Federal race · November 3, 2026

U.S. Senator

U.S. senators represent Texas in the U.S. Senate, voting on federal legislation and budgets, confirming presidential nominees, and ratifying treaties.

6-year term. Open seat: no incumbent is running. Regular election for the full six-year term beginning Jan. 3, 2027. Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) lost the May 26, 2026 Republican primary runoff to Attorney General Ken Paxton (about 64% to 36%), so no incumbent is on the ballot. State Rep. James Talarico won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary with 52.4% over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. The Secretary of State's Aug. 28, 2026 ballot certification lists three candidates: Paxton (Republican), Talarico (Democratic) and Ted Brown (Libertarian); no independent qualified. Declared write-in candidates, per the state write-in list posted by Tarrant County: Avery Ayers, Bradford "Brad" Hall, Zul Mohamed and Jade Simmons. Texas general elections are decided by plurality, with no runoff.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name.

  • Ted Brown

    Retired independent insurance adjuster; Candidate Coordinator, Libertarian Party of Texas
    Libertarian

    Brown is a retired insurance adjuster from Austin and a longtime Libertarian Party official who was the party's 2024 U.S. Senate nominee in Texas, receiving about 267,000 votes. His platform calls for repealing the federal income tax, deep federal spending cuts, an open legal-immigration system, and a non-interventionist foreign policy.

  • Ken Paxton

    Texas Attorney General (since 2015)
    Republican

    Paxton has been Texas attorney general since 2015 and earlier served 10 years in the Texas House and two years in the Texas Senate. He won the Republican nomination by defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn in a May 26, 2026 runoff. His campaign emphasizes support for President Trump's agenda, border security, tax and spending cuts, and his record of lawsuits against the Biden administration.

  • James Talarico

    Texas State Representative, District 50 (since 2018)
    Democratic

    Talarico is a state representative from Round Rock and a former middle school teacher who won the March 2026 Democratic primary over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. He has served in the Texas House since 2018 and is a Presbyterian seminarian. His campaign centers on limiting the influence of large donors, lowering health care and household costs, and raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and large corporations.

Compare on the issues

Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.

Candidate positions by issue for U.S. Senator
IssueTed Brown
Libertarian
Ken Paxton
Republican
James Talarico
Democratic
Immigration

Supports abolishing ICE, ending interior checkpoints and raids, and an "Ellis Island-style" system with criminal and health screening and work authorization on arrival; opposes a border wall.

Says he will help President Trump finish the border wall and deport people he describes as criminals who entered the country during the Biden administration.

Supports comprehensive immigration reform that pairs border security with expanded legal pathways, including legalization for long-term undocumented residents and DREAMers; wants ICE focused on criminals and traffickers and would bar agents from wearing masks.

Taxes

Supports repealing the federal income tax and abolishing the IRS without a replacement, and eliminating estate, capital gains and Social Security taxes.

Describes himself as a fiscal conservative who supports tax cuts and reducing federal spending he calls wasteful, which he links to the national debt.

Supports higher taxes on billionaires' income and capital gains, a higher corporate tax rate, a tax on stock buybacks, and applying Social Security taxes to earnings above $400,000; supports larger child and earned-income tax credits and reversing recent tariffs.

AbortionNo public position found yet

Pledges to "defend the unborn"; as a state senator he voted for 2013's HB 2, which banned most abortions after 20 weeks.

Supports federal legislation to codify the abortion rights of Roe v. Wade and to protect access to contraception and IVF.

Economy & Jobs

Supports eliminating tariffs and revoking presidential emergency tariff authority so Congress controls trade.

Says he would reduce regulations on energy companies, support domestic manufacturing and back President Trump's economic agenda; supports passing the CLARITY Act to set federal rules for cryptocurrency and digital assets.

No public position found yet
Foreign Policy

Supports bringing U.S. troops home, closing most foreign bases, withdrawing from NATO and ending foreign military and financial aid.

Supports an "America First" foreign policy based on peace through strength, and opposes sending large sums abroad.

No public position found yet
Guns

Supports repealing gun control laws, ending gun-free zones and opposing "red flag" laws.

Pledges to protect gun rights and oppose what he describes as attacks on Second Amendment rights.

No public position found yet
Health CareNo public position found yet

Says pharmaceutical and food companies put profits ahead of public health and pledges to work with President Trump on more transparency and accountability in food and health care.

Supports a not-for-profit Medicare buy-in option, Medicare drug-price negotiation and out-of-pocket caps, and protecting the Affordable Care Act; opposes cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

Education

Supports abolishing the U.S. Department of Education and backs tuition tax credits, charter schools and homeschooling.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet
Elections & DemocracyNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports banning super PACs and corporate PACs, banning partisan gerrymandering, passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, banning stock trading by members of Congress, and congressional term limits.

Energy & EnvironmentNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports faster energy permitting with environmental protections, requiring large users such as AI data centers to pay for their own grid upgrades, and strengthening the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

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