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Map the Midterms2026 midterms information · not official

Governor

Texas Governor — 2026

Texas elects a governor on November 3, 2026. Incumbent Republican Greg Abbott faces Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Recent Emerson surveys also report a Libertarian candidate.

Cook Political Report: Likely R (August 20, 2026)

What this office is

A governor is the state’s chief executive. Typical duties include proposing a budget, signing or vetoing bills, appointing some officials, and commanding the state National Guard under state and federal law. Term length and term limits are set by each state’s constitution. Lieutenant-governor pairing, if any, follows that state’s ballot design.

Why it matters in 2026

Cook moved Texas’s gubernatorial rating from Solid to Likely Republican on August 20, 2026, in the same analysis that moved the Senate race to a toss-up. The governor shares a ballot with Texas’s U.S. Senate race and other statewide offices. County administrators print precinct sample ballots.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking another term.

Primary calendars in Texas are official party and state processes. This page lists the November major-party pairing reported in September 2026 coverage.

Candidates

Names below are declared or nominated figures reported as of mid-September 2026. Party labels identify tickets only. This is not an endorsement and not a certified list.

Official portrait of Gov. Greg Abbott

Greg Abbott

Republican · Incumbent

Abbott has been Texas governor since 2015 after serving as attorney general and as a state supreme court justice. He is seeking another term. Official biographies emphasize statewide executive tenure.

Read more:Office of the GovernorWikipediaBallotpedia

Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source

Gina Hinojosa

Democratic

Democratic nominee; Texas state representative

Hinojosa represents a Travis County district in the Texas House. She is the 2026 Democratic nominee for governor. Legislative biographies list education and local-government work before the House.

Read more:Texas House member pageWikipediaBallotpedia

Published polls

Published surveys tagged to TX GovernorIndividual published surveys. Not a Map the Midterms average and not a prediction.
PollsterDatesSampleDemRepSpread
Emerson College / Nexstar
Emerson College Polling, Texas 2026 poll (Sept. 12–14) · accessed September 17, 2026
Sep 12–14, 20261,000 LV · ±3.046Hinojosa49AbbottAbbott +3

Questions readers ask

When is Election Day?
The 2026 U.S. midterm general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting and mail-ballot calendars differ by state.
Is this the official candidate list for this governor’s race?
No. Map the Midterms is not an election office. Confirm qualified names with the Texas Secretary of State and the official sample ballot for your address.
Are the poll numbers a forecast?
No. Tables show individual published surveys with the pollster, dates, sample, and a link. They are not a prediction and not an average unless a cited aggregator says so.

Other Texas guides