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ Downey, Renzo (July 12, 2024). "Texas Sens. Charles Schwertner, Borris Miles silent after new accusations of sexual harassment in report". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ Schneid, Rebecca (July 18, 2023). "Texas Sen. Charles Schwertner's DWI charge dropped in Travis County". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ American-Statesman Editorial Board (February 8, 2026). "Hernandez offers a needed change in Senate District 5 | Endorsement". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ Jankowski, Philip (February 1, 2026). "Democrat Taylor Rehmet shocks in upset win for conservative Tarrant County Senate seat". Dallas News. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
- ^ Fink, Jack (February 2, 2026). "Republicans say they'll win back Tarrant County state Senate seat after surprising upset; Democrats predict a blue wave in November". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ Scherer, Jasper (May 8, 2025). "State Rep. Dennis Paul announces bid for Texas Senate with backing from Dan Patrick". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ Cuviello, Michael (August 21, 2025). "Texas Senator Kevin Sparks launches reelection bid with Trump endorsement". Amarillo Globe News. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Warren, Thomas (November 13, 2025). "AC Regent Betancourt Announces Texas Senate Bid". The Amarillo Pioneer. Retrieved December 9, 2025.