Texas 2026 primary runoff election results
Presented by
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization dedicated to helping you navigate Texas policy and politics — including the 2026 midterms. Here are results from the May 26 primary runoff elections.
In March’s primary election, Texas voters chose nominees for a range of statewide, legislative and congressional seats. In 37 races, none of the candidates received a majority of the vote. In those contests, the two candidates with the most votes advanced to a runoff election.
What you should know:
- Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated longtime incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in Texas’ blockbuster GOP runoff. Paxton will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the general election.
- Cornyn’s defeat marks the end of a four-decade career in Texas politics during which the Republican Party has been transformed.
- State Sen. Mayes Middleton defeated U.S. Rep. Chip Roy for the Texas attorney general GOP nomination.
- Christian Menefee defeated longtime Houston U.S. Rep. Al Green in the Democratic runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District in Houston. Green’s loss means the Texas delegation is losing one of its most senior members.
- In another Houston seat, Alex Mealer won the GOP nomination, topping state Rep. Briscoe Cain.
- State Rep. Vikki Goodwin won the Democratic runoff for lieutenant governor.
How to read these results
If you share your address below, we’ll personalize the results for you by showing the races you get to vote in. (Don’t worry: We don’t store your information.)
Supported by
U.S. Senate
U.S. senators, along with U.S. representatives, are responsible for passing federal laws and an annual budget to fund the military and federal agencies. Senators also approve or reject treaties, heads of federal departments and federal judges, who have become increasingly important in deciding policy debates.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is seeking a fifth term and faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Read our Q&As with the Republican candidates for more information.
Attorney General
The attorney general is the top lawyer in Texas, representing or defending the state in mostly civil litigation. The attorney general can bring forward or participate in lawsuits against the federal government, corporations or others on behalf of the public, as Paxton, the outgoing incumbent, has done over policies ranging from immigration to abortion. The attorney general can also make legal interpretations and issue non-binding opinions on legal questions.
Paxton is forgoing reelection as attorney general because he is running for U.S. Senate. Read our Q&As with the Republican candidates for more information.
Read our Q&As with the Democratic candidates for more information.
Railroad Commissioner
In Texas, the Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas production, including drilling permits and waste disposal through underground wells. It was originally established to regulate railroad tariffs, but railroads are now overseen by a division of the Texas Department of Transportation. Members of the three-person board are elected statewide. Read our candidate guide for more information on the Republican primary.
Lieutenant Governor
The lieutenant governor, the second-highest executive in the state, presides over the Texas Senate and effectively controls the chamber’s agenda. That position gives the officeholder major influence over which bills make it to the governor’s desk, as well as the final shape of the state budget. Read our candidate guide for more information on the Democratic primary, which will decide who takes on incumbent Republican Dan Patrick in November.
U.S. House
Texas has 38 congressional seats, and all are up for election this year, with significant change coming to the delegation due to a large number of retirements, primary challenges and the move by GOP lawmakers to redraw the congressional map last summer. There are a total of seven open seats — six Republican and one Democratic – and several that went runoffs, including both parties in District 35, Democrats in District 18 and District 33, and Republicans in District 9.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s highest criminal court. In addition to hearing appeals from lower courts, the court hears all death penalty cases, as well as “habeas corpus” appeals from convicted felons who claim they were unlawfully punished or detained. The nine members are elected statewide and are currently all Republicans. Only three seats are up for election in 2026. Read our candidate guide for more information on the Republican primary for Place 3.
State Board of Education
There are 15 districts that make up the State Board of Education, which sets curriculum standards and approves instructional materials for Texas public schools. The board also works closely with the Commissioner of Education and Texas Education Agency to develop policies and approve new charter schools. Eight board seats are up for election this year, including six currently held by Republicans and two by Democrats. Of those seats, four incumbents are seeking reelection. Two Democratic district races went to runoffs.
Texas Senate
In the 31-member Texas Senate, only 16 seats are up for election in 2026. In addition to passing new laws and the state budget, the Texas Senate must confirm most appointments by the governor for boards and commissions.
Texas House
There are 150 members of the Texas House, the lower chamber of the Texas Legislature. The state Legislature meets every other year to pass a two-year state budget that funds public schools and state agencies, along with other measures like lowering property taxes. State lawmakers can also pass new laws that affect Texans across the state or address the needs of residents in their district.
What we’re seeing
Turnout in primary runoff elections has historically been low, especially during midterm years. Only 8.2% of registered Texas voters cast ballots in the 2022 primary runoffs, according to the Texas secretary of state.
Domestic mail-in ballots turned in and postmarked by election day are counted if received by the county by 5 p.m. on May 27. Mail-in ballots from military and overseas voters must be postmarked by election day and received by June 1. When races are close, mail-in voting can influence the results and extend the time it takes to call races. The certification of final election results will be completed and released by the Secretary of State on June 10.
The Texas Tribune’s election data is provided by The Associated Press, which gathers voting information from the secretary of state’s office, county election sites and stringers on the ground in Texas. The AP calls winners and provides estimates on how many votes are left to be counted.
About the data
Election results data provided by The Associated Press.
Candidate information from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, the Texas Democratic Party, the Republican Party of Texas and Texas Tribune research.
County shapes and city locations provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Road lines provided by Natural Earth.
Contributions by Alfredo Palacios.
Disclosure: The Texas secretary of state, Julie Johnson, Vikki Goodwin, Joe Jaworski and Beth Llewellyn McLaughlin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.