Election 2026

The polls look grim for Republicans heading into the midterms — and recent special elections look even worse. President Trump has reacted by calling for the Republican party to take over the elections entirely. Advocates for free and fair elections are calling this a warning sign. What could happen and how can we protect our elections?

There’s growing evidence of a great political shift in America. A record-high 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025. Meanwhile an equal share of U.S. adults — 27% each — identified as either Democrats or Republicans. But this means a large share of voters are unrepresented in our two-party political system. As independents rise, how will they have a voice?

Former Texas congressman Colin Allred gave up his seat in the House to run for Senate against Ted Cruz. He came up short— but he outperformed the Democratic ticket. He says he wants another shot and he’s running again for the Democratic nomination for Senate where he could face either incumbent John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is leading incumbent U.S. Sen. Cornyn in most polls in the Republican Senate primary. But the most recent poll on the 2026 general election shows former U.S. Rep. Allred within striking distance of beating Paxton if he ends up being the GOP candidate.

He is a member of Bexar County’s criminal court bench, and he may enter the race in 2026.