Dripping Springs, Texas sample ballot 2026

Michelle Gutierrez Cohen is the sitting Hays County Commissioner for Precinct 2 and holds a doctorate in organizational leadership, per her campaign site. She has more than 30 years of experience in public service, including work in state government.

Tahuahua is president of one of Texas's largest trade associations and has previously worked at a Texas think tank and as an advisor to a Texas House member, per the campaign site. He has served on the Dripping Springs City Council since 2021 and previously chaired the North Hays County EMS board, per the campaign site. He lives in Dripping Springs with his wife and three sons, per the campaign site.

Chris Johnson has served as judge of Hays County Court at Law No. 2 since 2018 and is the Administrative Judge for Hays County Courts at Law, per his campaign site. He also presides over the county's Veterans Treatment Court.

Cynthia A. Millonzi is a 30-year U.S. Army veteran and 25-year federal civil servant who has served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Director of the Hays County Clerk's Office since 2021, per her campaign site. Cynthia A. Millonzi appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Hays County Clerk, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.

Daphne Sanchez Tenorio is an accountant and small-business owner who previously served on the Kyle City Council, per her campaign site. She is the sitting Hays County Treasurer. Daphne Sanchez Tenorio appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Hays County Treasurer, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.

Angie Unger is a realtor and small business owner who has lived in Hays County for more than a decade, per her campaign site. Her children attend Dripping Springs ISD schools, and she is running for Commissioner Precinct 4.

Rob McClelland is a 12-year U.S. Army veteran and Dripping Springs ISD board trustee who works as director of business development at a Central Texas construction firm, per his campaign site. He was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas School Safety Center Board.

Cassie Benoist-Templeton has spent twelve years as a prosecutor in the Caldwell County District Attorney's office, focusing on serious crimes against women and children, per her campaign site. She holds a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a criminal justice degree from Texas State University.

Paul Still is a staff attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and a former Harris County prosecutor, per his campaign site. He is board certified in criminal appellate law and has practiced for more than 12 years.

Ken Paxton is a candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, per the campaign site. The campaign site describes him as Texas' 51st attorney general and says he has sued the Biden administration more than 100 times, per the campaign site. His campaign theme is Unshakable. Unbroken. Unafraid., per the campaign site.

James Talarico is an eighth-generation Texan, a former middle school teacher, a Presbyterian seminarian and a state representative, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he first ran for the Texas House in 2018 and is running for U.S. Senate to take his fight against corruption to Washington, per the campaign site.

Ted Brown is a retired self-employed independent insurance adjuster who lives in Austin, per the campaign site. He earned a political science degree from UCLA in 1984 and joined the Libertarian Party in 1979, per the campaign site. He was the Libertarian candidate for this Senate seat in 2024, per Houston Public Media.

Greg Abbott is Texas's incumbent governor and the Republican nominee for a fourth term, which would make him the state's longest-serving governor. A former attorney general and state supreme court justice, he launched his re-election bid with a property tax reform plan, and his tenure is defined by border security through Operation Lone Star, school choice legislation, and economic development.

Gina Hinojosa is the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, a state representative from Austin, attorney, and former Austin school board president. Her populist campaign argues tax dollars are being spent to pad the pockets of the well-connected, with priorities focused on affordability, public education, and health care access.

Dixon is the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of Texas; he has held several executive-level positions in private industry, non-profit, and political organizations, has worked with the Texas legislature since 2004, and is an engineer and business owner through DPAS-INC, per the campaign site.

Dan Patrick is Texas's incumbent lieutenant governor and the Republican nominee for a fourth term. A former radio host and state senator, he has presided over the Texas Senate since 2015, driving conservative priorities on border security, property taxes, and school choice.

Vikki Goodwin is the Democratic nominee for Texas lieutenant governor, a state representative from Austin and real estate broker. Her campaign theme is a good win for Texas, promising a Senate leader who collaborates rather than dictates, with priorities on public schools, clean water and energy, housing affordability, and health care.

McCormick holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center and has most recently worked as a high school math teacher in San Antonio, per the campaign site. He previously ran for Congress in Texas's 24th District as a Green Party candidate in 2016 and now lives in the Lindale area of east Texas, per the campaign site.

High school English and debate teacher Anthony Cristo is a military veteran who resides in Cibolo, Texas, per his campaign site. He is the Libertarian Party candidate for Texas Lieutenant Governor. Anthony Cristo appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Lieutenant Governor, per the Texas Secretary of State's certified candidate list.

Mayes Middleton is the Republican nominee for Texas attorney general in the open race created by Ken Paxton's Senate run. A seventh-generation Texan, oil company president, attorney, and state senator who chaired the Texas House Freedom Caucus, he authored the Save Women's Sports Act, and his platform emphasizes the border, election integrity, and a DOGE-style attack on government waste.

Nathan Johnson is the Democratic nominee for Texas attorney general, a state senator from Dallas and attorney. His campaign argues the office has been corrupted and abused for personal and partisan ends, and points to his Senate record reforming the state insurance marketplace, fortifying the power grid after Winter Storm Uri, and leading on Medicaid expansion.

Don Huffines is the Republican nominee for Texas comptroller and, as of July 2026, the appointed incumbent after Governor Abbott installed him in the office he had already won the nomination for. A fifth-generation Texan, real estate developer, and former state senator, his platform is to DOGE Texas government: eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and demand honest, transparent budgets.

Sarah Eckhardt is the Democratic nominee for Texas comptroller, a state senator from Austin, attorney, and former Travis County judge. Her campaign promises to tell Texans honestly where their money is going, targeting no-bid contracts, the private school voucher program, and corporate tax breaks.

Faizi is a graphic designer with a career in advertising and marketing journalism who was raised in Karachi, Pakistan, and moved to Texas in 2012, per the campaign site. She became politically active after 2016 and volunteered for the Green Party's 2024 presidential campaign before running for comptroller, per the campaign site.

Sheets is a candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner and an agriculture entrepreneur and beekeeper who built a large branded honey business from a backyard operation; he is also a U.S. Navy Reserves veteran, per the campaign site.

Tucker is a candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner and a farmer and rancher who operates a family farm near Lampasas raising cattle, goats, and donkeys; he previously served as Secretary of the Texas Farmers Union and worked as a water researcher and teacher, per the campaign site.

Kelly holds a Ph.D. in ecology and founded ARK Ecological Consulting; he is running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner and describes himself as a scientist rather than a career politician, per the campaign site.

Dawn Buckingham is Texas's sitting land commissioner, per the Secretary of State's statewide officials roster, elected in 2022 as the first woman to hold the office. An eye surgeon and former state senator, she was the first Republican elected to the Texas Senate from Travis County, per her campaign site.

Benjamin Flores announced in 2026 that he had been diagnosed with leukemia, stayed in the race, and later announced he was in remission, per the Texas Tribune; he remains an active candidate. A Bay City councilman with a background in cybersecurity and compliance, he won a two way Democratic primary, per the San Antonio Report.

Neill Snider is the Libertarian candidate for Texas Land Commissioner. He has worked as a mechanical contractor for nearly four decades and operates a small cattle ranch, with experience as an oil and gas investor in East Texas, per his campaign site.

Bo French is a former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, an energy trader and rancher who has owned businesses providing security for energy companies, per the San Antonio Report. He won the May 26 runoff over sitting commissioner Jim Wright, per the Texas Tribune.

Jon Rosenthal is a four term Texas House member from Houston who spent 25 years in oil and gas as an engineer and project manager, per his campaign site.

Arthur DiBianca is a longtime Libertarian activist from Austin who has testified before the Texas Legislature, per his campaign site.

Jimmy Blacklock is the incumbent Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, appointed to the court in 2018 and named the 28th Chief Justice in January 2025, per the court's official biography. He previously served as General Counsel to Gov. Greg Abbott.

Maggie Ellis is a justice on the Texas Third Court of Appeals, elected to that court in 2024, per the court's official biography. Before joining the bench she practiced law representing individuals and is Board Certified in Juvenile Law, per the same source.

James P. Sullivan is the incumbent on the Texas Supreme Court, appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in January 2025, per the court's official biography. He previously served as the Governor's General Counsel and as an Assistant Solicitor General, and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Kristen Hawkins is the judge of the 11th District Court in Harris County, elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020, per her campaign site. She holds board certifications in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Law.

Kyle D. Hawkins is the incumbent on the Texas Supreme Court, appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in October 2025, per the court's official biography. He previously served as Texas Solicitor General.

Brett Busby is the incumbent on the Texas Supreme Court, appointed in 2019 and elected in 2020, per the court's official biography. He previously served six years as a justice on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston.

Holly Taylor is a criminal defense attorney who spent more than 17 years as a prosecutor, per the San Antonio Report.

Jerry Zimmerer previously served as an elected justice on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston for six years, per his campaign site.

Tom Baker is a U.S. Navy JAG Corps veteran who previously served as an elected justice on the Third Court of Appeals in Austin from 2019 to 2024, per his campaign site.

Marc M. Meyer is a retired Houston Fire Department captain and paramedic with 20 years of service who now practices law defending health care providers, per his campaign site.