Texas
Texas political candidates ready for a lively election season as filing deadline arrives
AUSTIN – Political hopefuls from across Texas start their races for the 2026 election season in earnest on Monday, as the window for filing their candidacies for public office draws to a close.
Up for grabs in the March primaries and November general election next year are 150 seats in the Texas House and 16 in the state Senate, as well as one U.S. Senate seat and all 38 U.S. Congressional districts.
The primaries, run by the Republican and Democrat parties, will be held March 3, 2026. Early voting opens Tuesday, Feb. 17. The general election is Nov. 3.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will be defending his position for a fourth term and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is running for re-election in what would be his fifth term. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, completing his fourth six-year term in Washington, faces a heavy attack for his post from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a fellow Republican, and a few high-profile Democrats.
Notably, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett is expected to announce today she will run for Cornyn’s Senate seat. Her expected entry into the race prompted Colin Allred, who ran for Senate in 2024 against incumbent Ted Cruz, to withdraw from the Senate contest and set his sights on the House instead. State Rep. James Talarico remains Crockett’s strongest foe in the upcoming primary.
Paxton’s exit from the AGs office leaves a field of candidates vying for his post, along with four other statewide officials, four members of the Texas Supreme Court, three members of the Criminal Court of Appeals, and eight members of the Texas Board of Education.
The Congressional races will be influenced by a newly drawn district map after the Texas Legislature redrew the lines this summer to send additional Republicans to Washington to support President Donald Trump. Democrat districts in Dallas, Houston and South Texas were redrawn to shift to Republican, a plan that has touched off court battles but has so far held up under legal scrutiny.
The new map gathers Republican voters into districts that will help their candidates, but the statewide offices — all of which have been controlled by the GOP for more than 20 years – are still vulnerable to the demographic and political shifts that have hinted at a more blue Texas in recent cycles.
Paxton, who was impeached by the GOP-dominated Texas House in 2023 but acquitted of the charges in a trial by the Texas Senate, has drawn criticism from the left over the years for his involvement in scandals that included felony indictment for securities fraud. He has escaped the legal tangles but remains a favorite target for Democrats who say he embodies the very political corruption his controlling party has vowed to abolish.
“Republican leadership has abused the power, neglected the operations, and left unfulfilled the
obligations of the Attorney General’s Office,” said state Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, who is running for the post. “They have maliciously and recklessly used it as a right-wing headline machine, taking their orders from D.C. power mongers and megadonor ideologues.”
Rather than distance themselves from Paxton, Republican candidates for his office are leaning on their willingness to support public safety, although the AG’s office doesn’t do criminal prosecutions.
“You want someone who is going to defend your freedom, who’s going to defend your rights, but will also aggressively prosecute and go after those who want to harm you, your families or your communities,” said state Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican and former prosecutor vying for the spot.
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When it comes to training the doctors and researchers who will staff hospitals, Texas holds its own on the world stage.
Several Texas health and medical institutions landed on U.S. News and World Report’s 2026-27 Best Global Universities list, with three cracking the global top 500 — led by UT Southwestern Medical Center at No. 113.
The list considered 13 indicators and weights to measure global research performance and reputation, ranking the world’s 2,250 top universities.
Here’s a look at how some major public and private health care and medical universities in Texas fared on the list.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Global Ranking: No. 113.
Location: Dallas, Texas.
Type: Public university.
Baylor College of Medicine
Global Ranking: No. 144.
Location: Houston, Texas.
Type: Private university.
University of Texas Health Science Center — Houston
Global Ranking: No. 324.
Location: Houston, Texas.
Type: Public university.
University of Texas Medical Branch — Galveston
Global Ranking: No. 599.
Location: Galveston, Texas.
Type: Public university.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Global Ranking: No. 1,871.
Location: Lubbock, Texas.
Type: Public university.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
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