TEXAS MIDTERM 2026
WHY THIS RACE MATTERS
This is the court that decides whether Texas got it right.
WHO’S RUNNING
Holly Taylor
Democrat
Taylor's job has been to find the people Texas locked up for crimes they didn't commit and get them out — she ran post-conviction work with Travis County's Conviction Integrity Unit. Before that she wrote the rules for the Court of Criminal Appeals itself, as its staff attorney. Now she wants a seat on it.
John Messinger
Republican
Messinger is endorsed by True Texas Project — the far-right wing of the Texas GOP — and by Steve Hotze, who bankrolled a 2020 "voter fraud" hunt that ended with an innocent man run off the road at gunpoint.
WHERE & WHEN TO VOTE
Early voting Oct 19–30 · Election Day Tue, Nov 3