2026 Texas gubernatorial election

The 2026 Texas gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott is running for re-election to an unprecedented fourth term.^[1] If Abbott were to be successful and finish out a fourth full term, he would become the state's longest-serving governor with 16 years on January 21, 2031, surpassing the 14 years of his predecessor, Rick Perry. He would also tie with former South Dakota governor Bill Janklow as the fifth longest-serving governor in United States history at 5,845 days served.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Greg Abbott, incumbent governor^[1]

Potential

Dave Clark, former CEO of Flexport^[2]
Eric Johnson, mayor of Dallas and former Democratic state representative from the 100th district^[3]

Declined

Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor of Texas (running for re-election)^[4]^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Potential

James Talarico, state representative from the 50th district^[6]

Independents

Candidates

Potential

Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award-winning actor^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b Watkins, Matthew (March 1, 2024). "Donald Trump says Greg Abbott is 'absolutely' on vice president short list". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
^ Young, Liz; Mattioli, Dana (September 6, 2023). "Dave Clark Resigns as Flexport CEO". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
^ Jeffers Jr., Gromers (September 22, 2023). "How Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's switch to GOP could impact his political career". The Dallas Morning News.
^ Jeffers Jr., Gromer (August 3, 2023). "Will Patrick challenge Abbott in 2026?". Waco Tribune-Herald.
^ Svitek, Patrick (January 24, 2023). "Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he'll run for reelection in 2026, reversing previous plan to retire". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
^ McKinley, Edward. "Texas Dem insiders list candidates to watch". The Houston Chronicle.
^ Schoenbaum, Hannah; Gruver, Mead (July 12, 2024). "Actor Matthew McConaughey tells governors he is still mulling future run for political office". Associated Press. Retrieved July 12, 2024.

[absolutely-1] Watkins, Matthew (March 1, 2024). "Donald Trump says Greg Abbott is 'absolutely' on vice president short list". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2024.

[2] Young, Liz; Mattioli, Dana (September 6, 2023). "Dave Clark Resigns as Flexport CEO". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.

[3] Jeffers Jr., Gromers (September 22, 2023). "How Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's switch to GOP could impact his political career". The Dallas Morning News.

[4] Jeffers Jr., Gromer (August 3, 2023). "Will Patrick challenge Abbott in 2026?". Waco Tribune-Herald.

[5] Svitek, Patrick (January 24, 2023). "Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he'll run for reelection in 2026, reversing previous plan to retire". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2024.

[6] McKinley, Edward. "Texas Dem insiders list candidates to watch". The Houston Chronicle.

[7] Schoenbaum, Hannah; Gruver, Mead (July 12, 2024). "Actor Matthew McConaughey tells governors he is still mulling future run for political office". Associated Press. Retrieved July 12, 2024.

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