United States Senate election in Texas, 2024

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U.S. Senate, Texas
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: December 11, 2023
	Primary: March 5, 2024; Primary runoff: May 28, 2024; General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Voting in Texas
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Likely Republican; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican; Inside Elections: Likely Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
	U.S. Senate, Texas; U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th • 29th • 30th • 31st • 32nd • 33rd • 34th • 35th • 36th • 37th • 38th; Texas elections, 2024; U.S. Congress elections, 2024; U.S. Senate elections, 2024; U.S. House elections, 2024; Arizona U.S. Senate raceCalifornia U.S. Senate raceConnecticut U.S. Senate raceDelaware U.S. Senate raceFlorida U.S. Senate raceHawaii U.S. Senate raceIndiana U.S. Senate raceMaine U.S. Senate raceMaryland U.S. Senate raceMassachusetts U.S. Senate raceMichigan U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate raceMississippi U.S. Senate raceMissouri U.S. Senate raceMontana U.S. Senate raceNebraska U.S. Senate raceNevada U.S. Senate raceNew Jersey U.S. Senate raceNew Mexico U.S. Senate raceNew York U.S. Senate raceNorth Dakota U.S. Senate raceOhio U.S. Senate racePennsylvania U.S. Senate raceRhode Island U.S. Senate raceTennessee U.S. Senate raceTexas U.S. Senate raceUtah U.S. Senate raceVermont U.S. Senate raceVirginia U.S. Senate raceWashington U.S. Senate raceWest Virginia U.S. Senate raceWisconsin U.S. Senate raceWyoming U.S. Senate raceSubmit

Texas 2024 elections

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Voters in Texas will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 5, 2024. The primary is March 5, 2024, and a primary runoff is May 28, 2024. The filing deadline was December 11, 2023.

The election will fill the Class I Senate seat held by Ted Cruz (R), who first took office in 2013.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

The primary will occur on March 5, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. Senate Texas

Mason Cysewski and Dan McQueen are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Mason Cysewski (G)
		Dan McQueen (Independent)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Colin Allred
		Tracy Andrus
		Victor D. Dunn
		Meri Gomez
		Mark A. Gonzalez
		Roland Gutierrez
		Ahmad Hassan
		Steve Keough
		John Love III
		Soren Pendragon
		Heli Rodriguez Prilliman
		Carl Sherman Sr.
		Sherri Taylor
		Thierry Tchenko

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Zachariah Manning (D)
Aaron Arguijo (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Ted Cruz
		Cody Andrews
		Carlos Garza
		Holland Gibson
		Josiah Ingalls
		Rufus Lopez
		Montgomery Markland

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

March 5 Democratic primary

See also: United States Senate election in Texas, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

Ballotpedia identified the March 5, 2024, Democratic primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Democratic primary, click here. For more on the Republican primary, click here.

Fourteen candidates are running in the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senate in Texas on March 5, 2024. Three candidates lead in fundraising, polling, and endorsements: Colin Allred (D), Roland Gutierrez (D), and Carl Sherman Sr. (D).

Each of the three has legislative experience. Allred, a former NFL player and civil rights attorney, was first elected to the U.S. House in 2018. Gutierrez, an attorney, was elected to the state Senate in 2020 after 12 years in the state House and three on the San Antonio, Texas, city council. Sherman, a pastor, was elected to the state House in 2018 and earlier served two terms as mayor of DeSoto, Texas.

A Texas Tribune analysis of Allred and Gutierrez found the two differed on adding more seats to the U.S. Supreme Court (with Gutierrez in favor), adopting a single-payer healthcare system (which Gutierrez supports), and introducing term limits for members of the U.S. Congress (with Gutierrez in favor and Allred opposed).^[1] The two have also differed on bipartisanship, with Allred saying he would pursue bipartisan legislation if elected and Gutierrez saying he would be a fighter and that bipartisanship was not a realistic goal.^[2] Sherman's campaign has emphasized his personal faith and values, saying Texas needs "a proven leader of unwavering principles and deep faith to guide us back to our centering moral compass."^[3]

Also running in the primary are Victor Dunn (D), Meri Gomez (D), Mark Gonzalez (D), Ahmad Hassan (D), John Love III (D), Soren Pendragon (D), Heli Rodriguez Prilliman (D), Sherri Taylor (D), and Thierry Tchenko (D).

If no candidate wins more than 50% of the primary vote, the top two finishers will advance to a May 28 primary runoff.

Incumbent Ted Cruz (R) won re-election 50.9%-48.3% against Beto O'Rourke (D) in 2018, and Republican candidates have won wider margins in more recent statewide contests. In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) received 52.1% of the Texas vote to 46.5% for Joe Biden (D). In the 2022 election for governor, Greg Abbott (R) won re-election over Beto O'Rourke (D) 54.8% to 43.9%. The election will help determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate—Democrats are defending a two-seat majority,^[4] with 20 Democratic-held seats up for election to 10 Republican-held seats and three seats held by independents, two of whom caucus with Democrats.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Colin Allred

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

U.S. House Texas District 32 (Assumed office: 2019)

Biography: After graduating from Baylor University in 2005, Allred played football in the NFL for five seasons before retiring due to injury. In 2014, Allred graduated from the University of California Berkeley School of Law and began practicing as a civil rights attorney. Allred worked for one year in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama (D).

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Allred referred to his background as the son of a single mother who attended college on a scholarship, saying he believed that "his story shouldn't be the exception...every Texan should have the opportunity to achieve their dreams."

Allred said he considered family a core value and that he was proud to be the first member of Congress to take paternity leave, describing himself as "a passionate supporter of paid family leave for every American."

Allred said he was committed to bipartisanship, listing the opening of a new VA hospital in Garland, the passage of the USMCA trade deal, and a firearms restriction act he said he worked on with U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) as examples of his record.

Show sources

Sources: Colin Allred campaign website, "Home," accessed December 14, 2023, Colin Allred campaign website, "Meet Colin," accessed December 14, 2023, YouTube, "Colin Allred for Senate - Our Team is Texas," May 3, 2023; Colin Allred campaign website, "Meet Colin," accessed December 14, 2023, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "ALLRED, Colin," accessed December 14, 2023

Tracy Andrus

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My name is Tracy Andrus. A vote for me is a vote for change!"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I will support federal legislation that will expand pardoning powers to District Judges.

I will ensure that no one will be able to smuggle guns into school to kill our children attending school by supporting legislation that establish a three-tier perimeter system in every school in Texas.

I will support federal legislation that de-regulate certain requirements regarding plumbing, and building codes. We have become too heavily regulated which has resulted in the closing of many small businesses.

Meri Gomez

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Single Mom from South Texas who decided to get my degree in Accountancy and became a taxation consultant. 15 years of tax practice specializing in IRS compliance matters."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

What is your platform?…..Ummm, what isn’t my platform!? So much to do in Washington D.C.

Taxes, taxes, TAXES! Let’s fix our tax code. From individual taxpayers to large corporation.

Let’s secure social security, and health care for ALL!

Roland Gutierrez

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Texas State Senate District 19 (Assumed office: 2021)
Texas House of Representatives District 119 (2008-2021)
San Antonio, Texas, City Council (2005-2008)

Biography: Gutierrez graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1989 and from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1998. Gutierrez is the founder and president of the Gutierrez Law Firm, which specialized in immigration law.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Gutierrez said he worked with residents and family members of victims of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting to advocate for changes to state firearms restrictions and law enforcement policy, saying the community was where he found his strength and that "the people of Uvalde became more than constituents, they became family."

Gutierrez said he was motivated by the anger he felt on behalf of Texans, particularly rural Texans, who he said had been left behind and forgotten by the state's political leaders. In his campaign kickoff video, Gutierrez said, "It's time we turn frustration into action. If you want to make a better Texas, then this campaign is for you."

Gutierrez said he has spent his career fighting to bring change to Texas communities, listing accomplishments including opening a library in the southside of San Antonio, a support center for veterans experiencing PTSD, and a suicide hotline for farmers.

Show sources

Sources: Roland Gutierrez campaign website, "Meet Roland Gutierrez," accessed December 14, 2023; The Texas State Senate, "Senator Roland Gutierrez: District 19," accessed December 14, 2023

Steve Keough

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Steve is a retired Navy Captain (Submariner). He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, then earned a Masters degree in Congressional Studies and a law degree (JD). He currently teaches law at a law school in San Antonio, Texas. --- He has been a part of the pro-democracy movement worldwide. --- In January 1979 he chartered a plane and rescued Americans and other personnel and their families when the Shah fell in Tehran, Iran. --- His father was one of the hostages in Iran, taken in November 1979. ---Steve has done Intellectual property law in China and sailed with the Taiwanese Navy. He speaks Mandarin."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Immigration & Border Issues: We have a Responsibility to keep the U.S. safe and a Duty of care to immigrants

Body Autonomy IS A BASIC RIGHT and IS HEALTH CARE: All U.S. citizens have a basic right to healthcare

Veterans' Rights are a Moral Imperative: We MUST do better by our veterans!

Carl Sherman Sr.

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "In the heart of the Lone Star State, Texas stands at a crossroads, grappling with moral and ethical challenges. It seeks a leader of unwavering principles and deep faith. Enter Rep. Carl Sherman, a proud father. Pastor. Husband. And dedicated Democrat with a compelling vision for Texas in the United States Senate. Sherman’s mission is clear: Texas needs a Senator who prioritizes people over partisanship. One who fights for all Texans and doesn't leave anyone behind. He is a champion for democracy, a thriving economy, and civil liberties. His unique background as a small-town city manager, a seasoned businessman, a former suburban mayor, and a dedicated senior pastor equips him to understand and address the diverse challenges faced by rural, suburban, and urban Texans. Sherman is a man of action, not empty rhetoric, ensuring his policies yield tangible results that enhance the lives of his constituents. He's a reformer, an outsider who bridges political divides, offering a fresh perspective to Texas politics. As DeSoto's first Black Mayor, he orchestrated a remarkable turnaround, boosting economic development and affordable housing. In the Texas House of Representatives, he authored bipartisan police reform in the wake of George Floyd's tragic murder and secured funding for UNT Dallas. His dedication to education, social justice reform, and quality of life for all Texans is evident."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Carl Oscar Sherman: A Faith-Driven Reformer and Unifying Voice for Texas

Sherman is a trailblazer in local politics and public administration, with the vision, experience, and determination to bring meaningful change to the U.S. Senate

Sherman is a man of action, not empty rhetoric, ensuring his policies yield tangible results that enhance the lives of his constituents.

Election news

This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election. The timeline is updated regularly as polling, debates, and other noteworthy events occur.

Dec. 19, 2023: The Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin released results from a poll of 415 registered primary voters. With 50% of voters undecided, Allred led with 28% support, followed by Gutierrez with 7% and Gomez with 3%. Sherman, Taylor, Dunn, Gonzalez, and Love each had 2% support, while Keough, Andrus, and Arguijo had 1% each. Rodriguez Prilliman, Naranjo, and Tchenko had 0% support while Hassan and Pendragon were not listed. The poll reported a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points. Relative to the group's previous poll in October, Allred was up by seven percentage points, Gutierrez was down by three, and Sherman's support had not changed.^[5]

Dec. 11, 2023: The candidate filing deadline passed for the Democratic primary. Fourteen candidates filed to run.

Oct. 25, 2023: The Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin released results from a poll of 409 registered primary voters. With 47% of voters undecided, Allred led with 21% support, followed by Gutierrez with 10% and Taylor with 3%. Andrus, Gomez, Gonzalez, Keough, Sherman, and Tchenko each had 2%, while Arguijo, Love, and Rodriguez Prilliman had 1%. Dunn received support from 0% of voters polled, while Hassan and Pendragon were not listed. The poll reported a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points.^[6]

Click to expand a timeline of earlier election updates
- Sept. 30, 2023: Candidates filed campaign finance reports covering all fundraising and spending between July 1 and Sept. 30. During this period, Allred raised $4.67 million to Gutierrez's $630,000. Tchenko raised $25,500, Love raised $18,400, Andrus raised $11,400, Gomez raised $11,000, and Rodriguez-Prilliman raised $5,000. No other candidates reported any fundraising during this period.

See more

See more here: United States Senate election in Texas, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Dan McQueen

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Ted Cruz	Republican Party	$40,800,932	$35,202,793	$5,756,097	As of September 30, 2023
Colin Allred	Democratic Party	$13,561,667	$5,641,683	$7,919,984	As of September 30, 2023
Tracy Andrus	Democratic Party	$18,260	$9,038	$8,836	As of September 30, 2023
Victor D. Dunn	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Meri Gomez	Democratic Party	$11,044	$11,000	$44	As of September 30, 2023
Mark A. Gonzalez	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Roland Gutierrez	Democratic Party	$632,360	$252,482	$379,878	As of September 30, 2023
Ahmad Hassan	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Steve Keough	Democratic Party	$24,803	$18,017	$6,786	As of September 30, 2023
John Love III	Democratic Party	$43,676	$43,927	$1,005	As of December 31, 2022
Soren Pendragon	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Heli Rodriguez Prilliman	Democratic Party	$28,087	$26,578	$1,509	As of September 30, 2023
Carl Sherman Sr.	Democratic Party	$82,775	$11,961	$70,814	As of September 30, 2023
Sherri Taylor	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Thierry Tchenko	Democratic Party	$82,686	$45,380	$37,307	As of September 30, 2023
Cody Andrews	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Carlos Garza	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Holland Gibson	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Josiah Ingalls	Republican Party	$3,302	$4,692	$-1,389	As of September 30, 2023
Rufus Lopez	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Montgomery Markland	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Mason Cysewski	Green Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Dan McQueen	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from three outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[7]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Texas, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	January 2, 2024	December 19, 2023	December 12, 2023	December 5, 2023
The Cook Political Report	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Texas in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Texas, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Signature formula	Filing fee	Filing fee formula	Filing deadline	Source
Texas	U.S. Senate	Democratic or Republican	N/A	N/A	$5,000.00	Fixed number	12/11/2023	Source
Texas	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	83,717	1% of all votes cast for governor in the last election	N/A	N/A	12/11/2023	Source

Election history

The section below details election results for this state's U.S. Senate elections dating back to 2014.