By MATEUS FERREIRA/Head Writer
In the Primary Elections on March 3, voters will decide who they want to represent their party in the November general elections. Early voting runs from Feb. 17 through Feb. 27.
Here are the candidates from the biggest races worth highlighting.
U.S. Senate
Senators pass laws, consider treatises and approve budgets for the military and federal agencies.
John Coryn is making a bid for a 5th term, while U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, Attorney General Ken Paxton and five other candidates vie to take his spot.
Coryn’s policies have concentrated on Second Amendment rights, health care reform and limiting abortion access. In his current campaign, he thanked Trump for passing the Big Beautiful Bill and for appointing border patrol leadership.
The Democratic Senate race has garnered national attention as both candidates have skyrocketed to fame through spats with Republicans on social media.
The race between U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico has divided Democrats. With the potential of a competitive election in November, whoever wins could be the first Texan Democratic senator since 1993.
Talarico is a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian. Often drawing from his Christian faith, he built a platform on fighting the influence of “billionaire mega donors” and the “top 1%.”
If elected, he promises to pursue an “anti-corruption” package to ban all PACs and partisan gerrymandering. The potential legislation would also push for increased transparency and accountability in the government.
Although presenting himself as an anti-PAC candidate, he has come under scrutiny for accepting $59,000 from Texas Sands PAC. Politico reported the donations were backed by Miriam Adelson, a Republican megadonor and major financial supporter for Trump. Adelson has encouraged the president to run for a third term.
Talarco defended himself by saying that while he disagrees with her on most issues, he agrees with Adelson’s push to legalize gambling in Texas.
Meanwhile, Crockett has made an image for herself as an anti-Trump “street fighter.” The former attorney is running on expanding health care, increasing abortion access, reforming education and changing immigration policies.
She positioned herself as a candidate who can expand the electorate and energize apathetic voters, while critics have claimed her brand of fiery politics may prove to be a liability to the Democratic Party.
Crockett has been criticized for taking corporate donations from Lockheed Martin, Blue Cross and Blue Shield. When asked about the donations in a Jan. 24 debate, Crockett responded by criticizing Talarico for taking Adelson’s PAC Money and claiming her donations came from employees.
In the debate, both candidates agreed on raising taxes on the wealthy, using congressional power to counteract the Trump Administration’s recent foreign policy and blocking weapons sales to Israel.
Democrat
Republican
- John Cornyn (Incumbent)
House District 1
The Texas House of Representatives works alongside the governor to pass laws and create state budgets.
A new congressional map has complicated elections for the 38 open congressional seats. Each seat, which represents a district, has been shuffled around by the 2025 redistricting.
According to the Texas Tribune, the new map created to favor republican candidates, has forced incumbent Democrats to compete with other Democrats in unfamiliar districts; meanwhile, Republicans have taken advantage of new districts. Currently, Republicans hold a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress.
Under the new maps, Tyler remains in District 1.
Incumbent Rep. Nathaniel Moran is the only republican candidate for District 1. Running on a platform endorsed by Trump, he has pushed for border security, support for law enforcement and limiting abortion access. On his website, he concentrates on issues like affordable housing, health care access and “the numerous threats posed by China.”
Four Democrats are competing in the primaries.
Endorsed by the Smith County Young Democrats, Dax Alexander has a campaign that emphasizes universal health care, investing in public schools and increasing job opportunities.
Alexander has been notably active within the UT Tyler community. Alexander has supported Students for Justice in Palestine at UT Tyler. He was also part of the anti-Trump “NO Kings” protests in Tyler.
Democrat
Republican
- Nathaniel Moran (Incumbent)
Governor
As the chief executive of Texas, the governor makes around 1,500 state appointments in a four-year-term. The influential role also includes signing and vetoing bills.
The current primary race has an impressive number of candidates on both sides.
Incumbent Gov. Greg Abbot entered the race with a staggering 106 million dollars in a bid to become the longest-serving governor in Texas history.
His 14-year run as governor has been marked by a socially conservative platform focused on education, border security and affordability.
In his current campaign, he touted his work in rolling back property taxes, passing a private school voucher program and blocking DEI practices in schools.
Meanwhile, prominent Democratic candidate Rep. Gina Hinojosa has been a vocal critic of Abbott’s policies. She has continually challenged Abbot’s voucher program and accused him of working to defund the public school system while doing little to bring down health care costs.
Hinojosa, a civil rights and union lawyer, is promising healthcare accessibility, affordability, and funding for education.
Kim Synder, Abbot’s Campaign manager, has called her “out of step with Texans.”
Recent polling shows her in a solid lead over her democratic rivals.
Democrat
Republican
- Greg Abbott (Incumbent)
Lieutenant governor
The Lieutenant Governor is seen as the most powerful office. The role presides over the state senate and has great influence over the creation of legislation. In charge of the chamber’s standing committees and co-chairing the Budget board, the lieutenant governor is the second-highest executive.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is seeking a fourth term in attempt to keep his legacy of acting as a unifying force for GOP members. The Texas Tribune notes he has pushed the legislature to the right while presenting himself as a stringent Trump ally. He is known for restricting DEI in education, immigration, abortion access and property taxes. Describing himself as a strong Christian, he also led the creation of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute.
Democratic candidate Rep. Vicki Goodwin is ranked as one of the most liberal House members by Mark Jones, a Rice University Political Science professor. Her policy stances include repealing the state’s abortion ban, increasing funding for public schools and expanding Medicaid.
Democrat
Republican
- Perla Hopkins
- Timothy Mabry
- Dan Patrick (Incumbent)
- Esala Wueschner
Attorney General
As the chief lawyer of the state, the Attorney General defends the constitution and laws in Texas.
In his time as Attorney General, Paxton’s office saw a number of indictments, misconduct probes and scandals, including accusations that he cheated on his wife. Having survived federal investigations and an impeachment in 2023, he is now running for the Senate. Paxton’s office has been marked by legal action prioritizing conservative social issues.
Paxton endorsed Aaron Reitz is running as a republican candidate. The former Assistant to the Attorney General was the lead in Paxton’s litigation to overturn the 2020 election. His campaign promises include supporting Trump, standing for “faith and family” and enforcing border security. He has also vowed to “destroy the left” if elected.
Joe Jaworski is one of the democrats seeking to replace Paxton. The private lawyer and mediator promises to protect voting rights, pursue gun safety measures and oppose Texas’s abortion bans.
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