The 2026 platform
Platform
At our 2026 state convention, the Texas Democratic Party adopted a new party platform. The platform offers a clear vision of government that works for everyday Texans and not billionaire donors by focusing on public schools, health care, jobs and worker protections, housing, transportation, public safety, environmental protection, and voting access, while also recognizing electric grid reliability, water security, rural investment, border management and civil rights as key priorities.
Public Education
- Increase funding for Texas public schools
- Raise teacher pay and improve retention
- Oppose diverting public-school money to private-school vouchers
- Expand pre-K and career training
- Lower the cost of college and expand financial aid
Health Care
- Expand Medicaid in Texas
- Increase access to rural health care
- Protect reproductive health care
- Improve mental health services
- Reduce the cost of prescription drugs and insulin
- Expand services for veterans and people with disabilities
Economy and Jobs
- Raise wages and strengthen worker protections
- Support unions and collective bargaining
- Help small businesses grow
- Invest in job training and workforce development
- Reduce barriers to starting a business
Property Taxes and Housing
- Increase the supply of affordable housing
- Help first-time homebuyers
- Strengthen tenant protections
- Address homelessness through housing and support services
- Seek fairer property-tax policies while maintaining funding for schools and local services
Transportation
- Invest in roads, bridges, and public transit
- Expand broadband, especially in rural Texas
- Improve highway safety
- Support passenger rail where practical
Public Safety
- Increase funding for community policing
- Expand mental-health crisis response
- Strengthen background checks for firearm purchases
- Reduce gun violence through prevention programs
- Improve services for crime victims
Environment
- Reduce pollution
- Protect parks and natural resources
- Prepare for droughts, floods, and extreme weather
- Encourage conservation while supporting economic growth
Government and Elections
- Make voting easier by expanding early voting and vote-by-mail
- Protect the right to vote for every eligible Texan
- End partisan gerrymandering and create fair districts
- Increase transparency and strengthen ethics laws
- Protect local governments from excessive state interference
Energy and Utilities
- Improve the reliability of the Texas electric grid
- Invest in renewable energy while supporting energy jobs
- Modernize transmission infrastructure
- Encourage energy efficiency
- Improve oversight of utilities to prevent future outages
Water
- Invest in water infrastructure
- Repair aging water systems
- Expand conservation
- Improve long-term drought planning
- Protect rivers, aquifers, and drinking water
Agriculture and Rural Texas
- Support family farms and ranches
- Expand rural hospitals and broadband
- Improve rural infrastructure
- Protect private-property rights
- Increase access to clean water
Border and Immigration
- Improve security at the Texas border
- Increase staffing and technology at ports of entry
- Reject policies viewed as unnecessarily harmful to migrants
- Support comprehensive immigration reform
- Protect the property rights of Texans living along the border
Civil Rights
- Strengthen protections against discrimination
- Protect LGBTQ+ Texans
- Improve access for people with disabilities
- Expand equal opportunity in education, housing, and employment