The 2018 general election was held in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

on November 6, 2018. All of Texas's executive officers were up for election as well as a

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

seat, and all of Texas's 36 seats in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. The Republican and Democratic Parties nominated their candidates by primaries held on March 6, 2018. Convention parties nominated their candidates at a series of conventions. County conventions were held on March 17, 2018; district conventions were held on March 24, 2018; and a state convention was held on April 14, 2018. There is currently only one convention party in Texas, the Libertarian Party. Other parties may seek to achieve ballot access. Turnout in the November general election reached historic levels, rivaling turnout in a presidential election. While the Republican Party won every statewide position, the margin of victory was narrower than in previous elections.

Federal

United States Senate

Democratic U.S. Representative

Beto O'Rourke Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke ( , ; ; born September 26, 1972) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States) ...

and Libertarian candidate Neal Dikeman challenged U.S. Senator

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

for re-election. Cruz narrowly defeated O'Rourke by 2.6%.

United States House of Representatives

All of Texas's 36 seats in the

were up for election in 2018.Executive Branch
retrieved 23-October-2008 No open seats changed hands, but two Republican incumbents lost to Democrats.

Executive

Governor

Incumbent governor

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...

ran for a second term. He was first elected in 2014 after serving twelve years as

Texas Attorney General The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer
of the

, and he succeeded

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...

as governor. Abbott won the March 20, 2018, Republican primary, while

Lupe Valdez Guadalupe Valdez (born October 11, 1947) is an American law enforcement official who served as Sheriff of Dallas County, Texas, from 2005 to 2017, and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas in the 2018 gubernatorial election losing ...

won the Democratic runoff against Andrew White, becoming the first Latina nominated by a major party for statewide office in Texas. Libertarian Mark Tippetts also ran against Abbott. Tippetts defeated Kathie Glass, Patrick "Not Governor" Smith, and Kory Watkins at the party convention to earn his nomination.

Lieutenant governor

On January 9, 2017, the day before the 85th Texas Legislature began its session, incumbent Republican

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Dan Patrick announced he would run for re-election in 2018. He stated his early announcement was in order to dispel rumors of a primary challenge to Governor

or U.S. Senator

Republican primary

=Candidates

= * Scott Milder, former Rockwall city councilman * Dan Patrick, incumbent lieutenant governor

=Results

Democratic primary

=Candidates

= * Mike Collier, businessman, finance Chair of the

Texas Democratic Party The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Texas and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party's headquarters are in Austin, Texas. President Lyndon B. Johnson was a Texas Democ ...

, and nominee for Texas Comptroller in 2014 * Michael Cooper, businessman, community leader, and pastor

=Results

Libertarian state convention

=Candidates

= * Kerry Douglas McKennon

General election

= Polling

=Results

Attorney general

Comptroller of Public Accounts

Incumbent Republican

comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...

Glenn Hegar Glenn Allen Hegar Jr. (born November 25, 1970)State Sen. Glenn ...

ran for re-election to a second term.

Republican primary

=Candidates

= *

Glenn Hegar Glenn Allen Hegar Jr. (born November 25, 1970)State Sen. Glenn ...

, incumbent comptroller

=Results

Democratic primary

=Candidates

= * Joi Chevalier, business owner * Tim Mahoney, attorney, former

Austin Community College The Austin Community College District (ACC) is a public community college system serving the Austin, Texas, metropolitan area and surrounding Central Texas communities. The college maintains numerous campuses, centers, and distance learning opti ...

trustee

Results

Libertarian state convention

=Candidates

= *Ben Sanders

General election

=Results

Commissioner of the General Land Office

Republican primary

=Candidates

= *

George P. Bush George Prescott Bush (born April 24, 1976) is an American politician and attorney who served as the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Bush unsuccessfully campaigned for the party' ...

, incumbent Commissioner of the General Land Office *Davey Edwards, professional land surveyor * Jerry E. Patterson, former Commissioner of the General Land Office (2003–2015) *Rick Range, retired teacher and firefighter

=Results

Democratic primary

=Candidates

= * Tex Morgan, software engineer, former member of

VIA Metropolitan Transit VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority (referred to as VIA Metro or simply VIA) is the mass transit agency serving San Antonio, Texas, United States, and its surrounding municipalities. It began operation in 1978 as a successor to the San Antonio Tr ...

board * Miguel Suazo, energy and natural resources attorney

=Results

Libertarian state convention

=Candidates

= * Matt Piña

General election

=Endorsements

=Polling

=Results

Commissioner of Agriculture

Incumbent Republican

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

Sid Miller ran for re-election to a second term.

Republican primary

=Candidates

= * Trey Blocker, lobbyist * Jim Hogan, Democratic nominee for Agriculture Commissioner in 2014 * Sid Miller, incumbent Commissioner of Agriculture

=Results

Democratic primary

=Candidates

= *

Kim Olson Kimberly D. Olson (born October 24, 1957) is an American non-profit executive, politician, and retired military officer from the state of Texas. She served in the United States Air Force for 25 years, reaching the rank of colonel. She was the D ...

, retired

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

colonel, former member of the Weatherford Independent School District Board of Trustees

=Results

Libertarian state convention

=Candidates

= * Richard Carpenter

General election

=Results

Railroad Commissioner

Incumbent Republican

Christi Craddick Christi Leigh Craddick (born July 1, 1970) is an American politician. She is one of three members of the Railroad Commission of Texas, the elected regulatory body over oil, natural gas, utilities, and surface mining first established in 1891. Aft ...

ran for re-election to a second six-year term.

Republican primary

=Candidates

= *

, incumbent railroad commissioner * Weston Martinez, former

Texas Real Estate Commission The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is the state agency that governs real estate practices in the state of Texas. The agency is headquartered at 1700 North Congress in Austin. TREC is composed of nine members appointed by the Governor with ...

=Results

Democratic primary

=Candidates

= * Roman McAllen, historic preservation officer * Chris Spellmon, businessman

=Results

Libertarian state convention

=Candidates

= * Mike Wright

General election

=Results

Judicial

Supreme Court

Place 2

Incumbent Justice Jimmy Blacklock ran for a full term after being appointed by Governor

on January 2, 2018. Justice Blacklock filled the vacant seat left by

Don Willett Donny Ray Willett (born July 16, 1966) is an American lawyer and jurist serving since 2018 as a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He was previously a justice of the Supreme Court of Texas from 2005 to 2018. ...

due to his appointment by President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

=Republican primary

Candidates

Jimmy Blacklock Jimmy Blacklock (born August 28, 1980) is an American lawyer who has served as the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court since 2025. He previously served as a justice of the same court from 2018 to 2025. Background Blacklock was born in Hou ...

, incumbent associate justice

Results

=Democratic primary

Candidates

*Steven Kirkland, judge of the Harris County District Court (334th District)

Results

=General election

Results

Place 4

Incumbent Justice John Devine ran for re-election to a second six-year term.

=Republican primary

Candidates

* John Devine, incumbent associate justice

Results

=Democratic primary

Candidates

*R.K. Sandill, judge of the Harris County District Court (127th District)

Results

=General election

Results

Place 6

Incumbent Justice Jeff Brown ran for a full eight-year term after being elected to finish Chief Justice

Nathan Hecht Nathan Lincoln Hecht (born August 15, 1949) is an American lawyer who served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas from 2013 until his mandatory retirement December 31, 2024. A Republican from Dallas, Hecht was first elected to the ...

's term in 2014.

=Republican primary

Candidates

* Jeff Brown, incumbent associate justice

Results

=Democratic primary

Candidates

*Kathy Cheng, business litigator

Results

=General election

Results

Court of Criminal Appeals

Presiding Judge

Incumbent presiding judge Sharon Keller ran for re-election to a 5th six-year term.

=Republican primary

Candidates

*David Bridges, incumbent associate justice of the

Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas The Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas is one of the 14 Texas Courts of Appeals. It currently sits in Dallas, Texas. It has simultaneously both the smallest Court of Appeals' jurisdictional geographic size (only six counties, one of which is shared ...

Sharon Keller Sharon Faye Keller (born August 1, 1953) is the Presiding Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She is a Republican. Education and early career Born in Texas, Keller graduated from Rice University in Houston in 1975 with a major in phil ...

, incumbent presiding judge

Results

=Democratic primary

Candidates

*Maria T. Jackson, judge of the Harris County District Court (339th District)

Results

=General election

Results

Place 7

Incumbent Judge Barbara Hervey ran for re-election to a 4th six-year term.

=Republican primary

Candidates

Barbara Parker Hervey Barbara Parker Hervey (born June 26, 1953) is a Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals; she holds the Place 7 seat. Background Hervey earned her bachelor's degree in 1975 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina ...

, incumbent judge

Results

=Democratic primary

Candidates

*Ramona Franklin, judge of the Harris County District Court (338th District)

Results

=General election

Results

Place 8

Incumbent Judge

Elsa Alcala Elsa R. Alcala, also known as Elsa Spjut (born 1964), is a former Republican official who most recently served (2011–2018) as one of the nine judges of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She was appointed to the Place 8 on the bench by then ...

did not seek re-election to a second term.

=Republican primary

Candidates

*Jay Brandon,

Bexar County Bexar County ( or ; ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324, making it the state's fourth-most populous county. Bexar County ...

assistant district attorney * Michelle Slaughter, judge of the

Galveston County Galveston County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located along the Gulf Coast adjacent to Galveston Bay. As of the 2020 census, its population was 350,682. The county was founded in 1838. The county seat is the City of Galveston, ...

District Court (405th District) *Dib Waldrip, judge of the

Comal County Comal County ( ) is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 161,501. Comal County is known for its rich German-Texan and Eu ...

District Court (433rd District)

Results

=General election

Results

State Board of Education

Member, District 2

Republican primary

Democratic primary

General election

Member, District 3

Democratic primary

General election

Member, District 4

Democratic primary

General election

Member, District 7

Republican primary

Democratic primary

General election

Member, District 11

Republican primary

Democratic primary

General election

Member, District 12

Republican primary

Democratic primary

=First round

= Malone-Miller withdrew after the first round, eliminating the need for a runoff.

General election

Member, District 13

Republican primary

Democratic primary

General election

Texas Legislature

Every seat in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

and about half of the seats in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

were up for election.

Texas Senate

Texas House of Representatives

References

External links

Candidates
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...

Candidates
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Campaign finance
at

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector an ...

Official Lieutenant Governor campaign websites
Mike Collier (D) for Lt. GovernorKerry McKinnon (L) for Lt. GovernorDan Patrick (R) for Lt. Governor
Official Attorney General campaign websites
Michael Ray Harris (L) for Attorney GeneralJustin Nelson (D) for Attorney GeneralKen Paxton (R) for Attorney General
Official Comptroller of Public Accounts campaign websites
Joi Chevalier (D) for ComptrollerGlenn Hegar (R) for Comptroller
* Official Commissioner of the General Land Office campaign websites
George P. Bush (R) for Land CommissionerMatt Piña (L) for Land CommissionerMiguel Suazo (D) for Land Commissioner
Official Commissioner of Agriculture campaign websites
Sid Miller (R) for Agriculture CommissionerKim Olson (D) for Agriculture Commissioner
Official Railroad Commissioner campaign websites
Christi Craddick (R) for Railroad CommissionerRoman McAllen (D) for Railroad CommissionerMike Wright (L) for Railroad Commissioner
Official Supreme Court of Texas, Place 2 campaign websites
Jimmy Blacklock (R) for Supreme CourtSteven Kirkland (D) for Supreme Court
Official Supreme Court of Texas, Place 4 campaign websites
John Devine (R) for Supreme CourtR.K. Sandill (D) for Supreme Court
Official Supreme Court of Texas, Place 6 campaign websites
Jeff Brown (R) for Supreme CourtKathy Cheng (D) for Supreme Court
{{2018 United States elections