Who's running in Texas' most intriguing statewide primaries

• The last 30 years, the Republican primary in statewide races has been the election of consequence in Texas. No Democrat has won statewide office in the Lone Star State since 1994.

Zoom in: These are shaping up as the most intriguing statewide primary races ahead of the Texas midterms.

U.S. Senate

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is in the reelection race of his life, as he faces off against fellow Republicans Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston.

• Cornyn is a fundraising powerhouse, but Paxton has proved a resilient favorite of the MAGA crowd. Hunt's late entry in the race could force a runoff.
• Any of these candidates would become the instant favorite with an endorsement from President Trump.

On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, shook up the race after launching her campaign Monday, hours before the filing deadline. She faces state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, and astronaut Terry Virts.

• Talarico, a social media star, has tried to position himself as a Christian-minded critic of Republican policy — but Crockett has gained national fame as a Democratic flamethrower.
• Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, dropped out of the Senate race, and instead will face U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, for a redrawn Dallas-area congressional seat.

Texas Governor

State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, is facing Houston businessman Andrew White — son of former Gov. Mark White, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2018.

• On the Republican side, Gov. Greg Abbott will need to spend little of his considerable war chest — he had $86 million on hand as of mid-summer — to fend off challengers with little name recognition.

Texas Attorney General

A crowd of Republicans is running to succeed Paxton for a position that's been a stepping stone to higher office. Candidates include:

• State Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican and former prosecutor who oversaw budget matters at the Capitol;
• Aaron Reitz, Paxton's former deputy, who has said he would try to remove Travis County District Attorney José Garza and Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, both Democrats, from office;
• U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a budget hawk who has represented parts of San Antonio, Austin and the Hill Country — and who has served as an aide to both Paxton and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz;

• State Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston, an oilman and major GOP donor;
• Former U.S. attorney and Elon Musk lawyer John Bash, whose wife served as Paxton's senior counsel

On the Democratic side, state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are running for the nomination.

Comptroller

The next comptroller — the state's chief financial officer — will be in the spotlight for administering Texas' new school voucher program.

• Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, a former Republican state senator from the North Texas suburb of North Richland Hills, is finishing the term of former Comptroller Glenn Hegar, now chancellor of the Texas A&M University System.
• He faces a primary challenge from Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick and former state Sen. Don Huffines, a Dallas-area businessman who challenged Gov. Greg Abbott from the right in a 2022 primary.

Other statewide seats on the ballot in 2026:

• Lt. Governor (Incumbent Dan Patrick is seeking reelection.)
• Land commissioner (Incumbent Dawn Buckingham is seeking reelection.)
• Agriculture commissioner (Incumbent Sid Miller is seeking reelection.)
• Four seats on the Texas Supreme Court
• Three seats on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

The bottom line: To avoid a runoff, a candidate must get more than 50% of the vote.

• Runoffs are scheduled for late May.