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Texas lieutenant governor: Who is running and what to know

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By Renzo Downey and María Méndez, The Texas Tribune
September 28, 2026

Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about the candidates running for statewide seats, The Texas Tribune is sharing information about the Republican, Democratic and third-party candidates. For more information on midterms and the voting process, check out our election resources here.

About the elected seat: The lieutenant governor, Texas’ second-highest state executive, presides over the state Senate and, in that role, largely controls the flow of legislation in the chamber. Because of this, the office is often described as the most powerful in Texas government. The Senate’s rules put the lieutenant governor in charge of the chamber’s agenda and standing committees, along with the power to break ties and decide procedural questions. Taken together, this gives the office significant influence over which bills make it to the governor’s desk and how much clout each senator wields. Additionally, the lieutenant governor co-chairs the Legislative Budget Board, which develops the state budget, and sits on the Legislative Redistricting Board, which is in charge of redrawing political maps if the Legislature fails to do so.

What’s at stake: Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a close ally of President Donald Trump who chaired all three of his presidential campaigns in Texas, is seeking a fourth term. Patrick has spent the last decade pushing the Legislature steadily to the right. Patrick’s ouster would create a vacuum in Texas Republican politics and within the Senate, where he has built a stable of reliable GOP allies who often march in lockstep with their presiding officer. Although the lieutenant governor is currently one of the most powerful offices in the state, much of that authority is bestowed by the Senate rules approved by the chamber each regular session. If a Democrat is elected in November, the Republican-led Senate would likely rewrite its rules to strip the office of its major powers, marking a significant shift in the dynamics of the Legislature.

Patrick won his primary outright in March, easily dispatching three lesser-known candidates. State Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin secured the Democratic nomination in May. Green Party, Libertarian and declared write-in candidates are also running for the role in the general election.

Candidates at a glance:

Campaign site

Dan Patrick

Republican, incumbent

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $35.3 million
  • Raised between Jan. 1-June 30: $6 million

💰 Major donors this cycle:

  • Elon Musk Revocable Trust – $500,000
  • Investment analyst Kenneth Fisher – $400,000
  • Businessman John Nau II – $275,000
  • Real estate developer and businessman Ross Perot Jr., board chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – $250,000
  • Investor Harlan Crow – $250,000

Experience:

  • Republican lieutenant governor first elected in 2014, defeating then-incumbent David Dewhurst in the GOP primary
  • State senator from 2007 to 2015
  • Former conservative talk radio host, sports bar owner and sportscaster for KHOU in Houston

Political ideology:

  • Describes himself as a Christian first and has referred to the United States as a “Christian nation”
  • Social and fiscal conservative who has prioritized a mix of economic measures, such as limiting the growth of property taxes and shoring up the state’s electric grid, along with conservative “red meat” issues targeting LGBTQ+ Texans and restricting how race and gender can be discussed in classrooms
  • As a state senator, founded the Legislature’s now-defunct Tea Party Caucus in 2010

Policy stances:

  • Supports cutting property taxes by increasing the school homestead exemption and lowering the age for the senior homestead exemption
  • Leading advocate for expanding school vouchers that let families use taxpayer money to pay for their children’s private school tuition and other educational expenses
  • Supports banning the sale of THC products
  • Supports preserving Texas’ abortion ban
  • Pitched punishing public schools that do not remove graphic books from their shelves by lowering their annual school performance rating by a letter grade
  • Directed senators to examine foreign nationals “exploiting” Texas surrogates, who carry babies for another couple, ahead of the 2027 legislative session
  • Called for an audit of the state’s broadband office amid concerns of grant rules favoring Elon Musk’s Starlink
  • Has said the state’s plan for building new high-voltage transmission lines to deliver electricity to oil companies should “also protect Texas landowners and communities”
  • Spearheaded creation of the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program and the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas, receiving blowback from some fiscal hawks

In the news:

Endorsements:

  • President Donald Trump
  • Gov. Greg Abbott
  • U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz
  • Former Gov. Rick Perry
  • Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
  • Texas Oil and Gas Association PAC
  • Texas Farm Bureau’s AgFund
  • Texas Right to Life PAC
  • Several leading law enforcement PACs

How to contact:

Campaign site

Vikki Goodwin

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $317,571
  • Raised between Jan. 1-June 30: $757,078

💰 Major donors this cycle:

  • Singer and songwriter Don Henley – $109,000
  • Annie’s List PAC – $11,145
  • Sun City Democrats – $10,000
  • Edward R. Allen, investor Eagle Global Advisors – $10,000
  • Zeph Capo, president of Texas American Federation of Teachers – $5,000
  • Adrian Garcia, Harris County Commissioner – $2,500

Experience:

  • Democratic state representative first elected in 2018, defeating then-incumbent state Rep. Paul Workman, a Republican from Spicewood
  • Represents southwest Austin and Travis County
  • Authored Cati’s Act in 2023, creating drowning prevention requirements for child care organizations, including camps
  • Sponsored the Natalia Cox Act in 2023, providing notice for victims of domestic violence

Political ideology:

  • Consistently ranked as one of the most liberal Texas House members by Rice University political science professor Mark Jones
  • Whip (i.e. vote wrangler) of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus

Policy stances:

  • Supports increasing public school funding and teacher pay
  • Supports investing in water infrastructure and water recycling
  • Calls for passing the Fair Rent Incentive Act to incentivize lower rent
  • Wants to repeal the state’s abortion ban
  • Calls for expanding Medicaid and creating a statewide health program
  • Supports regulating THC with age restrictions, testing and labeling requirements
  • Has spoken out against a controversial proposal to reduce voting sites in Tarrant County
  • Has supported a moratorium on data center development
  • Calls for limits and accountability for ICE agents following the shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston

In the news:

Endorsements:

  • U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
  • U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin
  • Former U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco
  • 35+ Democratic state representatives
  • Travis County Judge Andy Brown and at least four other Travis County officials
  • Austin City Council members Ryan Alter, Marc Duchen, Vanessa Fuentes, Natasha Harper-Madison, Krista Laine, Zo Qadri and Chito Vela

How to contact:

Campaign site

Anthony Cristo

Libertarian

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand: $777
  • Fundraised since Jan. 1: $1,694

💰 Major donors this cycle:

  • Libertarian Booster PAC – $694 in in-kind donations
  • Cristo gave himself $300
  • Arthur DiBianca, Libertarian candidate for railroad commissioner – $100
  • Whitney Masterson-Moyes, event planner – $100

Experience:

  • High school teacher in San Antonio
  • Ran for Texas’ 34th Congressional District in 2020 and lost
  • Ran for Texas’ 15th Congressional District in 2018 and lost

Political ideology: The Libertarian Party of Texas’ platform says it seeks “the maximum protection for the rights of all people against any violation” and that “government must be kept to the minimum necessary to protect the rights of individuals.” The party also says the government should not interfere in personal matters such as free speech, religion, marriage, family and property rights. It also supports the right to bear arms.

Policy stances:

  • Lower property taxes by cutting government spending and the government budget surplus that he says is a result of “overtaxing”
  • Embrace a free market and working immigrants
  • Says it’s “time to legalize marijuana in Texas”

In the news:

How to contact:

anthony.cristo@gmail.com

Campaign site

Kevin McCormick

Green party

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $94
  • Fundraised betweenJan. 1-June 30: $151

💰 Major donors this cycle:

  • Largely self-funded, including a $200 loan to himself
  • Laura Palmer – $50
  • Wesson Gaige – $50
  • Ellen Vandenbergh – $26

Experience:

  • Received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1986
  • Worked as a high school math teacher at Jefferson High School in San Antonio
  • Ran for Texas’ 24th Congressional District in 2016 and lost

Political ideology: McCormick says his campaign is centered on public interest and the health of people, society and the environment. The Green Party’s key values include valuing all nature, direct civic participation, rejecting violence and restoring power to local communities under a “framework of ecologically sound and socially just values and lifestyles”. The party also says it seeks “new economics” that meet the basic needs of people and the planet within the natural limits of the earth and that it respects diversity among the earth and people.

Policy stances:

  • Expand public bus fleets in Texas cities to reduce traffic congestion
  • Invest in the rural economy through sustainable agriculture, hemp production and processing and improved infrastructure 
  • Establish ranked-choice voting in all elections and a statewide single primary election for candidates
  • Limit gerrymandering, which is the unfair redrawing of electoral districts
  • Change property tax appraisals from focusing on the how much a similar property would sell for to instead focus on similar rent or lease values
  • Develop more ways to conserve and protect our water resources
  • Eliminate toxic chemical and pollution from food, water and the environment
  • Increase the number of public school teachers and improve curriculum
  • Encourage renewable energy and tech

Endorsements:

  • Arshira Papari, Socialist Green Party candidate for Texas House District 49

How to contact:

Kevin McCormick for Lieutenant Governor

P.O. Box 513

Lindale, Texas 75771

Website contact form

Stephen Samuelson and Arturo Espinosa, who lost in the Republican primary for governor, are declared write-in candidates for lieutenant governor.

Disclosure: Don Henley has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

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