With millions of ballots now counted, Texans have a clearer picture of how the state\u2019s November contests for statewide office are shaping up.<\/p>\n
From the governorship to the U.S. Senate contest to race to be agriculture commissioner, here\u2019s your handy guide to who\u2019s won their party\u2019s nomination \u2014 and who will be heading to a runoff in May.<\/p>\n
Texas\u2019 U.S. Senate Seat<\/p>\n
These Democratic and Republican primaries were the most watched races in Texas. That was partly due to the big names on the ballot, but also because of the slim majority Republicans hold in the U.S. Senate. <\/p>\n
On the Democratic side, the race was called for James Talarico just before 2 a.m. Wednesday morning. As votes were tallied Tuesday night, the Austin-area Texas House member held a slim but consistent lead<\/a> over Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.<\/p>\n On the Republican side, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn built an early lead<\/a> against his primary challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. But Houston Congressman Wesley Hunt also drew around 13% of the Republican primary vote. To win a party\u2019s nomination outright in Texas, a candidate must draw more than 50%<\/a> of the vote. <\/p>\n All that means Cornyn and Paxton are heading to a runoff<\/a> in May. Texas\u2019 runoff elections will be held on May 26, with early voting taking place May 18 to 22.<\/p>\n Governor<\/p>\n While Gov. Greg Abbott <\/a>technically had challengers in the Republican primary, his easy win was a foregone conclusion. In the general election, the governor will be running for a record fourth term against State Rep. Gina Hinojosa<\/a>, an Austin Democrat.<\/p>\n If Abbott wins in 2026 and finishes out his term, he\u2019d become the Lone Star State\u2019s longest serving governor.<\/p>\n Hinojosa has a tough job ahead of her if she hopes to take down one of the most powerful governors in the nation. Abbott has more than $100 million<\/a> in his campaign war chest \u2014 though so far, he\u2019s mostly used those funds to help other Texas Republicans<\/a> by running attack ads on the candidates they\u2019re facing.<\/p>\n Deborah Cannon and Joe Ferrara<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n KUT News<\/p>\n Governor Greg Abbott, the incumbent Republican, will face off against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa in November. <\/p>\n Lieutenant Governor<\/p>\n In Texas, the lieutenant governor is often called the most powerful<\/a> political leader in the state. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sailed through his Republican primary for lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n Patrick\u2019s challenger in November is still up in the air. The Democratic race<\/a> is headed to a runoff in May between state Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin, who secured about 48% of the vote, and labor organizer Marcos Velez, who drew about 31%.<\/p>\n Like Abbott, Patrick has a large amount of cash on hand \u2014 $38 million \u2014 and has not yet had to directly attack any of his opponents.<\/p>\n Attorney General<\/p>\n Races for both the Republican and Democratic nominations to replace Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are headed for a runoff<\/a>.<\/p>\n State Sen. Mayes Middleton and U.S. Rep Chip Roy are the top two candidates in the GOP primary, while state Sen. Nathan Johnson and Joe Jaworski, a Galveston attorney, will face off on the Democratic side.<\/p>\n The attorney general serves as the state\u2019s top lawyer, representing Texas in court, defending state laws and issuing legal opinions that guide state agencies and local governments.<\/p>\n And because these races were so crowded<\/a>, it had been expected that neither party\u2019s primary would produce an outright winner Tuesday night.<\/p>\n Comptroller of Public Accounts<\/p>\n Former state Sen. Don Huffines won the Republican nomination for Texas comptroller of public accounts, defeating acting comptroller and former state Sen. Kelly Hancock, along with railroad commissioner Christi Craddick. Democrat Sarah Eckhardt, a state senator from Austin, also secured her party\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n The comptroller oversees the state\u2019s finances \u2014 collecting taxes, estimating how much money the state will have available to spend and managing billions of dollars in public funds.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772702193_618_.jpeg\"\/)
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