Midterm elections in Texas are on Nov. 3. Here are all the candidates on the general election ballot, according to the Secretary of State.
Statewide seats, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner and comptroller are on the ballot. Voters will also elect officials for congressional and legislative offices, the State Board of Education and judicial seats.
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5. In-person early voting runs from Oct. 19 to 30.
Below are all of the Democrats, Republicans and third-party candidates on November’s ballot.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name in this guide. Elections in Texas are run by its 254 counties, and each county determines the order of candidates on the ballots there. To see each county’s ballot order, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s site.
You’ll also see county and local elections on your ballot. Sample ballots for specific counties can be found through this list of county websites maintained by the Texas Secretary of State. In September, we’ll update this page to include local ballots for Texans living in the 50 most populous counties.
Governor
Four-year term
The governor is the chief executive of Texas, signing or vetoing bills from the Legislature and prioritizing emergency items for state lawmakers. The governor also leads the state’s military in emergencies and makes about 1,500 state appointments during a four-year term. Gov. Greg Abbott is running for a fourth term in office. Texas hasn’t had a Democrat as governor since 1995.
Attorney General
Four-year term
The attorney general is Texas’ top lawyer, representing the state primarily in civil litigation. Paxton, who has served as attorney general for more than a decade, is running for U.S. Senate. Texas Sen. Mayes Middleton won the GOP nomination in the May primary runoff, defeating U.S. Rep. Chip Roy.
Lieutenant Governor
Four-year term
The lieutenant governor is the second-highest executive in the state and presides over the Texas Senate. Incumbent Dan Patrick seeks his fourth term in office.
Comptroller
Four-year term
The comptroller is the state’s chief financial officer and treasurer, in charge of collecting taxes and forecasting how much money is available to state lawmakers when they create the state’s two-year budget. The comptroller’s office is also responsible for managing the state’s school voucher program, which allocates taxpayer money to families to cover their children’s private or home-schooling costs. Then-Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock resigned from his seat after losing the Republican primary to former state Sen. Don Huffines. Abbott appointed Huffines as comptroller in July to serve the rest of the term.
Land Commissioner
Four-year term
The land commissioner is in charge of the General Land Office, an agency that manages 13 million acres of state land, administers federal allocations of disaster relief and flood mitigation funds, contributes to public school funding and has administrative control over the Alamo. Incumbent Dawn Buckingham is running for a second term.
Agriculture Commissioner
Four-year term
The agriculture commissioner leads a department that advocates for farmers, regulates the farming industry and administers school nutrition programs. Nate Sheets won the Republican nomination in March, defeating three-term incumbent Sid Miller.
Disclosure: The Texas secretary of state, Cathy Broadrick, Kristen Hawkins, Laura Jones, Merrie Fox, Shelby & Brooks Landgraf, Terry Canales and Todd Hunter have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.
Illustrations by Alfredo Palacios.
