Texas voters went to the polls Tuesday to decide a series of primary runoff elections that determined the final nominees for this year’s November elections. Primary runoffs occur when no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the initial primary. Despite several statewide offices being on the ballot this year, and a high-profile U.S. Senate race in the Republican primary, the state reported low turnout statewide for the runoffs. 

U.S. Senate (Republican primary) 

The race between incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R) and current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has garnered nationwide attention. The race heated up considerably May 19 when President Donald Trump unexpectedly endorsed Paxton over Cornyn, despite pressure from Senate Republicans to back Cornyn instead. Cornyn, a veteran senator who has served Texas since 2002, was a favorite in the race to become Senate majority leader in 2025. Paxton, who many predicted to win even before the last-minute endorsement helped put him over the top, easily defeated Cornyn with almost 64% of the vote. Paxton will officially move on to take on Democrat State Rep. James Talarico (D–Austin) in November.  

Lieutenant governor (Democratic primary) 

On the Democratic side of the ballot, there was a March primary surprise when expected nominee Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D–Austin) was unable to avoid a runoff against Marcos Velez, a labor leader from Houston. In Tuesday’s runoff, Goodwin was able to do what she had been unable to do in March, beating Velez easily with 67.8% of the vote. 

Attorney general 

On the Republican side, current Texas Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston) faced off against current U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R). There was some criticism of Middleton’s lack of courtroom experience, while Roy is an experienced former prosecutor. Middleton focused his messaging not on the position of attorney general but on being more aligned with the Trump administration than his opponent. Ultimately, Middleton came out on top with 55% of the vote.  

On the Democratic side, current Texas Sen. Nathan Johnson (D– Dallas) faced off against former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski. This race was much quieter than that of their Republican counterparts, and Johnson captured 60% of the vote to easily win the nomination.  

This means the race in November will be between two current Texas state senators: Middleton and Johnson. 

State Board of Education 

Eight of 15 State Board of Education (SBOE) are up for reelection this year, with four being vacated by the current seatholder. There were two primary runoffs Tuesday, both for Democratic nominees.  

• SBOE 5: Democrat Allison Bush defeated Stephanie Bazan and will face Republican Mica Arellano in November for the right to replace outgoing member Rebecca Bell-Metereau, who chose not to seek reelection. 

• SBOE 7: This race has not yet been officially called, but if the results hold, Tiffany Perkinz, current owner of a tutoring business and former educator, will defeat Debra Ambroise and go on to face Republican member Julie Pickren in November. 

Texas Senate  

There was only one runoff in the Texas Senate, and it was for the Republican nomination against Democratic Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D–San Antonio). Marcus Cardenas defeated Robert Marks and will face Gutierrez in November. 

Texas House 

There are 150 seats in the Texas House, and all of them are up for reelection every two years. Most of these seats are decided in the primary due to the current gerrymandering of the House districts. This year, 24 House members have either retired or lost their seats, meaning there will be a large freshman class in the 2027 session. Four state representatives—Republicans Stan Kitzman (R–Bellville) and Cecil Bell (R–Magnolia) and Democrats Chris Turner (D–Dallas) and Hubert Vo (D–Houston)—were defeated in the primary and the primary runoff. There could still be more shakeups in November as midterm elections tend to favor the minority party at the federal level, which is also currently the minority party at the state level.  

Republican runoffs 

• House District (HD) 40: Celeste Cabrera-Huff defeated Nehemias Gomez for the opportunity to face incumbent Democrat Terry Canales (D–Edinburg), who has held the seat since 2013. Republicans will likely try to make a play for this seat following surprising Republican strength in the Rio Grande Valley in the 2024 presidential race. 

• HD 41: Gary Groves defeated Sergio Sanchez for the opportunity to run in the general election for the empty seat left vacant by retiring Rep. Bobby Guerra (D–Edinburg). This seat will also be a likely Republican target in November. Groves will now face Democrat Julio Salinas, who also won his runoff last night.  

• HD 126: Former Harris County District Clerk Stan Stanart defeated Kelly Peterson to become the Republican nominee to replace retiring Rep. Sam Harless (R–Houston). He will face Democrat Stefanie Bord in November. 

Democratic runoffs 

• HD 37: Oziel “Ozzy” Ochoa Jr., an educator, defeated Esmaralda “Esmi” Cantu-Castle for the opportunity to face incumbent Rep. Janie Lopez (R–San Benito) in a race that is expected to be one of the prime targets for Democrats in November. 

• HD 41: Julio Salinas defeated Seby Heddad to become the Democratic nominee to replace retiring Rep. Bobby Guerra. He will now face Republican Gary Groves in a matchup that is expected to be competitive.  

• HD 49: This seat was vacated by Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D–Austin), who is running for governor. Labor leader Montserrat Garibay defeated former Austin City Council member Kathie Tovo and is now the representative-elect as there is no Republican candidate running for this seat in November. 

• HD 97: Beth McLaughlin, a retired educator, defeated Diane Symons for the right to face incumbent Rep. John McQueeney (R–Fort Worth) in November. 

• HD 100: Incumbent Rep. Venton Jones (D–Dallas) easily defeated his runoff opponent Amanda Richardson. He will take on Republican Jordan Hoffnagle in November. 

• HD 125: This seat was left vacant by Rep. Ray Lopez (D–San Antonio), who decided not to run again. Democrat Adrian Reyna, a teacher, won his runoff Tuesday against Michelle Vela and will now face Rep. Rick Martinez (R–San Antonio) in the general election.   

• HD 131: Longtime Rep. Dr. Alma Allen (D–Houston) announced her retirement at the end of the regular session in May 2025 and openly endorsed her son, former SBOE member Lawrence Allen, for her seat. That move proved to be unpopular in her district, and current SBOE member Staci Childs beat Allen in the runoff. She will now take on Republican Scott Whitmarsh in November. 

• HD 149: In one of the few primary runoff surprises, longtime Rep. Hubert Vo (D–Houston) was defeated by Alief ISD School Board President Dr. Darlene Breaux. She will now go on to face Republican Dave Bennett in November. 

What’s next in the 2026 election cycle? 

Now that the candidates are set, it’s full steam ahead to the November general election. As stated above, traditionally midterm elections mean pickups for the minority party, which is the Democratic Party at both the state and federal levels. Teach the Vote will continue to monitor and report as we move closer to November.