‘A lot of candidates and a lot of money’: Early look at Texas’ 2026 races

AUSTIN (Nexstar)- Texas elections are taking a turn in 2026. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday he will challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R- Texas, in next year’s midterm elections. This GOP-versus-GOP clash promises to be among the most heated and expensive Republican primaries in the country and in recent Texas history. 

Cornyn has served in the Senior Republican Senate seat for 22 years. Paxton, the third-term attorney general, survived a bipartisan impeachment with support from President Donald Trump and other major conservative players. 

Cornyn has never lost an election in Texas or been forced to a runoff by any of his same party opponents. His only political loss occurred when he ran for Senate majority leader in November but despite this, he has remained heavily involved in the Republican party. He has taken on new committee assignments and put himself on several key panels that will oversee Trump’s agenda. Paxton, on the other hand, has been a close ally of Trump after waging an unsuccessful legal challenge to Trump’s loss in key battleground states during the 2020 election. Trump endorsed Paxton in the 2022 attorney general’s race and defended him when he was impeached in 2023 for allegedly accepting bribes and abusing the power of his office. 

Paxton doesn’t have to give up his seat to run against Cornyn but his congressional bid means he can’t run for reelection as attorney general. With Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick all winning their seats back in the 2014 election, the 2026 attorney general race will be the largest statewide race without an incumbent in over a decade.

“If you’re a Republican, there’s a lot of pent up demand out there among people that have wanted to move up and have had nowhere to go because incumbents have been running for reelection, and those incumbents are largely pretty formidable,” Texas Politics Project Director Jim Henson said. “There’s going to be a lot of candidates and a lot of money brought to bear in [the Attorney General and U.S. Senate] races.”

Former U.S. Attorney John Bash is the first to announce his run to replace Paxton’s seat. 

Bash previously worked as a federal prosecutor for the Western District of Texas until 2020, and served as a special assistant to President Donald Trump during his first term. Since resigning as a government attorney, he has taken on cases such as defending Musk in a defamation case.

As a federal prosecutor, Bash led the state’s cases against the perpetrator of the 2018 Austin porch bombings, who killed two people, and the corruption case against former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, who was found guilty in 2018 for his role in a Ponzi scheme.

Bash said in a statement on social media he’s running because Texas needs “the toughest, most battle-tested attorney to lead the fight to keep our communities safe, defend our constitutional rights, and make sure Texas remains a leader in innovation and growth.’”

Other state leaders are working to remain in their seats. Patrick has officially announced his campaign for his 2026 reelection on Friday. Patrick has presided over the Senate for more than 10 years. If Patrick wins in 2026,  it would make him the second-longest serving lieutenant governor in Texas history. 

“This Legislative Session we have already passed the most conservative agenda in Texas history – including school choice, property tax relief, investing in our water infrastructure, our electric grid, banning non-citizens from voting, and returning prayer and the Ten Commandments to our public schools,” Patrick said in his reelection campaign announcement on April 11. 

He is not alone. Patrick also shared in his announcement that Trump has endorsed his election campaign. 

“In his next Term, Dan will fight tirelessly alongside of us to Secure the Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Champion School Choice, Support our Great Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Strongly Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

Despite announcing his campaign plans, Patrick stressed that his focus remains on completing the legislative session’s priorities. 

“The campaign will begin soon enough, but with seven weeks still to go in the Legislative Session, my focus remains on the work to be done at the Capitol for the people of Texas,” he said.

In the meantime, Abbott has yet to announce his plans for reelection.