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<\/a> (D-Austin) can help fellow Democrats down the ballot.<\/p>\n Early voting began on Monday, October 19 and ends on Friday, October 30. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.<\/p>\n Governor<\/p>\n The Texas governor oversees a wide range of state priorities and duties<\/a>. 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\u2019s chief executive officer, and the office is up for election every four years.<\/p>\n The plural nature of Texas\u2019 executive branch limits the governor\u2019s power.<\/p>\n The office\u2019s additional duties include granting pardons, declaring special elections when a seat becomes vacant, and appointing individuals as state officials or to \u201ca wide range of advisory bodies and task forces that assist him with specific issues.\u201d<\/p>\n There is no term limit on the position.<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott has served as Texas\u2019 chief executive since 2015 after a two-term tenure as the state\u2019s attorney general. Abbott is Texas\u2019 48th governor and the longest-serving current governor in the U.S. He is currently running against<\/a> state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) for re-election this November.<\/p>\n The two have gone back and forth on state issues including support for law enforcement<\/a>, property taxes<\/a>, and data center<\/a> development.<\/p>\n Lieutenant Governor<\/p>\n Texas\u2019 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<\/a>, an entity that adopts spending limits, reviews existing programs and operations, and provides the legislature with fiscal analyses of proposed legislation.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, to Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs<\/a>, to Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n Worthy of note is that the lieutenant governor\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick<\/a> is running<\/a> against state Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin) for the position this November. Patrick was elected to the office in 2015, and last year\u2019s Senate priority bills included<\/a> provisions for school choice<\/a>, \u201cBanning THC in Texas<\/a>,\u201d and \u201cPlacing the Ten Commandments in Schools<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Attorney General<\/p>\n Texas\u2019 attorney general is the state\u2019s head legal officer<\/a>, representing the state in litigation, issuing legal opinions<\/a> upon the request of the governor and other authorized requestors, and \u201cdefend[ing] challenges to state laws and suits.\u201d They represent state agencies in court and manage the state’s Child Support Division<\/a>, and also aim to protect<\/a> consumers from scams and compensate<\/a> crime victims.<\/p>\n Among the office\u2019s 2026 lawsuits are a suit<\/a> against a Houston-area \u201cbirth tourism\u201d center, a suit<\/a> against the social media platform Snapchat over youth safety concerns, and a suit<\/a> over illegal practices at a hazardous waste operation in Sweetwater. The lawsuit laundry list<\/a> is extensive, but primarily concerns consumer protections.<\/p>\n The attorney general\u2019s constitutional authority is \u201cbroad but briefly stated<\/a>\u201d in the Texas Constitution, according to the Texas State Historical Association, and the Legislature and courts can strengthen the office\u2019s power. The office’s legal advisory function provides officials with guidance on their duties.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> state Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) for the office this November.<\/p>\n Created in 1835, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is the state’s chief financial officer:<\/a> the tax collector, accountant, cashier, revenue estimator, treasurer, and more. The state government is a multi-billion-dollar business, and the comptroller\u2019s office keeps the books for this massive venture.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cmonitoring economic trends\u201d and “gauging the impacts of previous legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n The comptroller\u2019s BRE must certify that whatever budget the state Legislature passes remains within limits.<\/p>\n The office also manages the newly-created Texas Education Freedom Accounts<\/a> school choice program, which will likely be affected by November’s election.<\/p>\n Former Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock<\/a> resigned the day the accounts were rolled out in the state, and former state Sen. Don Huffines<\/a>, 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<\/a> (D-Austin) in November.<\/p>\n Land Commissioner<\/p>\n The land commissioner is the elected head of the state\u2019s General Land Office<\/a> (GLO). The GLO stewards state lands, oversees veteran programs and disaster-relief response, and generates revenue for public education.<\/p>\n The GLO manages Texas\u2019 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.<\/p>\n The Texas Veterans Board<\/a> makes land tracts available for bidding by veterans living in the state and offers loans<\/a> to Texas veterans seeking housing.<\/p>\n Acting Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, a Republican in office since 2022, faces<\/a> Democrat Ben Flores to keep her position in November\u2019s election.<\/p>\n Agriculture Commissioner<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n The TDA also oversees<\/a> consumer protections and regulations, administers federal childhood nutrition programs, and helps rural healthcare providers.<\/p>\n Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has served since 2015, but will complete his term this year after a contentious<\/a> Republican primary against Nate Sheets in March. Sheets, the GOP nominee, is currently running against<\/a> Democrat Clayton Tucker.<\/p>\n Recently, Miller issued a statement<\/a> on behalf of the state\u2019s 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<\/a> this month urging voters not to vote for fellow Republican Sheets, referencing his quieter position on the data center boom.<\/p>\n Both candidates have openly criticized the presence of data centers in the state, with Tucker drawing<\/a> a sharper focus on the issue than his opponent.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Railroad Commissioner<\/p>\n The Texas railroad commissioners oversee the Railroad Commission\u2019s (RRC) jurisdiction over the oil and gas industry and related industries, rather than rail lines in the state. This regulatory body oversees the state\u2019s energy industries, and it officially gave up its railroad authority to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2005.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 multi-billion-dollar energy industry, the leader<\/a> in the nation.<\/p>\n While boasting the state\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\n <\/a>Comptroller<\/p>\n