Texans will elect a swath of executive statewide officials this November. While some offices enjoy less notoriety than others, all are critical to the state’s operations.
The Texas Legislature is the only lawmaking force in the state, but executive state agencies have considerable discretion to interpret statutes and make and implement rules accordingly.
While the governor’s race and the U.S. Senate race have dominated much of Texas’ political conversation, voters will also see more obscure offices on their ballots, along with the candidates contending for them.
No Democrat has won a statewide position in Texas since 1994, a precedent that state and national Democrats are hoping will change this year if state Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) can help fellow Democrats down the ballot.
Early voting began on Monday, October 19 and ends on Friday, October 30. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Governor
The Texas governor oversees a wide range of state priorities and duties. The governor signs or vetoes bills passed by the Legislature, convenes special or emergency sessions of the Legislature, and serves as commander-in-chief of the Texas National Guard. The governor is the state’s chief executive officer, and the office is up for election every four years.
The plural nature of Texas’ executive branch limits the governor’s power.
The office’s additional duties include granting pardons, declaring special elections when a seat becomes vacant, and appointing individuals as state officials or to “a wide range of advisory bodies and task forces that assist him with specific issues.”
There is no term limit on the position.
Gov. Greg Abbott has served as Texas’ chief executive since 2015 after a two-term tenure as the state’s attorney general. Abbott is Texas’ 48th governor and the longest-serving current governor in the U.S. He is currently running against state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) for re-election this November.
The two have gone back and forth on state issues including support for law enforcement, property taxes, and data center development.
Lieutenant Governor
Texas’ lieutenant governor holds the second-highest executive office in the state and presides over the Texas Senate. The lieutenant governor co-chairs the Legislative Budget Board, an entity that adopts spending limits, reviews existing programs and operations, and provides the legislature with fiscal analyses of proposed legislation.
Significantly, the office also controls the legislative agenda in the upper chamber, deciding which bills proceed to hearings and which die before a vote. The position also wields the power to cast a tie-breaking vote. The lieutenant governor appoints the chairs, vice chairs, and committee members of the Senate and decides which Senate members oversee legislative priorities, from Business and Commerce, to Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs, to Education.
Worthy of note is that the lieutenant governor’s power does not come from the Texas Constitution or statute, but rather by the Senate rules that the senators adopt at the beginning of every new legislature.
The power held by the lieutenant governor in Texas is unique compared to many other states in the U.S., where the role tends to be largely nominal. The lieutenant governor also serves as the governor’s backup if the governor is unable to perform his or her duties.
Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is running against state Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin) for the position this November. Patrick was elected to the office in 2015, and last year’s Senate priority bills included provisions for school choice, “Banning THC in Texas,” and “Placing the Ten Commandments in Schools.”
Attorney General
Texas’ attorney general is the state’s head legal officer, representing the state in litigation, issuing legal opinions upon the request of the governor and other authorized requestors, and “defend[ing] challenges to state laws and suits.” They represent state agencies in court and manage the state’s Child Support Division, and also aim to protect consumers from scams and compensate crime victims.
Among the office’s 2026 lawsuits are a suit against a Houston-area “birth tourism” center, a suit against the social media platform Snapchat over youth safety concerns, and a suit over illegal practices at a hazardous waste operation in Sweetwater. The lawsuit laundry list is extensive, but primarily concerns consumer protections.
The attorney general’s constitutional authority is “broad but briefly stated” in the Texas Constitution, according to the Texas State Historical Association, and the Legislature and courts can strengthen the office’s power. The office’s legal advisory function provides officials with guidance on their duties.
Incumbent Ken Paxton has been in office since 2015, but his entry into the U.S. Senate race leaves state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) to face state Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) for the office this November.
Comptroller
Created in 1835, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is the state’s chief financial officer: the tax collector, accountant, cashier, revenue estimator, treasurer, and more. The state government is a multi-billion-dollar business, and the comptroller’s office keeps the books for this massive venture.
The position determines how much money the state can spend by producing the Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) every two years for the Texas Legislature. This estimate is determined by “monitoring economic trends” and “gauging the impacts of previous legislation.”
The comptroller’s BRE must certify that whatever budget the state Legislature passes remains within limits.
The office also manages the newly-created Texas Education Freedom Accounts school choice program, which will likely be affected by November’s election.
Former Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock resigned the day the accounts were rolled out in the state, and former state Sen. Don Huffines, the Republican candidate for the office, was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott as the new comptroller. Huffines will face off against state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) in November.
Land Commissioner
The land commissioner is the elected head of the state’s General Land Office (GLO). The GLO stewards state lands, oversees veteran programs and disaster-relief response, and generates revenue for public education.
The GLO manages Texas’ 13 million acres of state land and over 3,400 miles of coastline and decides how the land is used to generate revenue for the state. State land is often leased to companies for agricultural and industrial purposes, as well as for oil and natural gas exploration, through which the state collects royalties on extracted fossil fuels.
The Texas Veterans Board makes land tracts available for bidding by veterans living in the state and offers loans to Texas veterans seeking housing.
Acting Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, a Republican in office since 2022, faces Democrat Ben Flores to keep her position in November’s election.
Agriculture Commissioner
The agriculture commissioner leads the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), which oversees crop and livestock production and protects against diseases and pests such as the New World screwworm.
The TDA also oversees consumer protections and regulations, administers federal childhood nutrition programs, and helps rural healthcare providers.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has served since 2015, but will complete his term this year after a contentious Republican primary against Nate Sheets in March. Sheets, the GOP nominee, is currently running against Democrat Clayton Tucker.
Recently, Miller issued a statement on behalf of the state’s agricultural interests, calling for a moratorium on data center builds in the state while further studies on water and electricity use by these massive tech mammoths are performed. Miller made waves when he posted an editorial this month urging voters not to vote for fellow Republican Sheets, referencing his quieter position on the data center boom.
Both candidates have openly criticized the presence of data centers in the state, with Tucker drawing a sharper focus on the issue than his opponent.
While the TDA has no regulatory authority over data center zoning and operations in the state, candidates’ concerns center on resource competition: water and viable Texas farmland.
Railroad Commissioner
The Texas railroad commissioners oversee the Railroad Commission’s (RRC) jurisdiction over the oil and gas industry and related industries, rather than rail lines in the state. This regulatory body oversees the state’s energy industries, and it officially gave up its railroad authority to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2005.
The three-person RRC exercises its authority through rulemaking, setting regulations, issuing permits, conducting inspections, and enforcing compliance. The commission also oversees mining and pipeline infrastructure, though its primary responsibility is Texas’ multi-billion-dollar energy industry, the leader in the nation.
While boasting the state’s powerhouse status, the RRC has three elected commissioners who serve six-year, staggered terms. The current commissioners include Chair Christi Craddick, Wayne Christian, and the outgoing Jim Wright.
This year’s primary saw former Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French narrowly defeat Wright for the Republican nomination. French will face Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston) for the commissioner’s seat.