Texas State Room
Texas Senate — Texas
Articles, candidate report cards, office explainers & public accountability
Texas 2026 — and the Road Beyond
Election: November 3, 2026. Research checked: October 8, 2026.
Printed-ballot candidate names and party labels come from the Texas Secretary of State's August 28 final ballot certification. Declared write-in names come from the separate August 28 write-in certification; that certificate does not list party labels.
Texas Secretary of State election hub · Final ballot certification · Statewide sample ballot · Certified write-in list
The Texas Senate has 31 members. The 16 regular-cycle districts listed below are on the 2026 ballot. Senators write and vote on state laws and the budget, conduct oversight, and confirm many gubernatorial appointments.
Coverage in this directory: 16 contests and 31 candidate entries. Party abbreviations reproduce the certification: REP, DEM, LIB, GRE, and IND. Your residence determines which district appears on your ballot. District 22 also has a same-day special election for the unexpired term; the Secretary of State election hub lists that election separately.
CERTIFIED CANDIDATES BY DISTRICT
| District / office | Candidates and ballot status |
|---|---|
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 1 | Bryan Hughes (REP); Laticia Ambroz (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 2 | Bob Hall (REP); Keenen Colbert (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 3 | Bobby Tillman (DEM); Trent Ashby (REP) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 4 | Brett W. Ligon (REP); Ron C. Angeletti (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 5 | Charles Schwertner (REP); Paul Thomasson (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 9 | Leigh Wambsganss (REP); Taylor Rehmet (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 11 | Dennis Paul (REP); Shannon Dicely (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 13 | Borris L. Miles (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 18 | Erica Gillum (DEM); Lois W. Kolkhorst (REP) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 19 | Marcus Cardenas (REP); Roland Gutierrez (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 21 | Judith Zaffirini (DEM); Julie Dahlberg (REP) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 22 | Amy Martinez-Salas (DEM); David Cook (REP) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 24 | Joe Paz Herrera (DEM); Pete Flores (REP) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 26 | Jose Menendez (DEM); Julián Villarreal (GRE) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 28 | Charles Perry (REP); Riley Rodriquez (DEM) |
| STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 31 | John Betancourt (DEM); Kevin Sparks (REP) |
RESEARCH STATUS
No candidate score, endorsement, or winner prediction is assigned in this first pass. The state does not publish one uniform candidate-statement booklet comparable to California's statewide guide. Campaign links are candidate-controlled sources and are provided for inspection, not as independent verification. Portraits identify candidates; appearance is not evaluated.
The next research layer can compare public records, campaign finance, specific commitments, implementation authority, deadlines, and candidate responses using the same questions for everyone.
Candidate websites, portraits, finance records, and individual platform reviews remain a next research layer for these district contests. No missing website or portrait is a judgment about a candidate.