Texas 2026 midterm elections: Key races to watch, from U.S. Senate to governor and Congress

As early voting wraps up in Texas for the 2026 midterm elections, Texans will now have the opportunity to cast their ballot in person on Election Day, which is this upcoming Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Long lines, voting machine problems or other issues at the polls? CBS News Texas wants to hear from you, click here. 

Here are some of the biggest races on the ballot: 

U.S. Senate: Ken Paxton vs. James Talarico

The marquis statewide race has proven to be the showdown for U.S. Senate between Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. James Talarico. The campaigns and outside groups have spent more than a quarter-billion dollars on advertising in the race as Democrats hope to capitalize on an unpopular Republican president and a scandal-prone Republican nominee to flip the seat for the first time since 1961.

Most recent polls show Talarico narrowly leading Paxton, who unseated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary. The race will be key in deciding control of the Senate come January. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take the majority.

Texas governor: Greg Abbott vs. Gina Hinojosa

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, running for a fourth term, is facing his most competitive general election yet against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Abbott has won all seven of his previous statewide elections, the closest bring the 2022 gubernatorial race, which he won by 10.9 percentage points. While Abbott was considered a big favorite heading into in the election, recent polling shows a very tight race. The Texas Politics Project's October poll showed Hinojosa with a one-point lead. 

Non-partisan election experts like the Cook Political Report and the University of Virginia's Center for Politics have shifted their ratings of the race from "Solid/Safe Republican to "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican." A Democrat has not won the Texas governor's race since Ann Richards' reelection in 1990.

Texas lt. governor: Dan Patrick vs. Vikki Goodwin

Like Abbott, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is in a competitive race as he seeks a fourth term against Democratic state Rep. Vikki Goodwin. The sparse polling in the race showed Patrick with a narrow lead until the Texas Politics Project's October poll showed Goodwin with a 3-point lead.

The Texas lieutenant governor holds more power than those in most other states. As president of the state Senate, the lieutenant governor has the ability to influence what legislation reaches the floor. Patrick has used his influence to push state law farther to the right; last session he championed an ultimately unsuccessful ban on all THC products, and has stood in the way of legislation that would legalize some casino gambling in Texas. An upset by Goodwin could force more compromise in the Legislature and cause the state Senate to move towards the political middle.

Texas AG: Nathan Johnson vs. Mayes Middleton

The open race for Texas attorney general offers Democrats another chance to steer the state's politics toward the center with an upset victory. Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson and Republican state Sen. Mayes Middleton are squaring off to replace Paxton as the state government's influential top lawyer.

In his 12 years in the role, Paxton has used the office to wage high-profile legal fights against policies from the Obama and Biden administrations. Paxton also launched a last-ditch effort to help President Trump overturn his loss in the 2020 election. Recently, Paxton's office has been tasked with defending the state's law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school classrooms, among other culture war battles. Middleton would look to take up that mantle, vowing to back Mr. Trump's agenda as well as "put God back in government." Johnson has pledged to pull the AG's office away from culture war battles and focus more on law enforcement.

Texas comptroller: Don Huffines vs. Sarah Eckhardt

Texas Comptroller Don Huffines is running to earn a full four-year term as the state's chief financial officer. Abbott appointed him to the job in August after the departure of acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock (Huffines defeated Hancock in the Republican primary). Huffines has made an emphasis on rooting out fraud and waste in government spending, and often says he wants to "DOGE Texas", referring to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.

His opponent, state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, has made her opposition to taxpayer-funded private school vouchers central to her campaign. The comptroller's office oversees the program, known as Texas Education Freedom Accounts. Eckhardt says she will protect finding for public schools and audit what she calls "the voucher scheme."

Texas railroad commissioner: Bo French vs. Jon Rosenthal

The oft-overlooked race for a seat on the three-member Texas Railroad Commission exploded into the national spotlight in September after a social media post by Republican nominee Bo French garnered allegations of racism. The long-controversial French went viral for posting a picture that showed a group of students of South Asian descent cheering at a University of Texas at Austin football game with the caption, "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn't believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."

The post garnered backlash from across the political spectrum, including incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn. Prominent longtime Republican strategist Karl Rove announced he would support French's opponent Jon Rosenthal, marking his first vote for a Democrat in 30 years, calling French a "bigot."

U.S. House District 24: Beth Van Duyne vs. Kevin Burge

Republican U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne is heavily favored to win reelection for a fourth term in Congress. She faces Democratic candidate Kevin Burge, a military veteran. The 24th Congressional District was changed little in last year's redistricting, comprising the reliably Republican northwest corner of Tarrant County, as well as parts of northern and northeastern Dallas County.

U.S. House District 30: Frederick Haynes vs. Everett Jackson

Democratic nominee Frederick Haynes III is heavily favored to win the race in this solidly blue district with large Black and Hispanic populations. Haynes, the pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, faces Republican Everett Jackson, a small business owner and community activist. The winner will replace Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who opted to run for U.S. Senate. 

U.S. House District 32: Jace Yarborough vs. Dan Barrios

Republican Jace Yarborough is heavily favored to win the 32nd District over Democrat Dan Barrios. Texas Republicans targeted this seat in the 2025 redistricting to flip from blue to red. Previously comprising northern and eastern portions of Dallas County, the boundary was redrawn to stretch from North Dallas 100 miles into reliably Republican East Texas. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson was drawn out of the district, and she unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination in the new 33rd District.

U.S. House District 33: Colin Allred vs. Patrick Gillespie

Democrat Colin Allred is heavily favored to return to Congress two years after giving up his seat to run for U.S. Senate. Allred faces Republican Patrick Gillespie, a technical writer. In last year's redistricting, Texas Republicans drew two Democratic incumbents into this district: Johnson, who Allred defeated in a contentious primary, and Rep. Marc Veasey, who opted to run for Tarrant County Judge before dropping out.

South Texas House districts

Political observers are closely watching three U.S. House districts in South Texas, which will test the durability of the coalition that returned President Trump to the White House in 2024. As part of their goal to flip five seats from blue to red in last year's mid-decade redistricting, Texas Republicans adjusted the boundaries of three heavily Hispanic districts in South Texas to have majorities of Trump voters, giving the GOP an edge. Two of those districts, the 28th and 34th, have Democratic incumbents. They sandwich the 15th District, with a Republican incumbent. With Hispanic voters turning on the Trump presidency, the Cook Political Report rates the 34th as Lean Democratic, and both the 15th and 28th as toss-ups.

State Senate District 9 

A rare battleground race in the Texas Senate, the District 9 race pits incumbent Democratic state Sen. Taylor Rehmet against Republican Leigh Wambsganss. The race is a rematch of the special election to fill the seat, which happened on Jan. 31. In a major upset, Rehmet won 57% to 43%, the first time a Democrat won the seat since 1992. The result received national attention as an early indication of Democratic enthusiasm more than 10 months before Election Day. 

State House Districts 94, 108 and 112

Texas Democrats have their sights set on unseating two Republican incumbents representing suburban Dallas County in the state House of Representatives. According to The Texas Tribune, both the 108th and 112th districts are two of just 12 "hot," or highly competitive, state House races this year.

State Rep. Morgan Meyer is defending his seat in the 108th District, which encompasses the Park Cities and parts of North Dallas. Meyer, a six-term incumbent and the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, ran nearly 10 points ahead of President Trump in 2024, winning his seat by 10.2 percentage points. The Democratic nominee is Allison Mitchell, a small business owner and children's book author.

In the neighboring 112th District, state Rep. Angie Chen Button is seeking her tenth term in office. The district hugs the northern and eastern boundaries of Dallas County, stretching from Addison through Richardson into Garland and Sachse, and south through Rowlett and Sunnyvale. In 2024, Chen Button won her race by 8 percentage points, while President Trump won the district by 3.4 percentage points. The Democratic challenger is Zach Herbert, a Marine veteran and attorney.

Another highly competitive legislative race in North Texas is for the 94th District. The longtime Republican incumbent, state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, is running for a seat on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court. The district includes parts of eastern Tarrant County, including portions of Hurst and Arlington. The Republican nominee Cheryl Bean garnered controversy in her role as the chair of a charter school board after making racist and Islamophobic social media posts. The Democrat in the race is Katie O'Brien Duzan, a marketing executive.