The 2026 Democratic ticket

Candidates

Statewide Officials

James Talarico
U.S. Senate
Austin state rep, former teacher; capped insulin at $25, led the anti-voucher fight; record small-dollar fundraising.
Gina Hinojosa
Governor
Five-term Austin lawmaker and public-school mom; Abbott's chief foil on vouchers.
Vikki Goodwin
Lieutenant Governor
Fourth-term Austin rep who flipped HD-47; anti-voucher, pro-public-schools and housing.
Nathan Johnson
Attorney General
Dallas state senator; leading voice on Medicaid expansion and grid reform.
Sarah Eckhardt
Comptroller
Travis County senator and former County Judge; running as a watchdog over the state's $337B budget.
Benjamin Flores
Land Commissioner
Bay City councilman, 30-year cybersecurity career; storm protection and disaster recovery.
Clayton Tucker
Agriculture Commissioner
Lampasas rancher; busting food monopolies, protecting Texas water.
Jon Rosenthal
Railroad Commissioner
Oilfield engineer and four-term House member; good jobs, clean air and water.

Texas Supreme Court & Court of Criminal Appeals

Maggie Ellis
Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court
3rd Court of Appeals justice; first openly LGBTQ+ woman on a Texas appellate court.
Chari Kelly
Texas Supreme Court, Place 2
Former Army JAG paratrooper; 3rd Court of Appeals justice.
Kristen Hawkins
Texas Supreme Court, Place 7
Harris County civil district judge; 200+ trials, board-certified.
Gisela Triana
Texas Supreme Court, Place 8
24+ years on the bench at every level of the judiciary.
Okey Anyiam
Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
Dallas criminal defense attorney, licensed since 1997.
Audra Riley
Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4
Dallas criminal district judge since 2019.
Holly Taylor
Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9
25+ years in criminal justice; board-certified in criminal appellate law.

U.S. Congress

Greg Casar
U.S. House, District 37
Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; won the first federal heat rule.
Caitlin Rourk
U.S. House, District 10
Army veteran and business leader; running for McCaul's open seat.
Claire Reynolds
U.S. House, District 11
Attorney and former journalist.
Tanya Lloyd
U.S. House, District 27
Kindergarten teacher and fifth-generation Texan.

Texas Legislature

Judith Zaffirini
State Senate, District 21
Dean of the Senate; most bills passed in Texas history.
Tom Luck
State Representative, District 19
Retired Episcopal priest and sixth-generation Texan running on public school funding, affordable health care and support for rural communities.
Sheryl Cole
State Representative, District 46
Accountant/attorney; former Austin Mayor Pro Tem.
Pooja Sethi
State Representative, District 47
Attorney, former TCDP chair; would be first Indian American in the Legislature.
Donna Howard
State Representative, District 48
Former critical-care nurse; chairs the Texas Women's Health Caucus.
Montserrat Garibay
State Representative, District 49
Former bilingual pre-K teacher and union leader; ex-U.S. DOE official.
Samantha Lopez-Resendez
State Representative, District 50
Longtime Capitol chief of staff; public schools and workers' rights.
Lulu Flores
State Representative, District 51
Attorney and former National Women's Political Caucus president.

Appeals Courts

Darlene Byrne
Chief Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals
Two decades of child-welfare leadership on the bench.
Jerry Zimmerer
Chief Justice, 15th Court of Appeals
Former AT&T engineer; ex-14th Court of Appeals justice.
Tom Baker
Justice, 15th Court of Appeals, Place 2
Navy veteran; authored 585 opinions on the 3rd Court.
Marc M. Meyer
Justice, 15th Court of Appeals, Place 3
Retired firefighter, RN, and administrative-law attorney.

State Board of Education

Allison Bush
SBOE, District 5
25+ years as a teacher, counselor, and public-education advocate.

Travis County District Courts

Cliff Brown
147th Judicial District
Presiding criminal judge; former Austin Police Monitor.
Amy Clark Meachum
201st Judicial District
Local Administrative District Judge; 2020 Supreme Court nominee.
Kennon Lily Wooten
250th Judicial District
Partner and former Texas Supreme Court rules attorney.
Daniella Deseta Lyttle
261st Judicial District
First Latina and female Army veteran on the court; ordered release of Uvalde records.
Karen R. Sage
299th Judicial District
Created the county's first Felony Mental Health Docket.
Chantal Melissa Eldridge
331st Judicial District
Turned the lowest-performing felony court into the highest-performing.
Brandy Mueller
403rd Judicial District
Created Project Engage, a diversion program for young defendants.
Catherine A. Mauzy
419th Judicial District
Board-certified in family law; extensive pro bono record.
Laurie Eiserloh
455th Judicial District
Board-certified in labor and personal-injury law.
Maya Guerra Gamble
459th Judicial District
Presided over the Sandy Hook / Alex Jones defamation trial.

Travis County Officials

Andy Brown
County Judge
Chief administrator; funded housing and a mental-health diversion center.
Todd Wong
County Court at Law #1
First Asian American elected countywide in Travis County.
Leslie Dippel
County Court at Law #2
Executive County Attorney; 20+ years in the office.
Bianca Garcia
County Court at Law #3
Former child-abuse and juvenile prosecutor.
Dimple Malhotra
County Court at Law #4
Presides over the county's Domestic Violence Court.
Mary Ann Espiritu
County Court at Law #5
Champions diversion and recovery programs.
Denise Hernández
County Court at Law #6
Leads Transformative Youth Justice diversion program.
Elisabeth Earle
County Court at Law #7
Founded the Travis County DWI Court, a national model.
Guy Herman
Probate Court #1
Longtime probate judge; helped create Central Health.
Velva L. Price
District Clerk
First African American woman to lead the Austin Bar Association.
Dyana Limon-Mercado
County Clerk
Oversees elections, records, and marriage licenses.
Dolores Ortega Carter
County Treasurer
Longest-serving treasurer in county history.
Brigid Shea
County Commissioner, Precinct 2
Climate and Save Our Springs leader.
George Morales III
County Commissioner, Precinct 4
Former Precinct 4 Constable; roads, transit, healthcare access.
Ciara Parks
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1
Juvenile Probation general counsel; restorative approaches.
Mariel Kelley
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2
Former teacher and career prosecutor; would launch a Teen Court.
Sylvia Holmes
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3
Court recognized as a Center of Judicial Excellence.
Raul Arturo Gonzalez
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4
Serving southeastern Travis County since 2006.
Tanisa Jeffers
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5
Presides over the downtown “people's court”; voice against criminalizing poverty.
Gabriel Padilla
Constable, Precinct 4
20+ years in law enforcement; rose from deputy to chief deputy.