University of Texas students walk past election signs as campus becomes a polling place in the Texas Primary Election in the Union Building on campus, March 3, 2026. This primary election will determine Republican and Democratic candidates for positions up and down the ballot running in the midterm elections this November. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
The state’s primary runoff elections will be decided Tuesday, with Texas voters finalizing their Republican and Democratic nominees for several major midterm contests. The polls close at 7 p.m. CT.
U.S. Senate
Incumbent John Cornyn is seeking to fight off a GOP primary challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton. After months of indecision, President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton last Monday, after early voting had already started, calling him a “true MAGA warrior.” Still, Cornyn has a massive fundraising advantage and has spent millions on ads emphasizing the attorney general’s history of scandals. Paxton, meanwhile, is blasting Cornyn as out of touch with the party’s MAGA base.
Texas Attorney General
On the Republican side, state Sen. Mayes Middleton, who has branded himself “MAGA Mayes” in a barrage of television ads, is facing off against U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a leader of the House Freedom Caucus known for his hardline stances on immigration and government spending. State Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas, who just barely missed the 50% margin on primary election night, is facing off against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski for the Democratic nomination.
The office is one of the state’s most powerful, in charge of defending state agencies and laws. Attorney General Ken Paxton has used the post to advance the MAGA agenda by repeatedly suing the Biden administration and major companies over issues ranging from border security to vaccine policy.
Lieutenant Governor
Democrats Vikki Goodwin, an Austin-area state representative, and Marcos Vélez, a steelworker union leader from Houston, are competing to take on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in November. Patrick, a Houston-area Republican, is running for his fourth term. The powerful lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, setting the chamber’s legislative agenda and shaping committees.
Railroad Commissioner
Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright is headed to a runoff against GOP challenger Bo French. The powerful three-member commission oversees the state’s oil and gas industry. French, a polarizing character who’s faced backlash from fellow Republicans for his comments denigrating Jews and Muslims, owns an oil company in Midland. He gave up his role as chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party to run for the job. Wright, a South Texas cattle rancher, has been on the commission since 2021. The winner will face Democrat Jon Rosenthal, a state representative from Houston, in November.
Texas House District 49
Democrats are selecting a nominee to replace state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who is running for governor. Voters in her deep-blue Austin district will choose between labor organizer Montserrat Garibay, who came in first in the primary, and former Austin city council member Kathie Tovo.