Here’s a clear rundown of what elections are coming up in Texas in 2026, plus the key dates and races to watch.

Big picture: What elections are coming up in Texas 2026?

In 2026, Texas voters are scheduled to vote on:

  • Statewide federal races:
    • U.S. Senate (one Texas seat)
    • All Texas U.S. House (Congress) seats
  • Statewide state races:
    • Governor
    • Other statewide executive offices (like Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, etc., depending on the ballot setup for 2026)
  • State Legislature:
    • Texas House seats and, in the normal cycle, a portion of Texas Senate seats
  • Local races:
    • Various county offices (e.g., sheriff, county judge, commissioners)
    • Some city, school board, and special district elections, depending on your county and city

All of this sits on top of the regular primary and general election calendar for Texas.

Key statewide contests in 2026

1. U.S. Senate (Texas)

  • Texas has a regularly scheduled U.S. Senate election in 2026 for the seat currently held by Republican Senator John Cornyn, who was last elected in 2020 and is up again in 2026.
  • The general election is set for November 3, 2026, with party primaries in March and possible primary runoffs in May if no candidate gets more than 50%.

This race is already being framed as a major statewide fight, with a competitive Republican primary and serious Democratic interest because Texas statewide races have been slowly tightening.

2. Texas Governor

  • Texas is scheduled to hold its next gubernatorial election on November 3, 2026.
  • Governor Greg Abbott has publicly stated he intends to run for an unprecedented fourth term, which would make him the longest-serving governor if he completes it.

Several Democrats and Republicans are lining up or being mentioned as candidates, which means this will be one of the headline races on every Texas ballot in 2026.

Federal races: U.S. House in Texas

  • All of Texas’ 38 U.S. House seats are up for election in 2026.
  • These elections will also be held on November 3, 2026, with primaries on March 3, 2026 and runoffs on May 26 where needed.
  • New congressional maps passed in 2025 will be in effect for these elections, altering the districts of several Democratic incumbents such as Marc Veasey, Vicente Gonzalez, Lloyd Doggett, Julie Johnson, and Al Green.

This means that even if you’re not focused on the governor or Senate race, your U.S. House district will almost certainly be on the ballot.

Important dates for Texas elections in 2026

Texas runs on a fairly predictable election calendar:

  • Primary Election Day : March 3, 2026 (party primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, other statewide offices, state legislature, and many local partisan offices).
  • Primary Runoff Election Day : May 26, 2026 (if no candidate in a primary gets over 50%).
  • General Election Day : November 3, 2026 (all the major races are decided then).

The Texas Secretary of State’s “Important Election Dates” page maintains the official list of 2025–2026 election dates, including registration deadlines and early voting periods.

Other statewide and local races to expect

Beyond the marquee races, your 2026 Texas ballot is likely to include:

  • Other statewide executive offices (depending on the term structure and which offices are on the 2026 cycle in Texas):
    • Lieutenant Governor
    • Attorney General
    • Comptroller
    • Land Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, etc.
  • Texas Legislature :
    • All 150 Texas House seats are generally on the ballot in even-numbered years.
    • A portion of Texas Senate seats (the state Senate uses staggered terms, so not all are up every cycle).
  • Judicial races :
    • Some statewide judicial seats (Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals) and regional courts of appeals.
  • County and local offices :
    • County judge, sheriff, commissioners, and other county posts, depending on staggered terms.
    • In some areas, city council, mayor, school board, and special district boards will also have 2026 contests.

The exact local races depend on where in Texas you live, so checking your county elections office or local sample ballot closer to March and November will give the most precise picture.

Quick HTML-style table: Major Texas 2026 elections

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Election</th>
      <th>Office/Scope</th>
      <th>Primary Date</th>
      <th>Runoff Date (if needed)</th>
      <th>General Election Date</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>U.S. Senate (Texas)</td>
      <td>1 Senate seat (statewide)</td>
      <td>March 3, 2026</td>
      <td>May 26, 2026</td>
      <td>November 3, 2026</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>U.S. House (Texas)</td>
      <td>All 38 congressional districts</td>
      <td>March 3, 2026</td>
      <td>May 26, 2026</td>
      <td>November 3, 2026</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Governor</td>
      <td>Statewide executive</td>
      <td>March 3, 2026</td>
      <td>May 26, 2026</td>
      <td>November 3, 2026</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Other statewide offices</td>
      <td>Lieutenant Governor, AG, etc. (cycle-dependent)</td>
      <td>March 3, 2026</td>
      <td>May 26, 2026</td>
      <td>November 3, 2026</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Texas Legislature</td>
      <td>Texas House (all) and some Senate seats</td>
      <td>March 3, 2026</td>
      <td>May 26, 2026</td>
      <td>November 3, 2026</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Local races</td>
      <td>County, city, school board, special districts</td>
      <td>Varies (often March for partisan, May or November for nonpartisan)</td>
      <td>Varies</td>
      <td>Varies (often May or November 3, 2026)</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Forum-style “Quick Scoop” angle and trending context

If you picture a forum thread titled “what elections are coming up in texas 2026,” most replies right now would cluster around a few big talking points:

  • The governor’s race and whether a fourth Abbott term will fire up opposition or fatigue voters.
  • The U.S. Senate primary fight on the Republican side, especially if John Cornyn continues to face strong challenges from more hardline conservatives, and whether Democrats can exploit that.
  • The new congressional map and what it means for several Democratic-held districts that were reconfigured in 2025.
  • The sense that 2026 might be a “direction of Texas” election , with debates over immigration, energy, property taxes, abortion laws, and public education framing a lot of the statewide races.

A typical forum comment might look like:

“If you live in Texas, 2026 is gonna be a monster ballot. Gov race, Cornyn’s seat, new House maps… you’ll probably have multiple big-name matchups on your ballot. Double-check your precinct and don’t wait until October to figure out who’s running.”

How to find your exact 2026 ballot

As we get closer to each election date, you’ll be able to:

  1. Go to the Texas Secretary of State elections page to see statewide information and calendars.
  1. Use your county elections office website (or local newspaper guides) to see which county, city, and school district races you personally vote on.
  2. Look up sample ballots and voter guides (like those maintained by The Texas Tribune) for a user-friendly view of all candidates and propositions in March and November.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.