U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and Austin state Rep. James Talarico are the two leading candidates in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat held by Republican incumbent John Cornyn.

Join politics reporters Jeremy Wallace, Raj Mankad, John Lomax and Nicole Hensley for a virtual roundtable on a very competitive 2026 primary election.

With 2025 behind us, The Texas Tribune’s politics team has compiled five of the top political stories we are watching in 2026, when voters will have their first chance to make their opinions known on the events of the last 12 months.

John Cornyn is locked in a Senate reelection battle with Ken Paxton and Wesley Hunt. But that's not the only contest that could get heated.

White, a Houston-area Democrat and the son of late former Gov. Mark White, cited a lack of campaign funding as the primary factor behind his exit from the race.

Hinojosa has a solid lead in polling for the Democratic primary for governor of Texas. But the Republican Abbott has over $86 million in his campaign to spend in his quest for a fourth term.

Texans must register to vote at least 30 days before an election — that means Feb. 2 for the primary, April 27 for the runoff and Oct. 5 for the general.

A challenge to a robust election integrity law Texas Republicans passed after the 2020 election can proceed, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, finding that Secretary of State Jane Nelson (R) lacks immunity against some provisions it says her office enforces.

University Park voters will decide on May 2 whether to withdraw from DART, following city leaders' concerns that financial costs outweigh the transit benefits.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas — Another North Texas city will have a special election on Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) membership. The University Park City Council voted Jan. 6 to call an election set for May 2 on whether it will continue to be a DART member city, making it the fifth member city to do so.

Another North Texas city is considering holding an election on whether or not to leave Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).