2026 Texas Land Commissioner election

2026 Texas Land Commissioner election

November 3, 2026
 
Nominee Dawn Buckingham Benjamin Flores
Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent Land Commissioner

Dawn Buckingham
Republican



The 2026 Texas Land Commissioner election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to select the next Texas General Land Office Commissioner. Incumbent Republican Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is running for re-election to a second four-year term. She was first elected in 2020 with 56.2% of the vote. Primary elections were held on March 3, 2026.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Endorsements

Dawn Buckingham
Executive branch officials

Labor unions

Results

Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dawn Buckingham (incumbent) 1,755,606 100.0
Total votes 1,755,606 100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Jose Loya, marine veteran and oil refinery union leader[4]

Endorsements

Jose Loya
U.S. representatives
Labor unions

Results

Results by county
  Flores
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Loya
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  •   90–100%
Democratic primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Benjamin Flores 1,125,716 55.6
Democratic Jose Loya 900,228 44.4
Total votes 2,025,944 100.0

Third-party and independent candidates

Candidates

Declared

General election

On June 12, 2026, Benjamin Flores announced that he had been diagnosed with leukemia. His campaign announced that Flores would not be on the campaign trail for a couple of months to focus on his health, but that he would remain on the ballot as an active candidate.[8]

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Dawn
Buckingham (R)
Benjamin
Flores (D)
Other Undecided
Texas Public Opinion Research[9] August 21–24, 2026 1,000 (LV) ± 3.3% 44%[b] 40% 5%[c] 10%
Texas Southern University[10] July 27–30, 2026 1,200 (LV) ± 2.8% 45% 40% 2%[d] 13%

Results

2026 Texas Land Commissioner election results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dawn Buckingham (incumbent)
Democratic Benjamin Flores
Libertarian Neill Snider
Total votes 100.00

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ↑ With voters who lean towards a given candidate
  3. ↑ "Would not vote in that race" with 3%; Neil Snider (L) with 2%
  4. ↑ Neill Snider (L) with 2%

References

  1. 1 2 Sanchez, Sandra (September 20, 2025). "Border Patrol union endorses Texas Land Commissioner who offered land for border wall". KEYE-TV. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  2. ↑ Yu, Issac (February 27, 2026). "Trump endorses against Abbott's picks for Texas Ag Commissioner and Comptroller ahead of GOP primary". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  3. ↑ Van Hal, Kavan (October 17, 2025). "Flores exits governor race, launches bid for Texas Land Commissioner". Bay City Tribune. Retrieved October 21, 2025. Flores also announced his endorsement of State Representative Gina Hinojosa for governor.
  4. ↑ Reyes, Victoria (November 19, 2025). "Veteran, refinery worker, and union leader launches campaign for Texas Land Commisioner". MyHighPlains.com. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Texas land commissioner primary: Who is running and what you need to know". Texas Tribune. February 2, 2026. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Texas AFL-CIO COPE Announces 2026 Primary Election Endorsements". Texas AFL-CIO. January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  7. ↑ Schmidt, Nolan. "9 Libertarians vie for state seats in November election". seguingazette.com. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  8. ↑ Klibanoff, Eleanor (June 12, 2026). "Democratic nominee for General Land Office diagnosed with cancer". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  9. ↑ "New Poll: In Texas General Election, Talarico Leads Paxton by Six Points; Abbott Leads Hinojosa by Seven Points". Texas Public Opinion Research. August 27, 2026. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Texas 2026: U.S. Senate, Governor, and Other Statewide Races" (PDF). Texas Southern University. Retrieved August 4, 2026.

Official campaign websites