Sid Miller tops poll as most Texas Republicans face runoffs; Hinojosa leads Dems
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Many top GOP and Democratic primaries appear headed to May runoffs.
- Chip Roy (33%) and Mayes Middleton (23%) lead GOP AG field.
- Democratic AG race is a virtual tie: Nathan Johnson 25%, Joe Jaworski 22%.
Most top Republican Party primary races won’t be settled until May runoffs, but embattled incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has a wide lead over a challenger, according to a new University of Houston poll.
Miller, a Stephenville Republican in his third term, holds a 30-point lead, 48%-18%, over Collin County Republican challenger Nate Sheets, according to the Jan. 20-Jan. 31 poll of 550 likely primary voters by the Hobby School of Public Affairs.
Gov. Greg Abbott backed Sheets and says Texas deserves an agriculture commissioner with “zero tolerance for criminality,” a reference to a Miller aide who is under two-year probation in a bribery case.
Both the Republican and Democratic primaries are March 3. Early voting begins Feb. 17.
If no candidate wins a clear majority, the top two finishers meet in a May 26 runoff.
Other statewide Republican races appear ready to continue to May.
In the campaign for Texas attorney general, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (33%) and state Sen. Mayes Middleton (23%) lead state Sen. Joan Huffman (13%) and Aaron Reitz (6%).
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, a Tarrant County Republican appointed to the office by Abbott and trying for a full term, is running a distant third with 13% of voters polled.
Former state Sen. Don Huffines (33%) and Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick (21%) lead and appear headed for the runoff.
The race for the Texas Railroad Commission, the state energy agency, also appears to be headed to a runoff. Incumbent Chairman Jim Wright and second-time candidate James “Jim” Matlock are in a virtual tie at 21% and 20%.
Former Tarrant County Republican Party Chairman Bo French was the choice of 6% of voters polled.
In the Democratic primary, gubernatorial candidate state Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin holds a 30-point lead, according to the poll of 550 likely Democratic voters. No other candidate has more than 7%.
In the Democratic race for attorney general, state Sen. Nathan Johnson and returning candidate Joe Jaworski are in a virtual tie and appear headed to the May runoff. Johnson had 25%, Jaworski 22%. The margin of error is about 4.2 percentage points, meaning results can vary by that much in either direction.
In a poll for the fall general election, 1,502 likely voters gave incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott a 49%-42% edge over Hinojosa.
However, incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick held a thinner 46%-41% edge over the Democratic primary frontrunner, state Rep. Vikki Goodwin.
The same poll jarred Texas politics Feb. 9, when its results for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate showed U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas with an 8-point lead over state Rep. James Talarico.
In the Republican primary, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stretched his consistent lead over incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn to 38%-31%, with U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt at 17%. That race also appears destined for a runoff.
This story was originally published February 11, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
