The 2026 Texas Democratic Primaries: Part One

A first look at the statewide races that will shape Texas’ future.

I’m figuratively dying. The Secretary of State’s website is… slow… having technical difficulties… being run by Republicans. It was only today that it started showing Jasmine Crockett and Chip Roy, among other candidates who filed on Monday. There are some candidates who I know filed on Monday and are still not showing.

But I have searched low and high for candidates on the ballot, who made it and filed with the county before the Monday 6 pm deadline, and I’m about 97% sure I have everyone on the lists.

Check it out:

• Who Will Be On The 2026 State Ballot?

• Who Will Be On The 2026 Federal Ballot?

I reached out to the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) and asked whether they knew when the SOS website would be fixed. They said Friday. It is so exciting that we have so many competitive Democratic primaries here in Texas that I’m figuratively dying waiting to talk about some of these races. But since there are so many, this will be in a couple of parts, and since I’m 97% sure anyway, we’ll start with races I know 100% about first. 😁

I took all of the (Independent, Green, Libertarian) off. The SOS isn’t showing them, and they may or may not be on the ballot before the primary is over, so I didn’t want to add to the confusion since they won’t be on the ballot until November anyway.

Statewide races.

If you thought I was going to start with the most talked-about race in America, you’d be right. Only to say, there’s James Talarico, Jasmine Crockett, Dr. Ahmad Hassan, and Lelonda Reese (who doesn’t have a website).

The only other thing I’m going to say about that race for now is that there are a lot of people who don’t live in Texas who have opinions about Texas politics, and most of them are wrong.

The Governor’s race.

Now, I am going to talk about this and change my previous prediction based on the changed dynamics. There are now 11 Democrats running in the Democratic primary. I have previously endorsed ⭐Gina Hinojosa⭐, and I’m still expecting her to win the Democratic primary. Now, will we go to a runoff?

First of all, at least five of the candidates don’t even have a website yet. There are 81 days until the primary election. So, I don’t see them having enough time to get their name out there. While Hinojosa does have a little competition in the primary, it isn’t much. There’s Bobbly Cole, Andrew White, and Chris Bell.

• Former Congressman Chris Bell has been out of government and out of the spotlight for many years, and most primary voters have moved on. But not all.

• While there has been some rural enthusiasm for Bobby Cole, he has struggled to earn donations and gain a real foothold in urban areas.

• Now, personally, Andrew White doesn’t get me with his whole Republican-lite schtick. Could he get older, white, suburban primary voters? Maybe. And considering they’re a disproportionate share of Texas’ typical primary voter, that’s what worries me. Of course, because of the Senate race, we could be off what we typically see from Texas primary voters demographically, so it’s essential to keep that in mind.

In the long run, I think it’s still looking good for Gina Hinojosa to win the primary. But can she do it without a runoff? That’ll be a tough one.

Lt. Governor.

I expect Vikki Goodwin to win this primary race without a runoff. Also running in this race are Courtney Head and Marcos Velez. As most of y’all know and primary voters certainly know, Goodwin has been actively campaigning for many months across the state. The other two candidates have not yet built their platforms or raised any money.

Attorney General.

You already know about this race, because we’ve talked about this race a lot. And we’ll absolutely talk about it a lot more. There’s former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and current Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson. The latecomer is Tony Box. Box is a retired FBI agent and a former Assistant US Attorney. Since I have already had special podcast interviews with the other two candidates, I do intend to reach out to Box in the coming weeks.

This race is interesting, or it will be interesting. Jaworski is better known in South Texas, and Johnson is better known in North Texas. Both Johnson and Box are from Dallas, but we really don’t know anything about Box yet, or even if his campaign will make a splash. The general election is different, but in the primary, Johnson and Jaworski each have their own supporters and camps, and if it were just the two of them, I would imagine the race could be within 10 points. Of course, now, Box throws a wrench in all of that.

I’d even put money on Jaworski and Johnson winding up in a runoff.

Comptroller.

There’s Michael Lange, the former Democratic nominee for Land Commissioner, Savant Moore, a current Houston ISD trustee, and Sarah Eckhardt, current State Senator.

Now, Eckhardt was going to run for TX10, but at the last minute decided to switch races and run for Comptroller. Why did she choose to switch races? I’m not sure. I looked at her social media, and she posted a video last week about current Comptroller Kelly Hancock’s shady wheeling and dealing. A lot of her campaign material and website seem to focus on transparency and accountability.

Savant Moore shouldn’t be counted out, though. Moore has been traveling the state and meeting with various Democratic clubs, has a solid background in finances, and a strong reputation in Houston as someone who always shows up.

I’d hope someone hosts a Comptroller forum soon! (OMG, I’m such a nerd.)

Land Commissioner.

The current Land Commissioner is Dawn Buckingham. She runs around the state shouting, “Drill, baby, drill,” and handing out land to Trump for his so-called “prisons” as if it were hers to give. We have to vote her out next year. Mission critical.

Our choices are Benjamin Flores and Jose Loya.

Since we only have two Democratic candidates here, there won’t be a runoff. But don’t let the name fool you, this is a really important seat. The Land Commissioner manages state-owned land, oversees oil and gas leases, handles coastal management and disaster recovery, veterans programs, and has a massive influence on school funding.

In the near future, I plan on a complete breakdown of what this position does and how it’s one of the most powerful statewide offices. Stay tuned for that.

What’s next?

I’m still watching the STUPID SOS website, looking for candidates, and finding more websites and social media pages. The TDP said it will all be resolved tomorrow, but tune in tomorrow to talk about the SBOE and Texas Senate primary races. Yes, we have many.

I know you’re dying to know, “Did we get a Democratic challenger against the J6 State School Board member Julie Pickren?”

We got five!

Tune in tomorrow, because we still have a lot to talk about.

• Who Will Be On The 2026 State Ballot?

• Who Will Be On The 2026 Federal Ballot?

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

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