With polls now open across Texas, voters in Terry County and throughout the state are heading to the ballot box for several key Republican runoff races. The runoff election, taking place today, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, will decide the Republican nominees in contests where no candidate secured a majority of the vote during the March primary election. Under Texas election law, voters who participated in a party’s primary in March must remain in that same party’s runoff election. Voters who did not participate in either primary in March may still vote in one party’s runoff.
In Terry County, local attention will center on the Republican runoff for County Commissioner Precinct 4. Michael Dawson and Elvis Rodriguez advanced to the runoff after finishing ahead of incumbent Ernesto Elizardo in the three-way March primary contest. Because there is no Democratic challenger filed for the November election, the winner of the Republican runoff will effectively become the next Precinct 4 Commissioner-elect, making the May 26 contest especially significant for local voters.
At the federal level, voters across West Texas will also decide the Republican nominee for Texas’ 19th Congressional District. The race features Tom Sell and Abraham Enriquez, who emerged from a crowded Republican primary field earlier this spring. Congressional District 19 stretches across a large portion of West Texas and the South Plains, making the runoff one of the region’s most closely watched political contests heading into the general election season.
Several major statewide runoff races are also drawing significant attention across Texas. In the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate, longtime incumbent John Cornyn will face Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a high-profile battle that has gained national attention and could shape the direction of Republican politics in Texas moving forward.
Another closely watched statewide runoff will determine the Republican nominee for Texas Attorney General. State Senator Mayes Middleton and Congressman Chip Roy are competing in the open-seat race to replace Paxton should he vacate the office. The position serves as the chief legal officeholder for the State of Texas and often plays a major role in high-profile legal and constitutional issues.
Texas voters will also decide the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, one of the state’s most influential regulatory positions overseeing the oil and gas industry. Incumbent Jim Wright faces challenger Bo French in that runoff race, which carries particular interest in energy-producing regions such as West Texas.
Although runoff elections historically attract lower voter turnout than primary or general elections, they often prove highly influential because they determine which candidates ultimately appear on the November ballot. With important decisions pending at the local, regional, and statewide levels, the May 26 runoff election represents the final major step before the 2026 general election campaign season begins in full force.
