2026 Texas gubernatorial election

Last updated

2026 Texas gubernatorial election
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Party Republican Democratic
Incumbent Governor

Greg Abbott
Republican



The 2026 Texas gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott is running for re-election to an unprecedented fourth term. [1] If Abbott were to be successful and finish out a fourth full term, he would become the state's longest-serving governor with 16 years on January 21, 2031, surpassing the 14 years of his predecessor, Rick Perry. He would also tie with former South Dakota governor Bill Janklow as the fifth longest-serving governor in United States history at 5,845 days served.

Contents

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

  • Greg Abbott, incumbent governor (2015–present) [1]
  • Pete Chambers, former Lieutenant Colonel in U.S. Army Special Forces [2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

  • Bobby Cole, rancher [3]
  • Ben Flores, Bay City councilor [4]
  • Nick Pappas, marine veteran [5]

Filed paperwork

  • Andrew White, entrepreneur, son of former Governor Mark White, and candidate for governor in 2018 [6]

Potential

Declined

Independents

Candidates

Declined

General election

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [13] Solid RSeptember 11, 2025
Inside Elections [14] Solid RAugust 28, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball [15] Safe RSeptember 4, 2025
Race to the WH [16] Likely RSeptember 16, 2025

See also

Notes

References

  1. 1 2 Watkins, Matthew (March 1, 2024). "Donald Trump says Greg Abbott is 'absolutely' on vice president short list". The Texas Tribune . Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  2. ↑ "From Greek Roots to the Texas Frontier: Pete Chambers Bold Run for Governor". Helleniscope. June 30, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  3. ↑ Bugenhagen, Faith (June 24, 2025). "East Texas farmer launches 2026 bid to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott". Chron.com . Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  4. ↑ Hardy, Michael (July 15, 2025). "Meet the Pig Farmer Who Wants to Be the Next Governor of Texas". Texas Monthly . Archived from the original on July 16, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ Democratic Women of Fannin County (August 21, 2025). "Texas gubernatorial candidate to address Fannin County Democrats". North Texas e-News. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  6. ↑ Adkison, Michael (September 16, 2025). "Andrew White, son of former Texas governor, indicates potential bid to challenge Abbott". Houston Public Media. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Solender, Andrew (April 10, 2025). "A growing wave of House members is grasping for higher office". Axios . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Wermund, Benjamin (September 18, 2025). "Why Texas Democrats aren't lining up to take on Greg Abbott in the midterms". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  9. ↑ Smith, Molly (September 12, 2025). "Sources: Ron Nirenberg weighing run for governor or county judge". San Antonio Express-News . Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ Washington, Zacharia (May 20, 2025). "Here are 5 key points from Beto O'Rourke's town hall in Garland". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved May 20, 2025. When a young kid asked O'Rourke at the rally in Garland 'if he was going to face Texas Gov. Greg Abbott again,"' his answer, in short, was 'we'll see on the decision to run down the road.'
  11. ↑ Jeffers, Gromer Jr. (April 7, 2025). "Texas Democrats are searching for 2026 candidates as they resist President Donald Trump". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ Jones, Cristela (November 18, 2024). "Matthew McConaughey says he won't be running for Texas governor". San Antonio Express-News . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  13. ↑ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections . Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
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