Latest 2026 Election Chatter

Big shifts, small races, and the fight for the future.

Today, in the Texas Progressive Caucus’ Quarterly meeting, Chair Clayton Tucker stepped down and announced his run for Texas Agricultural Commissioner. This is really exciting for Texas. The Ag Commissioner’s office oversees everything from school lunches to pesticide regulations to the feeding of our people. For years, it’s been run by all-hat, no-cattle, orange-man-butt-kissing Sid Miller, who has never met a polluter, corporate donor, or carcinogenic food additive he didn’t like.

Texas needs someone in this office who fights for family farms, clean water, and fair food prices. Tucker is running to take on the monopolies that are gutting our rural communities, contaminating our soil with PFAS, and jacking up prices at the grocery store while family farmers go bankrupt. Check out his website.

The Progressive Caucus will hold a special election next month to elect a new chair.

This quarter’s meeting was pretty exciting, as several candidates were either announcing or introducing their runs for Congress or the Legislature. I don’t have websites for all of them yet, but I’m working on a list of who’s running, and I’ll try to have it up later this week and keep it regularly updated throughout the election.

Senator Kelly Hancock appointed Comptroller.

If you missed it, on Wednesday, Hancock resigned from the Texas Senate and was promptly sworn in as acting Comptroller. On Thursday, he launched his official 2026 campaign for Comptroller with Abbott’s endorsement.

This is interesting for a few reasons. Hancock was one of the only two Republicans who did not vote to acquit Ken Paxton. For the most part, Abbott stayed out of Paxton’s feuds with his fellow Republicans. However, there’s been a lot of speculation that Hancock could not win another Republican primary because of that vote, not in Tarrant County, anyway, where the local GOP is rabid.

Politically speaking, it appears that Greg Abbott has thrown Kelly Hancock a career lifeline. With Paxton out of state government, we may want to see if Abbott’s relationships with Paxton’s enemies get closer. It wouldn’t be out of principle, it would be out of strategy.

Other Republicans running for Comptroller in 2026 include ex-Senator, QAnon-extremist Don Huffines, and Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick.

On that same note, it’s widely rumored that Nate Schatzline (R-HD93) plans to announce a run for Hancock’s Senate seat (SD09).

Y’all. Tarrant County Democrats cannot let Schaztline’s career ascend any further. The guy is a Christian nationalist, culture wars-bro with a persecution complex and zero grasp of governance.

It was casually mentioned to me that there may be a Democratic candidate for SD09, but I don’t have a name yet. I’ll keep y’all posted.

We’re also going to need a solid Dem running for Schatzline’s seat in HD93. Because:

1. Judge Tim O’Hare has lit a fire in Tarrant County Democrats, and this seat can be flipped with a 73+% turnout.

2. Two Republicans have already filed for this seat. Think it can’t get worse than Schatzline? It can.

A lot of Republican House members are announcing their re-election campaigns, and Democrats have been a little quieter.

That really doesn’t mean anything. It’s only June. My takeaway is that there are more Democrats considering higher office. And I have heard about various Democrats contemplating this seat or that, except for the Land Commissioner. I haven’t heard about the Land Commissioner yet, but I’m keeping a lookout.

Here are the Republicans who have announced (or filed paperwork) re-election campaigns for the Texas House (so far):

• Trent Ashby (R-HD09)

• Trey Wharton (R-HD12)

• Angelia Orr (R-HD13)

• Paul Dyson (R-HD14)

• Greg Bonnen (R-HD24)

• Jeff Berry (R-HD29)

• Denise Villalobos (R-HD34)

• Wes Virdell (R-HD53)

• Hillary Hickland (R-HD55)

• Mike Olcott (R-HD60)

• Don McLaughlin (R-HD80)

• David Lowe (R-HD91)

• John McQueeny (R-HD97)

• Giovanni Capriglionni (R-HD98)

• Charlie Geren (R-HD99)

• John Lujan (R-HD118)

• Marc Lahood (R-HD121)

• Valoree Swanson (R-HD150)

Here are the Democrats who have announced (or filed paperwork) re-election campaigns for the Texas House (so far):

• Armando Martinez (D-HD39)

• Eddie Morales JR (D-HD74)

• Trey Martinez-Fischer (D-HD116)

• John Bucy III (D-HD136)

A few things should be noted.

1. Steve Toth (R-HD15) announced he won’t be seeking re-election to the Texas House, but is expected to make a “big announcement” on July 8th. The word from Republican insiders is that Toth will launch a primary campaign against Dan Crenshaw (R-TX02). My only response to that: lol.

2. Dennis Paul (R-HD129) is not seeking re-election for his House seat, because he’s going to be running for the SD11 in the Texas Senate, which Mayes Middleton is leaving to pursue the AG’s race.

The Texas Senate is a little more predictable.

Here are the Republicans who have announced (or filed paperwork) re-election campaigns for the Texas Senate (so far):

• Bryan Hughes (R-SD01)

• Bob Hall (R-SD02)

• Charles Schwertner (R-SD05)

• Pete Flores (R-SD24)

• Charles Perry (R-SD28)

Here are the Democrats who have announced (or filed paperwork) re-election campaigns for the Texas Senate (so far):

• Roland Gutierrez (D-SD19)

• Judith Zaffirini (D-SD21)

• José Menéndez (D-SD26)

Several rumors are circulating about various state senators regarding whether they’re running for higher office. It’s too early to say if those will pan out or not. Remember, in Texas, candidates have until December to make up their minds, find a treasurer, and file the necessary paperwork to get on the ballot. So, right now, everything is fluid.

That’s the lay of the land… for now.

Things are shifting fast, and if you blink, someone new’s either dropping out, jumping in, or suddenly becoming Acting Comptroller. I'll keep tracking announcements, filings, and rumors as they roll in, and I’ll have a list posted soon so that we can stay organized and a step ahead.

Every seat matters. Every race shapes the narrative. And every time we show up, we remind them that this state belongs to us too.

More soon.

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