2018 Texas gubernatorial election
The 2018 Texas gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor of Texas, concurrently with the [2018 United States Senate 2018 United States Senate election in Texas|election in Texas|election] of Texas's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as other congressional, state, and local elections throughout the United States and Texas. Incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott won re-election to a second term in office defeating [Texas Texas Democratic Party|Democratic Party|Democratic] nominee Lupe Valdez, the former sheriff of Dallas County, and Libertarian nominee Mark Tippetts, a former member of the Lago Vista city council.
The Republican and Democratic party primaries were held on March 6, 2018, making them the first primaries of the 2018 electoral season. Abbott won the March 6 primary with 90% of the vote to receive the Republican nomination, while Democratic candidates Lupe Valdez and Andrew White advanced to a May 22 runoff. Valdez defeated White in the runoff with 53.1% of the vote and faced Abbott in the general election as the Democratic nominee.
Valdez's nomination made her the first openly gay person nominated for governor by a major party in the state.
Tippetts was nominated at the Libertarian Party of Texas' state convention in Houston April 13–15, 2018. He defeated three challengers, as well as the None Of The Above option, on the first ballot and received more than 70% approval from Libertarian party delegates.
Despite considerably closer contests in other Texas state elections, Abbott handily won a second term with the highest margin of victory of any state executive official on the ballot, although Valdez also won the largest vote share for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate since Ann Richards in 1994. Tippetts' showing exceeded the previous record for most votes for a Libertarian nominee for Texas governor; that record had been set in 1990.
The election also took place alongside a closer, higher-profile Senate race between Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz, which may have played a factor in making the Democratic gubernatorial candidate considerably more competitive than in 2014. Abbott won a majority among white voters, while Valdez won majorities among African Americans and Latinos.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominated
- Greg Abbott, incumbent governor and former Texas attorney general
Eliminated in primary
- Larry Kilgore, secession activist
- Barbara Krueger, retired teacher
Declined
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominated
- Lupe Valdez, former Dallas County sheriff
Eliminated in primary
- James Jolly Clark, businessman
- Cedric Davis, former mayor of Balch Springs
- Joe Mumbach, businessman
- Adrian Ocegueda, financial analyst
- Jeffrey Payne, businessman and 2009 International Mr. Leather
- Demetria Smith, mortgage broker
- Tom Wakely, hospice chaplain and nominee for TX-21 in 2016
- Andrew White, entrepreneur and son of Governor Mark White
- Grady Yarbrough, retired educator
Withdrew
- Garry Brown, candidate for Travis County Commission in 2014
- Lee Weaver
Declined
- Rafael Anchia, state representative
- Dwight Boykins, Houston city councilman
- Joaquín Castro, U.S. representative
- Julian Castro, former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and mayor of San Antonio
- Mike Collier, businessman and nominee for comptroller in 2014
- Wendy Davis, former state senator and nominee in 2014
- Pete Gallego, former U.S. representative
- Eva Longoria, actress and political activist
- Jack Martin, CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies
- Trey Martinez Fischer, former state representative
- William McRaven, chancellor of the University of Texas System, retired Navy admiral and former commander of the United States Special Operations Command
- Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College
- Allen Vaught, former state representative
Runoff
Lupe Valdez and Andrew White proceeded to a runoff on May 22 since neither received 50% of the vote in the first round of the primary. Lupe Valdez won the runoff.Libertarian nomination
Candidates
Nominated
- Mark Tippetts, former Lago Vista city councilman
Defeated at convention
- Kathie Glass, attorney and previous nominee
- Patrick Smith
- Kory Watkins, activist
General election
Debates
- , September 28, 2018
Polling
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Greg Abbott | Lupe Valdez | Mark Tippetts | Other | Undecided |
| Emerson College | October 28–30, 2018 | 781 | ± 3.7% | 51% | 43% | 2% | – | 4% |
| Quinnipiac University | October 22–28, 2018 | 1,078 | ± 3.5% | 54% | 40% | – | 1% | 6% |
| University of Texas Tyler | October 15–28, 2018 | 1,033 | ± 3.0% | 53% | 32% | – | 5% | 10% |
| Dixie Strategies | October 25–26, 2018 | 588 | ± 4.0% | 59% | 33% | – | – | 7% |
| University of Texas/YouGov | October 15–21, 2018 | 927 | ± 3.2% | 56% | 37% | 3% | 4% | – |
| Ipsos | October 12–18, 2018 | 1,298 | ± 3.2% | 53% | 38% | – | 3% | 6% |
| CNN/SSRS | October 9–13, 2018 | 716 LV | ± 4.5% | 57% | 39% | – | 0% | 3% |
| CNN/SSRS | October 9–13, 2018 | 862 RV | ± 4.1% | 56% | 38% | – | 0% | 4% |
| NYT Upshot/Siena College | October 8–11, 2018 | 800 | ± 3.6% | 57% | 35% | – | – | 8% |
| Quinnipiac University | October 3–9, 2018 | 730 | ± 4.4% | 58% | 38% | – | 0% | 4% |
| Emerson College | October 1–5, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 53% | 33% | – | 3% | 11% |
| Epstein Group | September 15–24, 2018 | 1,200 | ± 2.9% | 58% | 29% | 3% | – | 10% |
| Vox Populi Polling | September 16–18, 2018 | 508 | ± 4.4% | 55% | 45% | – | – | – |
| Quinnipiac University | September 11–17, 2018 | 807 | ± 4.1% | 58% | 39% | – | 0% | 3% |
| Ipsos | September 6–14, 2018 | 992 | ± 4.0% | 50% | 41% | – | 2% | 6% |
| Crosswind Media & Public Relations | September 6–9, 2018 | 800 | ± 4.0% | 52% | 39% | – | – | – |
| Dixie Strategies | September 6–7, 2018 | 519 | ± 4.3% | 53% | 34% | 1% | – | 12% |
| Emerson College | August 22–25, 2018 | 550 | ± 4.4% | 48% | 28% | – | 3% | 20% |
| Marist College | August 12–16, 2018 | 759 | ± 3.8% | 56% | 37% | – | <1% | 6% |
| Quinnipiac University | July 26–31, 2018 | 1,118 | ± 3.5% | 51% | 38% | – | 1% | 9% |
| Texas Lyceum | July 9–26, 2018 | 441 LV | ± 4.7% | 47% | 31% | 1% | – | 22% |
| Texas Lyceum | July 9–26, 2018 | 806 RV | ± 3.5% | 44% | 25% | 3% | – | 28% |
| Gravis Marketing | July 3–7, 2018 | 602 | ± 4.0% | 51% | 41% | – | – | 8% |
| University of Texas/YouGov | June 8–17, 2018 | 1,200 | ± 2.8% | 44% | 32% | 4% | 4% | 16% |
| Quinnipiac University | May 23–29, 2018 | 961 | ± 3.8% | 53% | 34% | – | 1% | 9% |
| JMC Analytics | May 19–21, 2018 | 575 | ± 4.1% | 48% | 36% | – | – | 16% |
| Quinnipiac University | April 12–17, 2018 | 1,029 | ± 3.6% | 49% | 40% | – | 0% | 9% |
with Andrew White
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Greg Abbott | Andrew White | Other | Undecided |
| JMC Analytics | May 19–21, 2018 | 575 | ± 4.1% | 50% | 39% | – | 10% |
| Quinnipiac University | April 12–17, 2018 | 1,029 | ± 3.6% | 48% | 41% | 0% | 9% |
with Julian Castro
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Greg Abbott | Julian Castro | Other | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | August 12–14, 2016 | 944 | ± 3.2% | 57% | 28% | – | 15% |
with Wendy Davis
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Greg Abbott | Wendy Davis | Other | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | August 12–14, 2016 | 944 | ± 3.2% | 57% | 32% | – | 11% |
Results
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
By congressional district
Abbott won 25 of 36 congressional districts, including two that elected Democrats.| District | Abbott | Valdez | Representative |
| 74% | 25% | Louie Gohmert | |
| 56% | 43% | Ted Poe | |
| 56% | 43% | Dan Crenshaw | |
| 58% | 41% | Sam Johnson | |
| 58% | 41% | Van Taylor | |
| 77% | 22% | John Ratcliffe | |
| 64% | 34% | Jeb Hensarling | |
| 64% | 34% | Lance Gooden | |
| 56% | 42% | Joe Barton | |
| 56% | 42% | Ron Wright | |
| 52% | 46% | John Culberson | |
| 52% | 46% | Lizzie Fletcher | |
| 75% | 24% | Kevin Brady | |
| 23% | 75% | Al Green | |
| 54% | 44% | Michael McCaul | |
| 80% | 18% | Mike Conaway | |
| 65% | 34% | Kay Granger | |
| 81% | 17% | Mac Thornberry | |
| 62% | 37% | Randy Weber | |
| 48% | 51% | Vicente Gonzalez | |
| 32% | 66% | Beto O'Rourke | |
| 32% | 66% | Veronica Escobar | |
| 59% | 39% | Bill Flores | |
| 25% | 73% | Sheila Jackson Lee | |
| 74% | 24% | Jodey Arrington | |
| 39% | 59% | Joaquín Castro | |
| 55% | 43% | Lamar Smith | |
| 55% | 43% | Chip Roy | |
| 56% | 43% | Pete Olson | |
| 53% | 46% | Will Hurd | |
| 54% | 44% | Kenny Marchant | |
| 57% | 41% | Roger Williams | |
| 62% | 36% | Michael Burgess | |
| 66% | 33% | Michael Cloud | |
| 46% | 53% | Henry Cuellar | |
| 30% | 69% | Gene Green | |
| 30% | 69% | Sylvia Garcia | |
| 22% | 76% | Eddie Bernice Johnson | |
| 56% | 42% | John Carter | |
| 52% | 46% | Pete Sessions | |
| 52% | 46% | Colin Allred | |
| 26% | 73% | Marc Veasey | |
| 49% | 50% | Filemon Vela Jr. | |
| 33% | 65% | Lloyd Doggett | |
| 74% | 24% | Brian Babin |