Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about the candidates running for statewide seats, The Texas Tribune is sharing information about the Republican, Democratic and third-party candidates. For more information on midterms and the voting process, check out our election resources here.

About the elected seat: The governor is the chief executive of the state, whose responsibilities include implementing state laws, laying out biennial budget recommendations for the Legislature and leading the state and its military forces during emergencies. The governor handpicks the leadership of major state agencies like the Department of Public Safety, overseeing state law enforcement, and the Texas Education Agency, in charge of public schools.

The governor has the power to veto bills passed by the Legislature and to issue executive orders and disaster declarations to unlock money and resources. The governor also has the sole authority to call special legislative sessions and to set the agenda for those overtime legislating periods, as Gov. Greg Abbott did twice in 2025 to pursue mid-decade redistricting, flood response bills and other priorities.

If an elected official, a judge or a justice resigns or dies, the governor is responsible for calling a special election or filling that vacancy. The governor can also make appointments to hundreds of government entities.

What’s at stake: The person elected to this position will lead Texas, the world’s 8th largest economy and currently the largest state led by Republicans, and serve as the state’s primary liaison to the federal government. The governor has enormous power to direct the state legislative agenda, the budget and emergency responses. Through executive orders, he also has the power to shape the agendas and policies of state entities, including regulators and public universities.

The governor also commands influence through appointments. The governor is empowered to nominate or appoint their preferred candidates to powerful positions throughout the state bureaucracy, including the secretary of state, who oversees elections; the commissioner of public education; the commissioner of higher education; members of the Public Utility Commission, which regulates the state’s power grid and other utilities; and the boards of regents for four-year public universities. This means that the power and influence of a Texas governor can grow the longer they’re in office. For example, Abbott, who’s been governor for more than a decade, has appointed every single regent for every university board in Texas, giving him incredible sway over higher education policy.

Campaign photo
Campaign site

Greg Abbott

Republican, incumbent

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $67.4 million
  • Raised between Jan.1-June 30: $28.3 million

💰 Major donors this year:

  • Janvaid Anwar, Midland oil executive – $1.5 million
  • Texas Republican Leadership Fund, backed by Amarillo businessman Alex Fairly – $1 million
  • Ross Perot Jr., Dallas businessman – $548,000
  • Elon Musk, Space X and Tesla Motors CEO – $500,000
  • Mackenzie Price, co-founder of Alpha School – $500,000
  • Kelcy Warren, executive at Energy Transfer Partners and University of Texas regent – $500,000

Experience:

  • 48th governor of Texas, first elected in 2014 and now serving his third term
  • Previously, Abbott was the longest-serving attorney general in state history. He also served on the Supreme Court of Texas and as a state district judge in Harris County.

Political ideology:

  • Earlier in his tenure, Abbott was more aligned with the party’s pro-business establishment wing. As the Republican Party has moved right, Abbott has embraced more hardline, socially conservative causes and transformed into a partisan warrior closely aligned with President Donald Trump. Recent legislative election cycles have been characterized by Abbott’s willingness to draw from his deep campaign coffers to support his preferred candidates and to oust Republican incumbents who disagreed in particular with his signature policy issue, school vouchers.

Policy stances:

  • Paused new data center connections to the state grid until an audit is completed after previously calling Texas the “epicenter” for artificial intelligence development. Supports tighter restrictions on data center development, including ending data center tax breaks.
  • Ordered state agencies to pause funding for Flock surveillance cameras after a Texas Tribune investigation found a state agency had devoted at least $30 million to building up the state’s Flock surveillance network by providing grants to local police departments.
  • Ordered state agencies to create stricter regulations on THC products, which culminated with the state health agency’s ban of smokeable hemp.
  • Called for more education changes, including banning the use of H-1B visa workers in public schools, limiting screen time in classrooms and punishing Texas teachers who have inappropriate relationships with students with 10 years in prison.
  • Reducing property taxes, with proposals including abolishing school property taxes (the primary source of funding for Texas public schools); requiring two-thirds voter approval for any property tax increases; and lowering the appraisal cap from 10% to 3%.
  • Securing the southern border, including through Operation Lone Star, an $11 billion program to install razor wire and buoys, seize trafficked drugs and arrest and deport unauthorized migrants. It also initiated a state funded border wall, which has since ended as federal wall construction restarted.
  • Stricter bail laws, including a constitutional amendment requiring judges to deny bail to some defendants accused of certain violent offenses.
  • Private school vouchers, to which the Legislature dedicated $1 billion for two years.

In the news:

Endorsements:

  • President Donald Trump
  • National Border Patrol Council
  • Texas Municipal Police Association, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, Association of Texas EMS Professionals

How to contact:

[email protected]

Texans for Greg Abbott

P.O. Box 308

Austin, TX 78767

Gina Hinojosa
Campaign photo
Campaign site

Gina Hinojosa

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $3 million
  • Raised between Jan. 1-June 30: $7.4 million

💰 Major donors this year:

  • United Food and Commercial Workers Active Ballot Club General Fund – $155,000
  • James Talarico state campaign account – $100,000
  • Texas American Federation of Teachers’ political fund – $75,000
  • Edward Allen III, co-founder of Eagle Global Advisors – $100,000
  • Domingo Garcia, attorney at law offices of Domingo Garcia – $50,000

Major donors this year:

  • United Food and Commercial Workers Active Ballot Club General Fund – $155,000
  • James Talarico state campaign account – $100,000
  • Texas American Federation of Teachers’ political fund – $75,000
  • Edward Allen III, co-founder of Eagle Global Advisors – $100,000
  • Domingo Garcia, attorney at law offices of Domingo Garcia – $50,000

Experience:

  • Serving her fifth term in the Texas House of Representatives
  • Previously served as president and an at-large member of the Austin Independent School District Board
  • Civil rights and union lawyer at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Kator, Parks & Weiser in Austin; Catholic Charities, Office of Immigrant Concerns; Texas Rural Legal Aid; and the Equal Justice Center.

Political ideology:

  • Rice University political science fellow Mark Jones ranked Hinojosa, who serves as vice chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus, as one of the most liberal members of the Texas House in every legislative session since she was elected. Her marquee issue was investing in public education, but she also worked on health care funding, corporate reform and public safety issues.

Policy stances:

  • Supports a moratorium on new data centers until lawmakers pass legislation to give communities more protections and end data center tax breaks.
  • Views Flock cameras as a method of “warrantless surveillance” and asked Abbott to “stop turning Texas into a surveillance state.”
  • Would push for Texas voters to decide on THC regulations and protections for children through a public vote.
  • Wants to give Texans a one-time $1,500 check each out of the state’s savings account.
  • Supports investing in school safety and increasing teacher pay.
  • Wants to end standardized testing in public schools, stop state takeovers of public schools and replace Abbott-appointed Education Commissioner Mike Morath with an educator.
  • Opposes private school vouchers.
  • Supports reining in private equity players in health care to lower costs and improve quality

In the news:

Endorsements:

  • State Rep. James Talarico, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
  • U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett, Greg Casar, Veronica Escobar, Sylvia Garcia, Vicente Gonzalez, Julie Johnson
  • Dozens of state lawmakers and local elected Democrats across Texas
  • Texas AFL-CIO, Texas American Federation of Teachers

How to contact:

[email protected]

Gina Hinojosa Campaign

P.O. Box 300095

Austin, TX 78703

Campaign site

Pat Dixon

Libertarian

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $6,374
  • Raised between Jan. 1-June 30: $9,233

💰 Major donors this year:

  • Michael Chastain, retired – $1,250
  • James Lark, University of Virginia professor – $1,000
  • Dustin Trammell, venture capital executive – $1,000
  • Libertarian Booster PAC – $523 in in-kind donations

Experience:

  • Owner and operator of Dixon Process Automation Services Inc. in Lago Vista
  • Two terms as a Lago Vista city council member
  • Several leadership roles within the Libertarian party, including 10 years as chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas and two terms on the Libertarian Party National Committee
  • Experience in “executive level positions in private industry, non-profit, and political entities” and working with the Texas Legislature, according to his website

Political ideology: Dixon emphasized that taxpayers should not pay for growth under “free market sustainability”. The Libertarian Party of Texas’ platform says it seeks “the maximum protection for the rights of all people against any violation” and that “government must be kept to the minimum necessary to protect the rights of individuals.” The party also says the government should not interfere in personal matters such as free speech, religion, marriage, family and property rights. It also supports the right to bear arms.

Policy stances:

  • Opposes tax incentive programs, including for data centers, to attract businesses to Texas
  • Reduce government spending by slashing business tax breaks, cutting programs like the Texas Department of Agriculture’s inspections of scales and lowering the state’s sales tax
  • Says surveillance cameras should be allowed on private property and roads to help address serious crimes, but a search of a statewide network should require “probable cause”
  • When it comes to hemp, THC and marijuana, he says that “adults should be free to make their own choices, provided they don’t harm others” while also “punishing impaired driving and other conduct that puts innocent people at risk”
  • Supports a “statewide scholarship,” in which every child would be given the same amount of funds to follow them to any school, and remove “politically motivated testing mandates”

In the news:

How to contact:

P. O. Box 4187,

Lago Vista, TX 78645

[email protected]

Edward Earl Giles, Jenn Mack, Jinghpaw Majoishingra and Mike Miller are declared write-in candidates for governor.

Disclosure: Javaid Anwar has been a major financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, Domingo Garcia and Rice University have been financial supporters within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.

Kayla Guo covers state politics and government. Before joining the Tribune, she covered Congress for The New York Times as a reporting fellow based in Washington, D.C. Kayla has also covered transportation...

María Méndez works on efforts to better connect with Texans and writes explainers and guides. She strives to answer Texans' questions about politics and public policy and to help them find resources....