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★ 2026 Texas Voter Guide · Statewide edition

Walk into the booth actually knowing.

Fourteen statewide races on your November 3, 2026 Texas ballot, from Governor down to the high courts: the strongest case for each side, in plain language, with nobody telling you how to vote. For people who care but don't have time to research them all.

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  • Both sides, no spin
  • Fourteen statewide races
  • Sourced & cited
  • Instant PDF download
Cover of the PolitiGeist 2026 Texas Voter Guide
19-page PDF · instant download
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The strongest case for each side

For every race, the best honest argument each way. Equal space, no endorsement. You decide; we just make sure you've heard both.

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Thirty seconds or thirty minutes

A quick take on every race (what the office does, who's running, the core disagreement) with deeper detail when you want it.

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Sourced, not spun

Every factual claim is tied to reporting and official records, listed at the back. An independent guide, not a party mailer.

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Including the high courts

Governor down to Railroad Commissioner, plus the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals, the races most guides skip.

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See exactly what you're paying for

Here's one full race, the Governor's race, rendered exactly as it appears in the guide. Same layout, same voice, same design as the PDF you'll download.

Free sample · 1 of 14 races
01Executive · 4-year term

Governor

The state's chief executive.

01 The 30-Second Version

What this job does

The governor signs or vetoes every bill the Legislature passes, commands the Texas National Guard, appoints hundreds of officials and board members, and sets the agenda from the state's most powerful bully pulpit. On paper the office is constitutionally "weak" (power is shared with the lieutenant governor), but a governor who keeps winning accumulates lasting sway over the courts, agencies, and party.

Who's running

Greg AbbottRepublican
Incumbent since 2015; seeking a record fourth term that would make him the longest-serving governor in Texas history.
Gina HinojosaDemocrat
State representative from Austin (HD-49) since 2017 and a former Austin ISD school board president.
Also on the ballot: Pat Dixon (Libertarian), polling in the low single digits.

The core disagreement

After more than a decade of unified Republican control, this race is a referendum: keep Texas on its current course (hard-line border enforcement, private-school vouchers, and a push to gut property taxes) or change direction toward public schools, cost-of-living relief, and new leadership.

02 If You Want More
Greg AbbottRepublican
The strongest case for him

Abbott runs as the steady hand who turned Texas into the country's boom state, leading the nation in job creation and corporate relocations, and treats that, plus his border crackdown (Operation Lone Star), as proof his approach works. In 2025 he delivered the two things his base wanted most: a private-school-choice program, now in its first year, and billions in property-tax cuts. He's campaigning to go further, including letting voters abolish school property taxes outright. He enters with overwhelming advantages: near-universal name recognition, a decade of incumbency, and roughly $90 million in the bank. The pitch: continuity and strength.

  • Property taxes: wants voters able to abolish school property taxes; the appraisal cap cut from 10% to 3%.
  • Border: built Operation Lone Star, the multibillion-dollar border-security buildup.
  • Schools: signed the 2025 education-savings-account (voucher) law; wants 70% of school funding in the classroom.
  • Economy: touts job growth and relocations; ended state DEI programs.
Gina HinojosaDemocrat
The strongest case for her

Hinojosa argues a decade of one-party rule has let the basics slip while politicians chase culture wars. Her signature issue is public schools: she calls vouchers "a handout to wealthy families whose children already attend private school," vows to repeal the program, and would move money spent on outside vendors into teacher pay to make Texas educators among the best-paid in the country; the state currently ranks 33rd in average teacher salary. The rest runs on affordability, her "money in your pocket" agenda, including a fight against the electricity costs she pins on unchecked data-center growth. The polls have tightened into single digits, with strong numbers among Latino voters.

  • Schools: opposes vouchers, would repeal the 2025 program; raise teacher pay by cutting vendor spending.
  • Affordability: a "money in your pocket" cost-of-living agenda.
  • Energy & grid: curb the data-center growth she says drives up electricity costs.
  • Experience: five terms in the Texas House; former Austin ISD board president.
03 What Critics Say

Against Abbott

Critics blame him for the February 2021 grid collapse during Winter Storm Uri, when hundreds died and millions lost power for days, and say the grid is still fragile. They argue Operation Lone Star cost billions with disputed results, and that the near-total abortion ban he signed, with no exceptions for rape or incest, goes further than most Texans want.

Against Hinojosa

No Democrat has won a statewide election in Texas since 1994, and she starts with far less money and name recognition. A five-term state representative from liberal Austin has never run a state agency, and Republicans argue her platform is too progressive for a state that has moved right.

The rest of the guide

Six more statewide offices and both high courts, unlocked in the full guide.

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Executive

Lieutenant Governor

Keep the state Senate under a decade of hard-charging conservative leadership, or install a check on it.

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Executive

Attorney General

Continue Paxton's combative, national-conservative AG office, or reset it as a neutral check on power. Open seat.

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Executive

Comptroller

An activist, tax-cutting watchdog who'd expand vouchers, or a data-driven administrator focused on public schools.

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Executive

Land Commissioner

The incumbent's record on disaster recovery, energy leasing, and the Alamo, versus a challenge on transparency and the coast.

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Executive

Agriculture Commissioner

Conservative and agribusiness priorities, or a rural populist for family farms, school meals, and consumers. Open seat.

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Executive

Railroad Commissioner

Industry-friendly deregulation of Texas oil and gas, or tougher enforcement, less flaring, and more accountability.

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Judicial · 4 seats

Texas Supreme Court

The state's last word on civil law: business, injuries, property, family. An all-Republican bench, four seats up.

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Judicial · 3 seats

Court of Criminal Appeals

The state's last word on criminal cases, including the death penalty. An all-Republican bench, three seats up.

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Get the full 2026 Texas Voter Guide

Fourteen statewide races. Instant PDF download. Read it on your phone, your laptop, or print it.

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What format is it?

A PDF you download the moment you buy. Read it on your phone or computer, or print it to take to the polls.

Is it partisan?

No. PolitiGeist is independent and makes no endorsement in any race. The entire point is the strongest case for both sides so you can make up your own mind.

What does it cover?

Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, and the three commissioners, plus the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals. Federal races and the three 15th Court of Appeals seats aren't included.

Is it up to date?

It covers the November 3, 2026 ballot and is finalized against the certified candidate list. If anything material changes, buyers get the updated file.