Texas › Hartley County › Texas House District 86
2 candidates are tracked for Texas House District 86, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Holly Jeffreys and Cullin Knutson. Candidate information follows official Hartley County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Holly Jeffreys (Republican), Cullin Knutson (Democratic) are on the November 3 ballot for Texas House District 86. Not on the November ballot: John T. Smithee, the sitting member per the roster. Nominees were chosen at the March 3 primary (or a May 26 runoff) or advanced unopposed; the field is the Texas Secretary of State's certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Holly Jeffreys is the Republican nominee for the open Texas House District 86 seat, succeeding longtime Representative John Smithee, who is not seeking reelection after nearly four decades in office, according to The Texan. Jeffreys is Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at West Texas A&M University and a nurse practitioner who has helped open rural clinics in Panhandle, Boys Ranch, Bushland, and Claude, per her campaign site. She served nine years as president of the Bushland ISD School Board.
2026 priorities (per the campaign site)
- Keeping Panhandle water resources in the Panhandle
- Parental authority over children's education
- Eliminating school property taxes and lowering the property tax freeze age
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →
Cullin Knutson is the Democratic nominee for the open Texas House District 86 seat, succeeding longtime Representative John Smithee, who is not seeking reelection. Born and raised in Amarillo, Knutson graduated cum laude from Texas State University with a political science degree in 2014, per his campaign site, and has worked in roadway construction, sales, and asphalt/paving management, most recently at the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission.
2026 priorities (per the campaign site)
- Public education funding
- Expanding Medicare and Medicaid
- Representation for rural communities
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →
