Texas Holds Contentious and Costly March 2026 Primary Elections

Texas's March 2026 primaries proved to be the costliest in state history, forcing many high-profile races into May 26 runoffs. In the record-setting GOP Senate primary, which saw nearly $100M in ad buys, incumbent John Cornyn narrowly led challenger Ken Paxton. Donald Trump's endorsements saw mixed results, while several incumbents, including U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, were defeated.

March 2026 Texas primaries

• ▪The March 2026 Texas primary elections were highly contentious and costly, with many major races heading to a May 26 runoff
• ▪Many of the biggest primary battles will continue for 12 weeks ahead of the May 26 runoff

Record campaign spending

• ▪The 2026 Texas GOP Senate primary drew nearly $100 million in ad buys, which media tracking firm AdImpact said would on its own rank as one of the most expensive Senate primaries on record.
• ▪The March 2026 primary was the most expensive in Texas history, setting spending records for multiple offices
• ▪Over $71 million was spent on ad buys supporting Sen. John Cornyn's candidacy, a record for an incumbent in a primary race
• ▪Ken Paxton's campaign and a supportive super PAC benefited from less than $5 million in ad spending

Cornyn-Paxton Senate runoff

• ▪Ken Paxton had repeatedly suggested he could win the GOP Senate primary outright, which did not happen
• ▪Paxton stated he has won two previous statewide runoffs by more than 30 points
• ▪Cornyn finished narrowly ahead of Paxton in the primary, outperforming recent polls and expectations
• ▪Incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn is facing a May 26 runoff with Attorney General Ken Paxton
• ▪In the Democratic Senate primary, state Rep. James Talarico defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett for the nomination

Trump endorsement mixed results

• ▪Two Trump-backed state representatives, Cecil Bell and Stan Kitzman, lost their reelection bids by decisive margins
• ▪While most of Trump's endorsed candidates won, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was poised to lose his reelection bid
• ▪At least three Trump-endorsed congressional candidates, including U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, were headed to runoffs
• ▪Donald Trump endorsed over 130 candidates for various offices in Texas ahead of the primary

Incumbent election defeats

• ▪Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, in office since 2015, was ousted in favor of challenger Nate Sheets
• ▪In the comptroller race, acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock came in a distant second to Don Huffines, who won outright
• ▪U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a fourth-term congressman from Houston, lost his primary to state Rep. Steve Toth

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

• ▪TLR spent at least $2.2 million backing candidate Fred Tate in a Tarrant County open race, which he was losing
• ▪Political group Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) suffered a significant defeat in the Texas House primaries