Candidates
Below we have compiled a short bio for each candidate that will be on your 2026 Midterm ballot. For more information on each candidate, we have linked their websites.
James Talarico is a Democratic Texas legislator, former public-school teacher, and candidate for the U.S. Senate. First elected to the Texas House in 2018, Talarico has built his career around expanding access to quality public education, making healthcare more affordable, raising wages and economic opportunity, protecting reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, strengthening gun-safety measures, and pursuing criminal-justice and government reforms. His approach combines progressive policy priorities with a focus on practical solutions for working families and Texas communities.
For U.S Senate
Danny Minton is the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House representing Texas’s 6th Congressional District. Running on a “Texas First” platform, Minton focuses on making healthcare more affordable, protecting public education, supporting small businesses and working families, and pursuing a secure but compassionate immigration system. He also emphasizes protecting voting rights and the Constitution, supporting fair and accessible elections, and keeping government focused on practical solutions rather than partisan politics.
For U.S Congress
Gina Hinojosa is a Democratic Texas state representative, civil-rights attorney, and longtime advocate for Texas families and public schools. Elected to the Texas House in 2016, she is running for governor in 2026 on an affordability-focused platform centered on strengthening public education, making healthcare more accessible, supporting working families and small businesses, and challenging the influence of large corporations and wealthy donors in state government. She also opposes private-school vouchers and is calling for greater accountability around issues such as data-center development, energy costs, and the use of taxpayer dollars.
For Texas Governor 
Vikki Goodwin is a Democratic Texas state representative and longtime community advocate who is running for Lieutenant Governor in 2026. A fourth-term legislator representing parts of Austin and the Lake Travis area, Goodwin has focused her campaign on strengthening public schools, expanding affordable housing, improving access to healthcare, and protecting Texas’ water and energy resources. She opposes private-school vouchers and supports increased public-school funding, reproductive and mental healthcare access, more affordable housing, clean water and energy, and a more collaborative approach to state government.
For Texas Lt. Governor
Nathan Johnson is a Democratic Texas state senator, attorney, and former physics teacher who is running for Texas Attorney General in 2026. Elected to the Texas Senate in 2018, Johnson has focused on expanding healthcare access, strengthening public education, protecting consumers, and promoting bipartisan solutions. As Attorney General, he says he would rebuild the office around public service and the rule of law, while fighting corruption, protecting consumers from deceptive business practices, defending individual rights, and ensuring competitive markets. He also emphasizes maintaining a constructive relationship with local law enforcement and challenging government overreach when it harms Texans.
For Texas Atty General
Sarah Eckhardt is a Democratic Texas state senator, attorney, and former Travis County Judge who is running for Texas Comptroller in 2026. A longtime public servant with experience managing budgets and government operations, Eckhardt is campaigning on affordability, transparency, and accountability in state government. As Comptroller, she would prioritize auditing Texas’ school voucher program, increasing oversight of state spending and no-bid contracts, protecting public schools, and providing Texans with clearer information about how their tax dollars are spent. She also advocates using the Comptroller’s office to evaluate whether state investments are benefiting Texans fairly and to promote long-term economic prosperity.
For Texas Comptroller
Benjamin Flores is a Democratic Bay City Councilman, cybersecurity and risk-management professional, and the 2026 Democratic candidate for Texas Land Commissioner. With three decades of experience in cybersecurity and compliance, Flores is running on a “Texas First” platform focused on strengthening the General Land Office’s core responsibilities. As Land Commissioner, he would prioritize funding public schools through the Permanent School Fund, supporting Texas veterans, protecting and restoring the state’s coastline, and ensuring responsible management of Texas’ public lands and natural resources.
For Texas Land Commissioner
Clayton Tucker is a Texas rancher, fair-trade advocate, and Secretary of the Texas Farmers Union who is running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner in 2026. His campaign focuses on making food and farming more affordable, supporting Texas farmers and ranchers, and protecting the state’s land and water resources. As Agriculture Commissioner, Tucker would prioritize breaking up agricultural monopolies, improving food quality and nutrition, reducing harmful chemicals in the food supply, and protecting farmland and water from irresponsible development, including large AI data centers.
For Texas Ag Commissioner
Jon Rosenthal is a Democratic Texas state representative, mechanical engineer, and former oil and gas industry project manager who is running for Texas Railroad Commissioner in 2026. A four-term legislator with 25 years of experience in the energy industry, Rosenthal is campaigning on reliable and affordable energy, lower utility costs, clean air and water, and good-paying jobs. As Railroad Commissioner, he would prioritize stronger oversight of the oil and gas industry, fairer utility rates, responsible energy development, and making the Commission more accountable and responsive to Texans. He also supports policies to ensure Texas’ growing energy demand, including from data centers, does not drive-up costs for consumers.
For Texas Railroad Commissioner
Maggie Ellis is a Texas appellate judge, former teacher, prosecutor, administrative law judge, and foster mother who is running for Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court in 2026. Elected to the Third Court of Appeals in 2024, Ellis is focused on making the state’s highest court more accessible, independent, and focused on fairness and the rule of law. She supports improving access to legal services and indigent defense, protecting equal treatment under the law, and ensuring the courts remain accountable to all Texans. As Chief Justice, she would emphasize judicial independence, compassion, and a justice system that treats every person fairly.
For Chief Justice, Tx Supreme Court
Chari Kelly is a Democratic Texas appellate justice, U.S. Army veteran, former prosecutor, and law professor who is running for Texas Supreme Court, Place 2, in 2026. Elected to the Third Court of Appeals in 2018, Kelly has more than two decades of legal and judicial experience, including service as an Army JAG defense attorney and as a prosecutor in Travis and Comal counties. She emphasizes judicial independence, constitutional rights, fair trials, and equal application of the law. As a Supreme Court justice, she would bring her trial and appellate experience to cases involving civil and criminal law while focusing on fairness, the rule of law, and access to justice.
For Texas Supreme Court, Place 2
Kristen Hawkins is a Democratic Texas district judge and longtime Houston attorney who is running for Texas Supreme Court, Place 7, in 2026. She has served as judge of Houston’s 11th District Court since 2017 and has presided over more than 200 trials, bringing extensive courtroom and trial experience to the race. Hawkins emphasizes judicial independence, access to jury trials, consistency in appellate decisions, and respect for jury verdicts. As a Supreme Court justice, she would focus on applying the law fairly and consistently while ensuring the state’s highest court remains connected to the practical realities faced by Texas courts and litigants.
For Texas Supreme Court, Place 7
Gisela Triana is a Democratic Texas appellate justice and longtime Texas judge who is running for Texas Supreme Court, Place 8, in 2026. She has served on the Third Court of Appeals since 2019 and previously spent 14 years as a Travis County district judge, after beginning her judicial career as a justice of the peace and county court-at-law judge. Triana emphasizes judicial independence, fairness, equal application of the law, and protecting access to justice. As a Supreme Court justice, she would bring extensive trial and appellate experience to the state’s highest court while focusing on decisions grounded in the law rather than political or special-interest influence.
For Texas Supreme Court, Place 8
Okey Anyiam is a Democratic Dallas criminal defense attorney who is running for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3, in 2026. Licensed to practice law in Texas since 1997, Anyiam has spent his career focused on criminal law and defending the rights of people accused of crimes. As a judge on Texas’ highest criminal court, he would bring his defense experience to cases involving criminal appeals, wrongful convictions, and death-penalty cases, with an emphasis on due process, constitutional protections, and equal application of the law.
For Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
Audra Riley is a Democratic Dallas criminal district judge, former prosecutor, and former criminal defense attorney who is running for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4, in 2026. Elected to Criminal District Court No. 3 in Dallas County in 2020, Riley brings experience from both sides of the criminal justice system. She emphasizes justice, integrity, due process, and a strong work ethic on the bench. As a judge on Texas’ highest criminal court, she would focus on applying the law fairly, protecting constitutional rights, and ensuring that criminal appeals receive careful and impartial review.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4
Holly Taylor is a Democratic Austin criminal appellate attorney, former prosecutor, and former staff attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals who is running for the court’s Place 9 seat in 2026. She spent more than 17 years as a prosecutor, including leadership roles in the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, and later worked in criminal and civil appeals. Taylor is board certified in criminal appellate law and has worked on wrongful-conviction and civil-rights matters. As a judge on Texas’ highest criminal court, she would emphasize independent and thorough review of cases, constitutional protections, due process, and equal application of the law.
For Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9
Amy Taylor is a Democratic public-school teacher with 15 years of experience in Texas public education who is running for State Board of Education, District 14, in 2026. Her campaign centers on strengthening public schools, keeping education decisions grounded in classroom expertise rather than politics, and preserving local control. She supports rigorous, differentiated, and non-religious instructional materials, increased funding for public-school students, high-quality teachers, and reevaluating high-stakes end-of-course exams. As an SBOE member, Taylor would focus on curriculum standards, instructional materials, teacher certification, and graduation requirements while advocating for policies that serve all Texas public-school students.
For State Board of Education, Place 14
Keenen Colbert is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 2 in 2026. Drawing on his military service and experience as a community advocate, Colbert is running on a platform focused on lowering the cost of living, strengthening public schools, expanding access to affordable healthcare, and supporting working Texas families. He also emphasizes government accountability, healthcare cost transparency, and responsible leadership. As a state senator, Colbert would focus on practical solutions to affordability, education, and healthcare while working to make state government more responsive and accountable to the communities it serves.
For Texas Senate District 2
Amy Martinez-Salas is a Democratic community advocate and candidate for Texas Senate District 22 in 2026. Her campaign focuses on protecting Texas public schools and rural communities while making life more affordable for working families. She emphasizes strengthening public education, supporting teachers and students, protecting rural communities and local economies, and ensuring that state government remains responsive to the needs of the people it represents. As a state senator, Martinez Salas would focus on investing in public schools, supporting rural Texas, and addressing the affordability challenges facing families across the district. Amy Martinez Salas for Texas
For Texas Senate District 22
Michael Myers is a retired federal government executive, community volunteer, and Democratic candidate for Texas House District 10 in 2026. He spent more than three decades with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, overseeing investigations, loss prevention, safety, and environmental standards. Myers is running on a platform focused on restoring accountability and common-sense leadership in state government, protecting constitutional rights, strengthening consumer protections, and addressing affordability and job security. He also supports accelerating Texas’ transition toward renewable energy and emphasizes responsible, responsive representation for the communities of Ellis County and HD 10.
For Texas House District 10
Jerry Zimmerer is a Texas appellate judge, attorney, and former prosecutor who is running for Chief Justice of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals in 2026. He has served on the First Court of Appeals since 2018 and previously spent more than two decades practicing law, including work as a prosecutor and in private practice. Zimmerer emphasizes judicial independence, careful application of the law, and treating every litigant fairly. As Chief Justice of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, he would bring extensive trial and appellate experience to the court while focusing on consistent, impartial decisions and a judiciary accountable to the people of Texas.
For Chief Justice 15th Court of Appeals
Tom Baker is a U.S. Navy veteran, attorney, and former Texas appellate justice who is running for Texas 15th Court of Appeals, Place 2, in 2026. He served on the Third Court of Appeals from 2019 through 2024 and previously practiced law in private practice and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Baker emphasizes judicial independence, arguing that political affiliation should not influence judicial decisions. As a justice on the 15th Court of Appeals, he would focus on careful, impartial application of the law and ensuring that cases are decided based on the facts and legal principles rather than political considerations.
For Texas 15th Court of Appeals, Place 2
Marc Meyer is an attorney, registered nurse, and retired Houston firefighter who is running for Texas 15th Court of Appeals, Place 3, in 2026. A Montgomery resident and Democratic candidate, Meyer brings experience in law, healthcare, and public service to the race. As a justice on the 15th Court of Appeals, he would emphasize careful review of cases, equal application of the law, judicial independence, and ensuring that every litigant receives a fair and impartial hearing. He will face incumbent Republican Justice April Farris in the November general election.
For Texas 15th Court of Appeals, Place 3
Oyinkansola “Dr. OJ” Jinadu is a Nigerian American community leader, educator, entrepreneur, and founder of the Honeydrops Foundation who is running for Ellis County Commissioner, Precinct 4, in 2026. Her campaign focuses on making county government more transparent and responsive while addressing the challenges created by rapid growth in the precinct. As Commissioner, Jinadu would prioritize safer roads and smoother commutes, proactive flood-control and drainage improvements, responsible infrastructure planning, and greater accountability for taxpayer dollars. She also emphasizes public reporting on county projects and budgets, responsible growth, and ensuring residents have a clear voice in local government.
For Ellis County Commissioner, Pct 4
Pamela Hampton is a Democratic candidate for Ellis County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, in 2026. She is running to serve her community through a local court that handles civil matters, fine-only misdemeanor cases, warrants, and other day-to-day judicial responsibilities. Hampton emphasizes fair and accessible justice, responsible courtroom administration, and treating every person who comes before the court with dignity and respect. As Justice of the Peace, she would focus on an efficient, impartial court that is responsive to the needs of residents across Precinct 4.
For Ellis County Justice of the Peace, Pct 4