Legislative Services

Texas’ 2026 primary elections are complete, though several high-profile races are headed to a runoff election on May 26. For only the second time since 2008, Democrats turned out more early voters than Republicans.

On the Republican side, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn narrowly led Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate primary, but he fell short of exceeding the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Voters in the Democratic primary gave state Rep. James Talarico the nod over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett for the Senate nomination, setting up what promises to be a closely watched general election.

In other notable races, four-term U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his primary to former state Rep. Steve Toth, while U.S. Rep. Al Green survived but will need to best newly sworn-in U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee in the May 26 runoff. Meanwhile, embattled U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales dropped out of his runoff race on March 5, clearing the path for challenger Brandon Herrera to advance to November’s general election.

Several newcomers, including Jessica Steinmann, Chris Gober and Mark Teixeira, secured Republican U.S. House nominations and a place on the general election ballot. The Cornyn-Paxton runoff is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in recent Texas history, with roughly 300,000 Wesley Hunt voters now up for grabs.

Surface Transportation Reauthorization & BASICS Act

Congressional negotiations are underway on surface transportation reauthorization, which will determine five-year federal funding levels and policies for roads, bridges, public transit and more. The National Association of Counties urges members to contact their U.S. representatives to support the bipartisan BASICS Act (H.R. 7437), which advances county priorities and should be included in the final package.

ADA Web Accessibility Deadline

Counties with populations of 50,000 or more face an April 24 compliance deadline under the U.S. Department of Justice’s web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA) for county websites, applications and online tools.

Upcoming Dates

• Special election for Senate District 4: May 2
• Primary runoff: May 26