{"id":498828,"date":"2026-01-07T11:49:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T11:49:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/498828\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T11:49:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T11:49:47","slug":"meet-the-candidates-running-for-the-texas-legislature-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/498828\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the candidates running for the Texas Legislature in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas\u2019 Republican-dominated state legislature is in the national spotlight this election cycle, and several local races will again be the focus of big spending from groups trying to shape it.<\/p>\n

During the last biennial legislative session Texas lawmakers oversaw the creation of a school voucher program the state had long resisted, reshaping the education landscape for the roughly 5.5 million children served by Texas public schools.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers also green-lit President Donald Trump\u2019s plan to redraw the state\u2019s congressional maps outside of the Census cycle, something that could help Republicans retain control of a U.S. House that\u2019s been friendly to the White House\u2019s agenda since Trump returned to office. <\/p>\n

\u201cTexas matters,\u201d said Republican strategist Craig Murphy. \u201cTake redistricting, for instance, you can see how important it was, having control the state House, when someone wanted to create better districts for one party.\u201d<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, national resources are already coming into Texas\u2019 state legislative races for 2026. The Democratic Legislative campaign committee has added Texas to its target list<\/a> for a $50 million budget across several states this election cycle.<\/p>\n

Yet the opportunities for Democrats to take more control at the legislature in 2026 are extremely limited \u2014 though Bexar County has some of the most competitive seats on that map.<\/p>\n

Seats up for grabs<\/p>\n

Every seat in the 150-member Texas House, where Republicans currently hold an 88-62 majority, is up for reelection in 2026.<\/p>\n

Texas House District 118 on San Antonio\u2019s South Side is one of the state\u2019s only true swing districts, held by state Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio), who is running for Congress<\/a> instead of reelection this year, and certain to be one of the most hard-fought races.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Texas House District 121<\/a> on the North Side, represented by state Rep. Marc LaHood<\/a>, is a much tougher race for Democrats, but one they must continue to target if they\u2019re going to pick up ground.<\/p>\n

Before the November election, both parties still have to choose their candidates for these races in the March 3 primary.<\/p>\n

This year three longtime Democratic Texas House members, state Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins<\/a> (D-San Antonio), Philip Cortez<\/a> (D-San Antonio) and Liz Campos<\/a> (D-San Antonio), all drew primary challengers who argue that their party should be doing more to fight back against a Republican-led body that keeps marginalizing them<\/a> from the legislative process.<\/p>\n

At the same time two Republicans, state Reps. Mark Dorazio<\/a> (R-San Antonio) and LaHood, who come from the party\u2019s conservative wing, face GOP primary challengers who want their party to return to its more business-centric roots.<\/p>\n

One Democrat, state Rep. Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio), is retiring this year<\/a> from a safely blue Westside district, where a crowded field of candidates is now vying to replace him.<\/p>\n

Filing for the primaries closed on Dec. 8, and these are the candidates that Republicans and Democrats will be choosing from on their respective primary ballots.<\/p>\n

The general election in November could also include independent candidates, who must collect signatures to get their names on the ballot, and third-party candidates, who are chosen through a different nominating process.<\/p>\n

Candidates are listed in the order they will appear on the March primary ballot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

House District 116<\/p>\n

Longtime incumbent state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer<\/a> (D-San Antonio) is seeking a fifth consecutive term and does not face a primary challenger this year. Martinez Fischer was once the leader of House Democrats\u2019 strategy, but lost that role last session<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He drew one Republican opponent, Rhett Rosenquest Smith<\/a>, who works in security.<\/p>\n

\nDemocrats running for Texas House District 116\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 116<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tRhett Rosenquest Smith works in security.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

House District 117<\/p>\n

State Rep. Philip Cortez<\/a> (D-San Antonio) drew a primary challenger<\/a> this year, attorney Robert Mihara<\/a>, after he was one of the only Democrats who didn\u2019t leave the state in an effort to break quorum and deny Republicans<\/a> the votes they needed to approve new GOP-friendly congressional maps. <\/p>\n

Republicans have one candidate, Ben Mostyn<\/a>, who ran for the seat in 2024.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 117<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 117<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

House District 118<\/p>\n

This Southside seat is considered the single most competitive Texas House districts. Incumbent Republican John Lujan (R-San Antonio) flipped it for his party, but is running for Congress instead of reelection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His 2024 Democratic opponent, Kristian Carranza<\/a>, is running again in 2026. Republicans are choosing from a handful of candidates running to replace Lujan.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 118<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 118<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

House District 119<\/p>\n

Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Liz Campos<\/a> (D-San Antonio) is running for a fourth term and faces a primary challenge from attorney Ryan Ayala<\/a>, a political newcomer. <\/p>\n

One Republican, retired operational planner Melva Rivera Perez<\/a>, is running this year.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 119<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 119<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

House District 120<\/p>\n

State Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins<\/a> (D-San Antonio) is seeking a sixth term in her East Side district. She drew two Democratic primary challengers this year, Democratic activist Bentley Paiz<\/a> and special education teacher Jordan Brown<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The winner of the Democratic primary will be unopposed in November \u2014 no Republicans filed to run.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 120<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 120<\/p>\n

None<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

House District 121<\/p>\n

Republican state Rep. Marc LaHood<\/a> (R-San Antonio) faces a well-funded GOP primary opponent, David McArthur<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The winner will face Democrat Zack Dunn<\/a>, a prosecutor in the Bexar County DA\u2019s office, in the general election.<\/p>\n

An independent candidate, Jonathan LaFevers, is also collecting signatures to appear on the November ballot.<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 121<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 121<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

House District 122<\/p>\n

Republican state Rep. Mark Dorazio<\/a> (R-San Antonio), a leader in the party\u2019s conservative wing, won the seat in 2022. This year he faces a GOP primary challenge from security company owner Willie Ng<\/a>, who served on the board of the Texas chamber of commerce.<\/p>\n

The winner of the March primary will face Democrat Shelly Nickels<\/a>, a hospital medical director and political newcomer.<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 122<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 122<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

House District 123<\/p>\n

Democratic state Rep. Diego Bernal<\/a> (D-San Antonio) an attorney and former San Antonio City Council member, won the seat in a 2015 special election.<\/p>\n

Bernal is once again running unopposed in both the Democratic primary and general election in 2026.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 123<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 123<\/p>\n

None<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

House District 124<\/p>\n

Democratic state Rep. Josey Garcia<\/a> (D-San Antonio), a U.S. Air Force veteran, is seeking a third term in her Southwest side district and did not draw a primary challenger. <\/p>\n

She faces a rematch in November with Republican Sylvia Soto<\/a>, a teacher who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2024.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 124<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 124<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

House District 125<\/p>\n

Longtime Democratic state Rep. Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio) is retiring this year, creating an opening in his reliably blue Westside seat. The Democratic primary includes a former constable, former Republican, SAISD union leader and Lopez\u2019s chief of staff.<\/p>\n

Two Republicans, Ricardo Martinez<\/a> and Charles \u201cChuck\u201d Mercer<\/a>, are vying for their party\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas House District 125<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas House District 125<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Texas Senate races<\/p>\n

Republicans have an even bigger advantage in the Texas Senate, where they control 20 out of 31 seats. Roughly half of the members are up for reelection at a time, serving staggered four-year terms. <\/p>\n

This year three out of four Bexar County state Senate seats are up for reelection, but only two are contested, while state Sen. Jos\u00e9 Men\u00e9ndez<\/a>\u00a0(D-San Antonio) did not draw a primary or general election opponent.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Senate District 19<\/p>\n

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio), who was first elected in 2020 and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2024, is unopposed in the Democratic primary.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll face the winner of a three-way Republican primary in November.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas Senate District 19<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas Senate District 19<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Senate District 21<\/p>\n

Democrat Judith Zaffirini<\/a> (D-Laredo) is one of the longest-serving members of the Texas Senate, first elected in 1986. <\/p>\n

She drew one Republican opponent, Julie Dahlberg<\/a>, a communications professional from Sutherland Springs.<\/p>\n

Democrats running for Texas Senate District 21<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Republicans running for Texas Senate District 21<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas\u2019 Republican-dominated state legislature is in the national spotlight this election cycle, and several local races will again…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":498829,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[17032,5229,224070,7202,7203,358,92503,109646,44543,224071,7453,3187,7815,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-498828","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-2026-election","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-march-3-primary","11":"tag-san-antonio","12":"tag-sanantonio","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-texas-house-district-117","15":"tag-texas-house-district-118","16":"tag-texas-house-district-121","17":"tag-texas-house-district-125","18":"tag-top-story","19":"tag-tx","20":"tag-typedaily","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-united-states-of-america","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","25":"tag-us","26":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115853671963825397","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}