Texas filing deadline today — here's what we're watching

THE WOODLANDS, TX — Texas' candidate filing deadline is today, Dec. 8. This is the third statewide filing deadline for the 2026 elections, behind Arkansas and Illinois. This filing deadline is only for candidates wanting to run in partisan primaries. The filing deadline for independent candidates is June 25.

In 2026, elections will be held for several offices throughout the Lone Star State. Those offices include:

• The following state executive offices: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, agriculture commissioner, comptroller, land commissioner, railroad commissioner, and eight seats on the state board of education
• Sixteen of the 31 seats in the Texas Senate and all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives
• One of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats and all 38 of the state’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives

Texas' statewide primary will be March 3. In those primaries, if no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters will advance to a primary runoff on May 26. Here are some of the noteworthy primaries we're watching:

• U.S. Senate: Sen. John Cornyn faces U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and 10 other candidates in the Republican primary. The Democratic field includes 2024 U.S. Senate nominee Colin Allred, Texas Rep. James Talrico, and two other candidates.
• Texas Attorney General: With Paxton running for the U.S. Senate, several candidates are running for the Republican nomination to succeed him: Texas Sen. Joan Huffman, Texas Sen. Mayes Middleton, Paxton's former Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy Aaron Reitz, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy.
• U.S. House: We're keeping an eye on 16 primaries — 12 Republican and four Democratic — right now across both political parties as district lines have shifted between the 2024 and 2026 elections.

On Dec. 4, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas would be allowed to use the new U.S. House district map that the state passed in August. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision lifts a U.S. district court’s decision in November that struck down the new map. Applying the 2024 presidential election results to the new districts, Republicans are favored in five additional districts.

There may also be some last-minute retirement announcements. Several incumbents have not yet stated their intentions, citing the new district lines. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) is one such name to watch. Crockett — who is expected to make an announcement today — has said she is considering a U.S. Senate run.

As of Dec. 5, seven members of the state's U.S. House delegation are retiring in January 2027. That’s tied with 2018 for the most congressional retirements in the state. As of Dec. 5, a total of 40 U.S. House incumbents across the U.S. — 17 Democrats and 23 Republicans — are not seeking re-election in 2026. Here are the retiring Texas representatives:

• Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D) is retiring from public office.
• Rep. Jodey Arrington (R) is retiring from public office.
• Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R) is retiring from public office.
• Rep. Michael McCaul (R) is retiring from public office.
• Rep. Troy Nehls (R) is retiring from public office.
• Rep. Wesley Hunt (R) is running for U.S. Senate.
• Rep. Chip Roy (R) is running for attorney general of Texas.