The runoffs are over. Nominees are set for the 2026 midterm election. Now, Texas Republicans are cooling their intraparty political attacks and turning their attention to November's general election. That means coming together to unify as a party and defeat Democrats — just some of the goals for the 2026 Texas Republican Party Convention, which kicks off Thursday in Houston.
Over three days, the biennial event will host many of Texas' top GOP leaders, state party officials and delegates and midterm election candidates, along with thousands of dedicated Republican voters who are expected to attend from across the state.
This will be the first big statewide meeting of Texas Republicans since before May's contentious party runoffs and will give the state GOP a chance to strategize and plan for the coming years.
But underlying tensions from this year's primary season are still fresh in Republicans' minds.
At the center of that divide was the mudslinging-filled runoff for the U.S. Senate between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. The race — which Paxton won with nearly 64% of the vote — highlighted a years-long divide between the party's traditional Republicans and growing MAGA base.So far this year, the latter faction has come out on top.
"MAGA candidates won hands down," said Nancy Sims, a University of Houston political scientist.
Can Texas Republicans find their kumbaya moment?
While the U.S. Senate battle wasn't the only runoff putting some of the state's Republicans at odds, there isn't much time to sit with hurt feelings: Election Day is Nov. 3, less than five months away, and current polls show it wouldn't be impossible for Democrats to flip seats.
This week's gathering in Houston serves to "pull everyone back together and rally the troops to go out and win the Fall elections," said Sims.
In some cases, the post-runoff olive branch has already been extended. One notable example comes from Gov. Greg Abbott and Bo French, the controversial Republican nominee for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission.
Days before polls closed, Gov. Abbott forcefully came out against French, even going as far as to say he, "doesn't know anything about oil and gas."
Other top Republicans in Texas are expected to set a similar tone at the convention.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) is prepared to "deliver a message of working together to help all Republicans win in the November election," said Kimberly Carmichael, the speaker's communications director, in a statement to The Texas Newsroom.
What to watch for at this year's Texas Republican Party Convention
A large segment of the state's top Republicans are expected to be in attendance. Besides Burrows, who's scheduled to make a Friday morning appearance, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is hosting an opening night ice cream social. Many more elected officials and midterm candidates will be at the convention, which is taking place at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center. The event will also feature panel discussions with titles like "Don't Sharia My Texas," "The Playbook to Win" and a "Recover America" panel hosted by the Judeo Christian Caucus.
But the real meat of the Texas GOP convention is taking care of important party business. That includes selecting people for leadership roles, adopting an official party platform, voting on party rules and setting the legislative priorities that will guide the state's Republicans for the next two years.
While all that's happening, UT-San Antonio political scientist Jon Taylor said there are several key things to keep an eye out for: Fights over party leadership, a push for closed primaries in elections, and calls for further restrictions on reproductive rights.
After the MAGA wing of Texas Republicans saw sweeping success in the primaries and runoffs, both Taylor and Nancy Sims of UH believe the rules — and party platform — that come out of this year's convention will likely steer even more to the right than usual.
That matters because the Texas GOP has controlled state government for decades. And in those decades, when the party has set its sights on a goal, it has a high chance of coming to life.
Copyright 2026 KUT News
