She Runs Texas

2026 candidate profiles

She Runs Texas shines a light on the women stepping up in the 2026 election—over 2,000 candidates from across the state running for county, state, and federal office—telling a powerful story of leadership, momentum, and the growing role women play in shaping Texas’s future. Published every two years, the She Runs Texas report tracks this progress across election cycles.

View the 2026 candidate profiles

Summary of data and findings

Overview

This summary presents findings from a database of candidates who filed to run for county, state, and federal office in Texas during the 2026 election cycle. The analysis is focused on women candidates, including how many women are running, where they are running, and the types of offices they are seeking.

Data sources and scope

All data was drawn from Texas Secretary of State candidate filing records and compiled after the official filing deadline. The database includes county, state, and federal races only and excludes:

Municipal races (e.g., city council or mayor)
School board elections
Political party offices (including party chairs and precinct chairs)

Because the data is based on filing records, the list may include candidates who later suspended, abandoned, or otherwise discontinued their campaigns after the filing deadline.

Key findings: women candidates

Based on the current dataset:

Women have filed to run for county, state, and federal offices across Texas, demonstrating participation at every level of higher office.
The largest concentration of women candidates is at the county and state levels, particularly in judicial and legislative races.
Women are running for a wide range of offices, including:

State Representative
State Board of Education
District and County Judge
County Attorney and District Attorney
U.S. House of Representatives

Women candidates are geographically dispersed, with notable clusters in larger counties and judicial districts, while some counties show little to no female candidate activity.
A significant number of women candidates are non-incumbents, indicating continued entry into the candidate pipeline rather than reliance solely on sitting officeholders.

These findings reflect candidate participation, not election outcomes.

By the numbers: women candidates in Texas (2026 cycle)

Total candidates filed: 5,241
Women candidates: 2,090
Men candidates: 3,151
Women as a share of all candidates: 39.9%

Women candidates by level of office

1565

County offices

455

State offices

Federal offices

Top counties by number of women candidates

The counties with the highest number of women who filed to run for county, state, or federal office include:

Harris County: 51
Bexar County: 30
Dallas County: 28
Tarrant County: 18
Uvalde County: 18
Travis County: 17
Denton County: 16
El Paso County: 15
Nueces County: 15
Maverick County: 14

These counties represent a mix of urban, suburban, and rural regions, indicating that women candidates are not concentrated in a single type of community.

Top 10 offices with the highest number of women candidates

U.S. Representative, District 38: 6
U.S. Representative, District 10: 6
District Judge, 231st Judicial District: 5
State Representative, District 49: 5
Criminal District Attorney, Bexar County: 5
Harris County District Clerk: 5
Uvalde County Commissioner, Precinct 4: 4
State Representative, District 94: 4
State Representative, District 126: 4
El Paso Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5: 4

This reflects strong female participation across judicial, legislative, executive, and prosecutorial roles.

Incumbent and non-incumbent women candidates

Women candidates in the 2026 cycle include both experienced officeholders and first-time or non-incumbent candidates:

Non-incumbent women candidates: 1,085
Incumbent women candidates: 1,005

This near-even split suggests that women are both entering the candidate pipeline and continuing to seek re-election, contributing to sustained participation over time.

668

48.8% of all Democratic candidates

1,422

36.7% of all Republican candidates

Women are running as candidates in both major political parties, with female candidates making up a larger share of Democratic filings than Republican filings. Women remain present across both party pipelines.

Observations

County and state offices continue to serve as key entry points for women seeking public office in Texas. Judicial and legislative races, in particular, attract significant numbers of women candidates with professional and civic backgrounds.

At the same time, the uneven geographic distribution of women candidates highlights areas where recruitment, encouragement, or support may be more limited. Understanding where women are running — and where they are not — provides valuable insight into the long-term leadership pipeline and opportunities for increased engagement.

Limitations

This database has several limitations that should be considered:

It relies on official filing records and does not account for post-deadline campaign withdrawals or inactivity.
Gender classification is based on traditional name usage and publicly available online information.
Some candidate records contain incomplete or limited data.
The database represents a snapshot in time and may not capture subsequent changes.

The data should be used as a reference and analytical tool, not as a definitive election record.

Intended use

This database is designed to support analysis and discussion focused on women’s participation in county, state, and federal elections in Texas. It may be used by internal stakeholders, partner organizations, researchers, and media outlets with appropriate context regarding methodology and limitations.

Media-ready takeaways

Nearly 40% of Texas candidates filing for higher office in 2026 are women.
More than 2,000 women filed to run for county, state, and federal office in Texas.
Women candidates split nearly evenly between incumbents and challengers.
Women are running statewide — from governor to Congress to county judge.

Page last updated 12:16 PM, February 4, 2026