Winners, losers and runoffs: How Texans’ November ballot is shaping up after the primaries

From The Texas Newsroom:

Texans cast ballots Tuesday in a slate of primary elections that’ll help shape the state’s top leadership for years.

Early voting numbers suggest strong participation across Texas. Nearly 2.6 million people cast ballots during the early voting period, according to state election data. Those turnout numbers will continue to rise as counties finish reporting results.

Most primaries for statewide office in Texas have now been called. In others, returns so far can give voters a preview of what the contests could look like come November.

From the governorship to the U.S. Senate race to who’s running for agriculture commissioner, here’s your handy guide to who won — or is currently winning — their party’s primaries as of early Wednesday morning.

Texas’ U.S. Senate seat

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.

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 over Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

On the Republican side, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn built an early lead 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’s nomination outright in Texas, a candidate must draw more than 50% of the vote.

All that means Cornyn and Paxton are heading to a runoff in May. Texas’ runoff elections will be held on May 26, with early voting taking place May 18 to 22.

Governor

While Gov. Greg Abbott 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, an Austin Democrat.

If Abbott wins in 2026 and finishes out his term, he’d become the Lone Star State’s longest serving governor.

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 in his campaign war chest — though so far, he’s mostly used those funds to help other Texas Republicans by running attack ads on the candidates they’re facing.

Lieutenant governor

In Texas, the lieutenant governor is often called the most powerful political leader in the state. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sailed through his Republican primary for lieutenant governor.

Patrick’s challenger in November is still up in the air. Currently, as of early Wednesday morning, state Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin is in the lead with about 49% of the vote while labor organizer Marcos Velez is drawing nearly 32% of the vote. That could lead to a Goodwin win or a Goodwin-Velez runoff in May.

Like Abbott, Patrick has a large amount of cash on hand — $38 million — and has not yet had to directly attack any of his opponents.

Attorney general

Races for both the Republican and Democratic nominations to replace Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appeared to be headed for a runoff by early Wednesday.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton and U.S. Rep Chip Roy were the top two candidates in the GOP primary, while state Sen. Nathan Johnson and Joe Jaworski, a Galveston attorney, were leading on the Democratic side.

The attorney general serves as the state’s top lawyer, representing Texas in court, defending state laws and issuing legal opinions that guide state agencies and local governments.

And because these races were so crowded, it had been expected that neither party’s primary would produce an outright winner Tuesday night.

Comptroller of Public Accounts

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’s nomination.

The comptroller oversees the state’s finances — collecting taxes, estimating how much money the state will have available to spend and managing billions of dollars in public funds.

But the race drew attention in the leadup to the primary, particularly on the Republican side, where several candidates leaned into culture war issues while campaigning for the traditionally finance-focused position.

The race has also highlighted visions among Republican leaders: President Donald Trump endorsed Huffines while Gov. Greg Abbott backed Hancock.

Land commissioner

Incumbent Republican Dawn Buckingham won her party’s nomination for Texas land commissioner after running unopposed in the GOP primary.

She’ll face off against Democrat Benjamin Flores, a cybersecurity consultant who won his party’s nomination with about 55% of the vote.

Whoever wins in November will oversee the General Land Office, which manages millions of acres of state-owned land. The agency also helps fund public schools through revenue generated from those lands and plays a key role in administering disaster recovery programs for communities after major storms and floods.

Commissioner of Agriculture

Republican Nate Sheets was leading the GOP nomination for Texas agriculture commissioner, ahead of incumbent Sid Miller in the Republican primary, as of early Wednesday morning. Democrat Clayton Tucker, a Central Texas rancher and founder of the Texas Progressive Caucus, secured his party’s nomination after running unopposed.

The agriculture commissioner oversees the Texas Department of Agriculture, which regulates the state’s agricultural industry, promotes Texas-grown products and administers programs related to school nutrition, rural economic development and consumer protection.

Marking another Republican divide, President Trump had backed Miller, while Gov. Abbott endorsed Sheets, a former senior adviser to the governor.

Railroad Commissioner

The crowded race for the Republican nomination for Texas railroad commissioner is headed for a runoff, as no candidate had secured more than 50% of the vote. Bo French, the former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, was leading with about 33% of the vote Wednesday morning, while incumbent Jim Wright had roughly 31%.

Democrat Jon Rosenthal, a Houston-area state lawmaker who ran unopposed, also secured his party’s nomination.

Despite its name, the Texas Railroad Commission doesn’t regulate railroads. Instead, the three-member commission oversees the state’s oil and gas industry, including drilling permits, pipeline safety and energy production.

Because Texas is the nation’s largest oil and gas producer, the commission plays a powerful role in shaping energy policy and regulating one of the state’s most important industries.

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