Everything is bigger in Texas, including the candidate filing deadline for the state’s 2026 primaries. To help unravel what happened around Texas’s Dec. 8 filing date and what to look ahead to in 2026, Decision Desk HQ Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley was joined by Gabby Birenbaum, the Washington Correspondent for The Texas Tribune. We dug into many of Texas’s key primaries that will take place on March 3, the potential runoffs that could happen on May 26, and the potential November ramifications of those nomination contests.

There was too much to talk about, really. In the state’s marquee Senate race, Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett launched her candidacy while former Rep. Colin Allred dropped down to run for a seat in the House. Meanwhile, deadline day confirmed the three-way primary for the Republican Senate nomination involving Sen. John Cornyn, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt. Plus, other would-be candidates like Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey also made last-minute changes to their 2026 plans.

We also discussed some of the other recent events that will affect Texas’s 2026 electoral picture. Last week, President Donald Trump pardoned conservative Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who had faced charges of bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy. Then the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas’s newly-drawn congressional map would remain in place for the 2026 election, giving Republicans an opportunity to add as many five seats to their tally in Texas.

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Episode 9: The 2026 Texas Two-Step, with Gabby Birenbaum from The Texas Tribune