2026 Republican Primary Voter Guide

A U.S. Senator is one of two people who represent the entire state of Texas in Washington, D.C. While U.S. Representatives (Congressmen/women) represent specific neighborhoods or districts, Senators represent everyone in the state. Texas has two Senators who serve six-year terms.

The Senate is one of the most powerful groups in the world. They make big decisions that affect your daily life, including:

• Lawmaking: They vote on federal laws regarding taxes, healthcare, immigration, and the military.
• The Courts: They are the ones who “confirm” (approve) Supreme Court justices and federal judges.
• Money: They decide how our federal tax dollars are spent on things like highways, social security, and border security.
• State Voice: They ensure that Texas’ specific interests—like our energy industry or agriculture—are considered when national policies are made.

Note: In Texas, if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two will move to a “Runoff” election on May 26, 2026.

Your U.S. Representative (also called a Congressman or Congresswoman) is your direct voice in the “House” in Washington, D.C. While Senators represent the whole state, a Representative only represents your specific part of San Antonio. They serve shorter, two-year terms to keep them closely connected to the people they serve.

The House is often called the “People’s House” because it’s where your local needs meet national policy. They have the power to:

• Start Money Bills: All laws regarding taxes must start in the House.
• Direct Funding: They fight for federal money to go specifically to San Antonio projects, like improving local highways, supporting Lackland or Fort Sam Houston, and funding local healthcare clinics.
• Constituent Services: Their local office helps you personally with federal issues, like a missing Social Security check, VA benefits, or passport delays.

Note: In Texas, if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two will move to a “Runoff” election on May 26, 2026.

Note: In Texas, if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two will move to a “Runoff” election on May 26, 2026.

While the name sounds like a “Vice President,” the Lieutenant Governor of Texas is actually the President of the Texas Senate. They aren’t just a backup; they are the “Traffic Controller” for every law that tries to pass through the state government.

The Governor holds significant power over the laws and services that affect your daily life:

• Signing or Vetoing Laws: Every bill passed by the Texas Legislature must go to the Governor’s desk. They can sign it into law or “veto” (reject) it.
• Emergency Powers: The Governor leads the state’s response to disasters, like hurricanes, floods, or public health crises.
• Appointments: They appoint the people who run major state agencies, including the Secretary of State, the Commissioner of Education, and members of boards that oversee everything from transportation to Texas universities.
• Setting the Agenda: At the start of each legislative session, the Governor identifies “emergency items” to fast-track, signaling to lawmakers what the top priorities for the state should be.

The Governor is the Chief Executive of Texas—essentially the “CEO” of the state. They are elected every four years and are responsible for the overall direction of the Texas government.

• Legislative Control: They decide which bills get a vote and which ones “die” in committee. If they don’t like a bill, it almost never becomes law.
• Committee Appointments: They pick which Senators sit on powerful committees (like the ones that handle the state budget or education).
• Tie-Breaker: They cast the deciding vote if the State Senate is split 50/50.

The Attorney General (AG) is the top lawyer for the State of Texas. They lead a massive office of over 4,000 employees who represent the state in legal battles, from local child support cases to massive lawsuits against the federal government.

• The AG’s decisions affect your legal rights and the state’s relationship with Washington, D.C.:
• Fighting Federal Overreach: The AG frequently sues the federal government over policies involving the border, healthcare, and the environment.
• Consumer Protection: This office investigates businesses for price gouging, data privacy violations, and scams targeting Texans.
• Child Support: They manage the statewide system for collecting and distributing child support payments to families.
• Law & Order: They provide support to local prosecutors and can take over criminal cases involving public corruption or election integrity.

The Comptroller is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Texas. Think of them as the state’s head accountant, tax collector, and treasurer all rolled into one. They manage the state’s massive multi-billion dollar budget.

• The Comptroller has a unique power called “Revenue Estimating.” Before the State Legislature can spend a single dime on schools or roads, the Comptroller must tell them exactly how much money the state will actually have.
• Tax Collection: They collect over 60 different types of taxes, including the sales tax you pay at the store.
• The “Checkbook”: They write the checks for all state expenses and manage the state’s investments.
• Economic Forecasting: They provide the data that helps businesses and lawmakers understand if the Texas economy is growing or shrinking.
• Unclaimed Property: They run the “Great Texas Treasure Hunt,” returning forgotten bank accounts and utility deposits to citizens.

The Land Commissioner is the state’s “Real Estate Manager.” They oversee more than 13 million acres of state-owned land, including the mineral rights (oil and gas) underneath them and the Texas coastline.

The decisions made by the Land Commissioner have a direct impact on your taxes, your history, and your community’s safety:

• Funding Schools: The money made from leasing state lands for oil and gas goes into the Permanent School Fund, which pays for textbooks and technology in Texas public schools.
• The Alamo: The GLO is the official “custodian” of the Alamo in San Antonio. The Commissioner oversees its preservation and how its history is told.
• Veterans: They run the Veterans Land Board, providing low-interest land, home, and home improvement loans to Texas veterans.
• Disaster Recovery: When a major hurricane or flood hits Texas, the Land Commissioner is often responsible for distributing billions of dollars in federal recovery money to help families rebuild.

The Agriculture Commissioner leads the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). While the title sounds like it’s only for farmers, this office touches the lives of every Texan—urban and rural—every single day.

The TDA is responsible for consumer protection and economic development. Key responsibilities include:

• The “Gas Pump” & Scales: Every time you buy gas or groceries, the TDA ensures the pumps and scales are calibrated correctly so you get exactly what you pay for.
• School Lunches: The office manages the multi-billion dollar federal school nutrition program that feeds millions of Texas children.
• Economic Growth: They run the “Go Texan” program, which promotes Texas-made products globally.
• Rural Health: The commissioner oversees grants for rural hospitals and infrastructure to keep small-town Texas thriving.

Despite the name, the Railroad Commission (RRC) has nothing to do with trains. It is actually the state agency that regulates the oil and natural gas industry. There are three Commissioners who are elected statewide to six-year, staggered terms. This means every two years, one of the three seats is up for election.

exas is the #1 energy producer in the U.S., which makes the RRC one of the most powerful regulatory bodies in the country. They oversee:

• Energy Production: They grant permits for every oil and gas well drilled in the state.
• Environmental Safety: They are responsible for preventing pollution of our water and soil from drilling activities.
• Abandoned Wells: They manage the program to “plug” old, leaking oil wells that owners have walked away from.
• Pipeline Safety: They oversee the thousands of miles of natural gas pipelines that crisscross Texas and San Antonio.
• Gas Utilities: They help set the rates you pay for natural gas in your home.

The Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) is the highest criminal court in Texas. While the Texas Supreme Court handles things like lawsuits and divorces, the CCA has the final word on all criminal cases—including death penalty cases, which go directly to this court for review.

The nine judges on this court are the final referees of the law in Texas. Their decisions affect:

• Final Appeals: They decide if a person’s criminal trial was fair or if a legal mistake was made that requires a new trial.
• The Death Penalty: They are required by law to review every single death penalty conviction in the state.
• Habeas Corpus: They handle “last chance” appeals for people who claim they were wrongly convicted or that their constitutional rights were violated.
• Setting Rules: They establish the rules for how evidence is used in criminal trials across all of Texas.

A State Senator represents you in the Texas Senate, which is the “upper chamber” of the state legislature in Austin. There are only 31 State Senators in all of Texas, which means each one represents a massive area—about 940,000 people. This is roughly five times the number of people a State Representative speaks for.

The Texas Senate is often called the “more powerful” half of the legislature because it has special duties that the House does not. Your State Senator helps control the state’s future in several key ways:

• The “Traffic Controller”: Led by the Lieutenant Governor, the Senate has strict rules on which bills get to be voted on. If your Senator has a good relationship with leadership, your community’s needs are much more likely to become law.
• Approving State Leaders: The Senate has the unique power to “confirm” (approve) or reject the people the Governor picks to run state agencies, like the leaders of the Texas Education Agency or the Parks and Wildlife Department.
• Long-Term Planning: Because Senators serve four-year terms (twice as long as House members), they often focus on “big picture” issues that take years to solve, like the state’s 50-year water plan or multi-billion dollar highway expansions.
• The Filibuster: Only State Senators have the power to “filibuster”—standing at their desk and talking for hours to try and kill a bill they believe is bad for Texas. It is one of the most powerful tools a single person has to stop a law.
• Trial of State Officials: If a state official is impeached (accused of a crime or misconduct), the Senate acts as the “court” that decides whether to remove them from office.

A State Representative is your neighborhood’s direct voice in the Texas House of Representatives in Austin. Texas is divided into 150 districts, and each one sends one person to the State Capitol to represent about 200,000 neighbors. They serve two-year terms, which means they are up for election frequently to stay accountable to you.

While the U.S. Congress in Washington handles national issues, your State Representative handles the laws that affect your “everyday” life in San Antonio. They have a seat at the table for:

• The State Budget: They decide how Texas spends billions of dollars on highways, mental health services, and state parks.
• Public Schools: They vote on how much funding goes to your local school district and help decide what is taught in Texas classrooms.
• Your Wallet: They are responsible for passing laws that can lower your property taxes or change the sales tax you pay.
• Local Problems: They act as a bridge between you and state agencies. If you’re having a problem with a state department (like the DMV or the Texas Workforce Commission), your State Representative’s office is the place you call for help.
• Starting Money Bills: In Texas, any law that increases taxes must start in the House of Representatives

A Precinct Chair is the “neighborhood captain” for their political party. While the Governor handles the state and the Mayor handles the city, the Precinct Chair handles just a few square blocks—your specific voting precinct. They are unpaid volunteers elected to two-year terms.

They are the bridge between your neighborhood and the larger political party. Their work directly impacts how much attention your area gets during election season:

• Getting Out the Vote: They are responsible for knocking on doors, making calls, and making sure their neighbors know when and where to vote.
• Party Leadership: Every Precinct Chair in Bexar County sits on the County Executive Committee. This group makes the big decisions for the local party, like approving the budget and helping fill vacancies on the ballot.
• The Precinct Convention: After the primary polls close, the Precinct Chair runs a small meeting (the “Precinct Convention”) where neighbors can propose ideas (resolutions) to be added to the state party platform.
• Election Support: They often help recruit the “Election Judges” and clerks who actually run the polling place on Election Day to ensure everything is fair and organized.

John Bochert
Medlyn Lyons

Raymond Zavala
Rita R. Sanchez

Suzanne Becken
Brian Howell

Douglas A. Gregory
Laura Leigh Kirby

Enzo Ramos
Paulina Alvarez Johnson

E.E. Buster Williams
Andrew Paul Johnson

Eric Charsky
Michael P. Sheridan

WM “Bill” Nowland
Simona Rubaclava

Party Propositions are non-binding opinion polls. When you vote “Yes” or “No” on a proposition, you aren’t actually passing a law or changing the Texas Constitution. Instead, you are participating in a massive survey conducted by the political party.

Even though they don’t become law immediately, they are incredibly powerful for three reasons:

• The Party Platform: The results tell the state party leadership exactly what their voters care about. If 90% of voters say “Yes” to a proposition, it almost always becomes an official part of the Party Platform.
• The Legislative Agenda: When the Texas Legislature meets in Austin next year, lawmakers look at these results. They use them as “proof” that the public supports specific new laws, such as property tax changes or border security measures.
• Candidate Pressure: Candidates often look at how their specific district voted on these propositions to decide which issues they should focus on during the General Election in November.