U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) secured reelection to represent Texas’ 26th Congressional District in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Notably, Gill managed to out-run a number of statewide Republicans on a night that saw Democrats secure historic gains both in Texas and across the country.
Gill received 54.5 percent of the vote, totaling roughly 182,648 ballots, compared with 44.2 percent for Democratic challenger Steven Shook and approximately 1.3 percent for Libertarian candidate Phil Gray. The margin of roughly 10 percentage points constituted a clear victory in a district that covers portions of Denton, Cooke, and Wise counties in North Texas.
Gill’s performance stood out relative to other Republican candidates both statewide and within his district. In Denton County, the core of the 26th District, Gill captured about 51.2 percent of the vote and won by roughly 3.6 percentage points. By contrast, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton received 44.89 percent in the same county and trailed Democrat James Talarico by more than eight points.
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IT'S OFFICIAL: Rep. BRANDON GILL (R-TX) reelected to Congress
THANK GOD!
We CAN'T lose this absolute rising star
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— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 4, 2026
Republican Governor Greg Abbott received 48.22 percent in Denton County and finished approximately two points behind Democrat Gina Hinojosa. These local figures indicate that Gill outperformed the top of the Republican ticket by a wide margin in the area that supplies the bulk of the district’s voters.
Statewide, Republican candidates faced substantial setbacks. Democrat Gina Hinojosa was elected governor with about 52.8 percent of the vote to 45.7 percent for three-term Governor Greg Abbott, while Democrat Vikki Goodwin unseated Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick with about 52 percent. Democrats also prevailed in the race for attorney general, and several other statewide offices.
These stunning outcomes ended a multi-decade stretch in which Republicans had held every statewide elected position in Texas. The last Democrat to win a U.S. Senate election in the state had been elected in 1988, and the last Democratic Party governor left office in the mid-1990s.
Gill, who first won the seat in 2024 after the retirement of longtime Representative Michael Burgess, returns to the House for a second term. The 26th District has historically leaned Republican, with recent presidential results showing double-digit margins for the party’s nominees.
Gill’s 2026 margin, while narrower than his initial election, remained solid amid the broader statewide shift toward Democratic candidates.
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