Lt. Governor

Statewide

Patrick cruised to the Republican nomination with 84.8%. Vikki Goodwin won the Democratic runoff over Marcos Velez 67.8% to 32.2% and faces Patrick on Nov 3.

Incumbent: Dan Patrick(R)

Primary, Mar 3, 2026

Presides over the Texas Senate, controls committee assignments, and sets the legislative agenda, widely considered the most powerful office in Texas government.

Runoff result

Lt. Governor

Primary Runoff

Called

Vikki Goodwin

67.8%

374,503 votes

Marcos Velez

32.2%

178,175 votes

Updated May 27, 10:33 PM CT·TX SOS·Called by NBC News

March primary result

Lt. Governor

Primary Results

Called · 100% reporting

D runoff

R nominee set

Republican Nominee · November

Decided

Dan Patrick(i)

84.7%

1,785,230 votes

Democratic Primary

Vikki Goodwin

48.0%

1,012,055 votes

Advancing to runoff

Marcos Velez

31.5%

663,499 votes

Advancing to runoff

Courtney Head

20.5%

431,833 votes

Updated Mar 21, 9:56 PM CT·TX SOS·Called by AP

Polls vs. Results

Republican Primary

Source:UT Texas Politics Project, TX Secretary of State

Prediction vs. reality, poll predictions compared to actual results
Candidate	Party	Poll prediction (%)	Actual result (%)	Difference	Winner
Dan Patrick	Republican	87%	84.7%	-2.3	Winner
Timothy Mabry	Republican	No poll data	8.9%	N/A
Perla Hopkins	Republican	No poll data	5.1%	N/A
Esala Wueschner	Republican	No poll data	1.3%	N/A

November General Election

Nov 3, 2026

Rated Likely RepublicanTexPolls, based on structural partisan lean

No major handicapper rates Texas down-ballot statewide races. Dan Patrick, lieutenant governor since 2015, is defending the seat against Democratic state representative Vikki Goodwin of Austin. Patrick's 2018 reelection was the closest of his statewide wins at 4.8 points, but his 2022 rematch with Mike Collier widened to about 10. The rating reflects structural lean and incumbency, not a forecast.

TexPolls, based on structural partisan lean

Lt. Governor

GOP Primary

Dan Patrick(i)

87%

GOP Primary polling
Candidate	Support
Dan Patrick	87%

General Election Polling

Patrick 47%

Goodwin 42%

11%

Dan Patrick leads by 5.0 points

General election matchup
Candidate	Support
Dan Patrick	47%
Vikki Goodwin	42%
Undecided	11%

Source:UT Texas Politics Project, UT Tyler, UH Hobby School·Polls conducted Jan 2026–Feb 2026

Endorsement Tracker

Democratic runoff endorsements

Marcos Velez(2)

Texas AFL-CIOKey

Endorses Marcos Velez

Vélez credits AFL-CIO endorsement with drawing more primary votes

Houston LGBTQ+ Political CaucusNotable

Endorses Marcos Velez

Vikki Goodwin(2)

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)Notable

Endorses Vikki Goodwin

U.S. Representative

Austin City Council (7 members)Notable

Endorses Vikki Goodwin

Source:Texas Tribune·Campaign announcements, media reports

Frequently Asked

Who is running for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 2026?

Republican incumbent Dan Patrick, lieutenant governor since 2015, faces Democratic state representative Vikki Goodwin of Austin in the November 3, 2026 general election.

When is the 2026 Texas Lieutenant Governor election?

The general election is November 3, 2026. The voter registration deadline is October 5, and early voting runs October 19 to 30.

How did Vikki Goodwin become the Democratic nominee?

Goodwin advanced from the March 3 primary and won the May 26, 2026 Democratic runoff against Marcos Velez. She has represented an Austin-area district in the Texas House since 2019.