3 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
3 candidates · ballot order · Greg Abbott currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Property taxes: five policy proposals to rein in local taxing power, letting voters decide whether to abolish school property taxes, and requiring two-thirds voter approval for any property tax increase.
Continuing the 'Texas model' of economic growth, job creation and tax cuts.
Border security.
Private school vouchers and education savings accounts, which he pushed into law.
Defending Texas's 'culture, heritage, and values' against what he calls 'radical Democrats' trying to turn the state blue.
Opposing what he describes as 'activists and liberal politicians who want to turn Texas into a socialist state with more government, more regulation, and less freedom.'
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Governor of Texas since January 2015; attorney general of Texas 2002-2015; justice of the Texas Supreme Court before that.
Signed Texas's private school voucher programme into law after years of pushing it against opposition from rural Republicans and Democrats.
Governed through the February 2021 winter storm and grid failure, and the subsequent grid legislation.
Signed the 2021 abortion law and the state's post-Dobbs ban.
Directed the 2025 mid-decade congressional redistricting.
Won the March 3 2026 Republican primary with about 82%.
Suspended competitive bidding requirements during declared emergencies, which his opponent says produced billions of dollars in no-bid state contracts.
Arguments in favor
Property tax relief is the centre of his fourth-term agenda — he wants voters themselves to decide whether to abolish school property taxes and to require two-thirds approval for any increase.
— Greg Abbott for Governor campaign
The 'Texas model' has produced sustained economic and population growth, job creation and tax cuts across his three terms.
— Greg Abbott, at the June 2026 Republican Party of Texas convention
He has delivered the conservative programme Texas Republicans have asked for — border enforcement, school choice, tax cuts — rather than promising it.
— Republican Party of Texas
Arguments against
He is 'the most corrupt governor in Texas history': suspending competitive bidding requirements led to billions of dollars in no-bid state contracts, and he pushed private school vouchers after taking millions in campaign donations from a wealthy out-of-state supporter.
— Gina Hinojosa, Democratic nominee
'Under Greg Abbott, our costs have gone up, our health care remains expensive and out of reach, and our public schools have been defunded.'
— Gina Hinojosa, Democratic nominee
He let energy companies profit at Texans' expense after the 2021 winter storm rather than making them bear the cost of the grid failure.
— Gina Hinojosa, Democratic nominee
What we couldn’t verify
His official campaign website could not be verified, so no URL is listed.
How schools would be funded if school property taxes were abolished; the replacement mechanism was not established from a source read directly.
His campaign finance totals for 2026 were not located.
His response to the specific corruption allegations his opponent has made could not be located.
Saving Texas public schools — increasing public school funding and opposing the private school voucher programme.
'Put money in your pocket': $1,500 household payments to address cost of living.
Ending what she calls 'the Greg Abbott Corruption Tax.'
Expanding access to health care.
Protecting reproductive rights.
Regulating data centres.
Redistricting reform.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from an Austin district since 2017.
Former president of the Austin Independent School District board of trustees.
Became the House's leading opponent of Abbott's private school voucher legislation.
Won the March 3 2026 Democratic primary with about 59%, avoiding a runoff.
Has centred her general election campaign on inflation and prices.
Arguments in favor
She fought the voucher programme in the legislature when it was unpopular to do so, and would put that money back into public schools.
— Gina Hinojosa for Texas campaign
Her affordability plan is concrete — $1,500 household payments, regulation of data centres that drive up power costs.
— Gina Hinojosa for Texas campaign, as reported by CBS Texas
She has kept the race closer than any Texas Democrat in years, and some Texas conservatives have publicly said they will cross over.
— Texas conservatives quoted by the Detroit News
Arguments against
She is one of the 'activists and liberal politicians who want to turn Texas into a socialist state with more government, more regulation, and less freedom.'
— Greg Abbott, Republican nominee
She is an Austin legislator whose record is a record of opposition — she has not run anything at state scale — running for an office no Democrat has won in Texas since 1990.
— Republican Party of Texas
Her agenda means more government and more regulation at a time when Abbott is offering to let voters abolish school property taxes.
— Greg Abbott for Governor campaign
What we couldn’t verify
How the $1,500 household payments would be funded.
Her position on Texas's abortion ban beyond a general commitment to protect reproductive rights.
Her campaign finance totals were not located; Abbott has historically held a very large advantage.
Libertarian Party nominee for governor of Texas, nominated at the party's convention in April 2026.
Engineer and owner of Dixon Process Automation Services Inc. in Lago Vista, Texas.
Served on the Lago Vista City Council.
Ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Texas Senate.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
His stated policy positions for this campaign could not be established; no campaign website or platform document was located, so standsFor is left empty rather than filled in from the national Libertarian platform.
No organised advocacy for his candidacy and no criticism of him by name from an opposing campaign or outlet could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Republican incumbent Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth term; if he wins he becomes the longest-serving governor in Texas history. Roster established from Wikipedia's race page, Ballotpedia, the Texas Tribune, Houston Public Media, CBS Austin and KXAN, cross-checked. In the March 3 2026 primaries, Abbott won the Republican nomination with about 82%, and state Representative Gina Hinojosa of Austin won the Democratic nomination with about 59%, avoiding a runoff. Pat Dixon, an engineer and former Lago Vista city council member, was nominated by the Libertarian Party at its April 2026 convention and appears on the ballot. The Texas Green Party did not nominate a candidate for governor. Jenn Mack Raphoon is running as an independent write-in and would not appear as a printed name on the ballot, so she is named here rather than profiled. No Democrat has won a Texas governor's race since 1990.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Texas ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.