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2026 Texas Commissioner of Agriculture election

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2026 Texas Agriculture Commissioner election
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate Nate Sheets Clayton Tucker
Party Republican Democratic
Incumbent agriculture commissioner

Sid Miller
Republican


The 2026 Texas Commissioner of Agriculture election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the agriculture commissioner of Texas. The primary election took place on March 3, 2026.[1] Incumbent commissioner Sid Miller ran for re-election to a fourth term in office, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Nate Sheets.[2] Sheets will face Democratic nominee Clayton Tucker in the general election.

Republican primary

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Incumbent commissioner Sid Miller has frequently been the subject of critiques and scandal during his tenure.[3] Miller faced vocal opposition from other statewide officials and members of the legislature who accused his office of corruption and ineptitude, including Governor Greg Abbott who endorsed his primary opponent, Nate Sheets.[4] President Donald Trump, who had been a longtime supporter of Miller, renewed his endorsement the week before the election, but on election day Sheets won the primary with about 53% of the vote.[5]

Candidates

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Nominee

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  • Nate Sheets, beekeeper and small business owner[6]

Eliminated in primary

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Endorsements

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Sid Miller
Executive branch officials
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
State legislators
Individuals
Nate Sheets
Executive branch officials
U.S. senators
Statewide officials
State legislators
Individuals
Organizations
Newspapers

Debates

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2026 Texas Agriculture Commissioner Republican primary debates
No. Date Host Moderator Link Participants
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Non-invitee   I  Invitee   W  Withdrawn
Miller Sheets
1[23] February 15, 2026 American Jewish Conservatives [24] P P

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[a]		 Margin
of error		 Sid
Miller		 Nate
Sheets		 Undecided
University of Houston/YouGov[25] January 20–31, 2026 550 (LV) ± 4.2% 48% 18% 34%

Results

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Results by county
  Sheets
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  Miller
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
2026 Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nate Sheets 1,044,698 52.7
Republican Sid Miller (incumbent) 938,857 47.3
Total votes 1,983,555 100.0

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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  • Clayton Tucker, rancher and founder of the Texas Progressive Caucus[12]

Endorsements

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Clayton Tucker
U.S. representatives
Statewide Officials
Labor unions

Results

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2026 Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Democratic primary[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Clayton Tucker 1,928,300 100.0
Total votes 1,928,300 100.0

Third parties

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Libertarian convention

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The Libertarian convention took place on April 12, 2026, with ecologist Austin Kelly securing the party's nomination unopposed.[1][29]

Green convention

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The Green convention took place on April 11, 2026 and Alfred Molison was nominated.[1][30]

Candidates

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  • Austin Kelly, ecologist (Libertarian)[29]

General election

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The construction boom of data centers caused by the developmen of A.I. systems has become a major issue in the campaign. There are hundreds of sites planned for construction in rural areas of the state which has led to Texas having one of the highest number of data centers in the country.[31] Critics of these projects express concerns over the energy, water, and other resources that are consumed by the centers are placing a strain on local infrastructure. Incumbent Commissioner Sid Miller has been vocal about his concerns with the rapid expansion and has called for a moratorium on new construction.[32][33] Miller has also requested that Governor Abbott call a special legislative session on the issue.[34] Democratic nominee Clayton Tucker has made a moratorium on the construction of new data centers a main plank of his campaign. Tucker and Miller both attended a forum in Matagorda County against data centers with Miller saying of Tucker “I’d never endorse a Democrat, I’ve never campaigned for a Democrat, but this guy, he’s right on the issue."[35]

Results

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2026 Texas Commissioner of Agriculture election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Nate Sheets
Democratic Clayton Tucker
Libertarian Austin Kelly
Green Alfred Molison
Total votes

Notes

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  1. ↑ Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Texas Agriculture Commissioner election, 2026". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  2. ↑ "Texas Agriculture Commissioner Primary Election Results 2026". The New York Times. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  3. ↑ McGee, Kate (2025-08-25). "State Ag employees told police they were wary of Sid Miller's political consultant. Now he's the agency's chief of staff". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  4. ↑ McGee, Kate (2026-02-06). "Why Ag Commissioner Sid Miller is the underdog in his primary". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  5. ↑ McGee, Kate; Huff, Jess (2026-03-04). "Nate Sheets defeats Sid Miller in Texas ag commissioner race". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  6. 1 2 Kirwin, McKael (24 July 2025). "Who's Running for Agriculture Commissioner? The 2026 GOP Showdown". Texas Scorecard. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  7. ↑ Runnels, Ayden (28 February 2026). "Trump backs Sid Miller and Don Huffines in Texas GOP primary". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Star-Telegram endorsement: New leadership needed at Texas agriculture agency". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McGee, Kate (27 January 2026). "Top candidates in the 2026 Texas agriculture commissioner primary". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  10. ↑ Moritz, John C. (28 January 2026). "Why some Republicans are ready to turn the page on Sid Miller in 2026 primary". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "Fake endorsement backfires as irked MAGA Rep backs opponent in heated primary - Raw Story". Raw Story. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 "Who filed to run in the 2026 elections in San Antonio and Texas? Here are the major candidates". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 9 December 2025. The challenger, Nathan Sheets, has won some early endorsements, including from former presidential contender Rick Santorum; Kelly Shackelford, the leader of the influential First Liberty Institute; and State Sen. Angela Paxton, a Collin County Republican. Clayton Tucker, a rancher from Lampasas and founder of the Texas Progressive Caucus, is the lone candidate so far on the Democratic side.
  13. ↑ Johnson, Hannah (23 January 2026). "Longtime honey business owner has Abbott endorsement for ag commissioner". KLTV. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Here are the Republican primary candidates for Texas agriculture commissioner". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "2026 Texas Endorsements". Gun Owners of America. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  16. ↑ McGee, Kate (6 February 2026). "Why Ag Commissioner Sid Miller is the underdog in his primary". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  17. ↑ "Nate Sheets for Agriculture Commissioner fits our strong focus on Texas families". Texas Eagle Forum on Facebook. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  18. ↑ "Texas Gun Rights – One Big Beautiful Ballot – 2026 Republican Primary". 14 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Endorsements". VETERANS FOR AMERICA FIRST. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  20. ↑ "Sheets clear choice for Agriculture Commissioner in GOP primary: Endorsement". Austin American-Statesman. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "Nate Sheets for agriculture commissioner in the Republican primary". Houston Chronicle. February 16, 2026. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Nate Sheets is the easy choice for GOP agricultural commissioner". San Antonio Express-News. February 1, 2026. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Battle for Texas Agriculture Commissioner Debate". dallasgop.com. Republican Attorneys General Association. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  24. ↑ "The Battle for Texas Agriculture Commissioner Debate". YouTube. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  25. ↑ "Texas Primaries 2026" (PDF). University of Houston. February 11, 2026. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Texas AFL-CIO COPE Announces 2026 Primary Election Endorsements". January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Texas AFL-CIO Kicks Off 2026 Political Work at COPE Convention". Texas AFT. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  28. ↑ "2026". GoElect Texas Elections. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  29. 1 2 Schmidt, Nolan. "9 Libertarians vie for state seats in November election". seguingazette.com. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  30. 1 2 "Green Party of Texas 2026 Nominated Candidates". Green Party of Texas. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  31. ↑ Staropoli, Anna (2026-06-25). "Where Are the Most Data Centers Planned?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  32. ↑ Ufberg, Max (2026-03-06). "Texas Republican Primary Reveals the Politics of AI Data Centers". Industry Insider Texas. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  33. ↑ Miller, Sid (May 18, 2026). "Opinion: For the Future of Texas, Pause Data Centers". Texas Department of Agriculture Website. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  34. ↑ "Commissioner Sid Miller Calls on Governor Abbott to Convene Special Session Before Data Center Expansion Becomes Irreversible". Texas Department of Agriculture Website. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  35. ↑ Runnels, Ayden (2026-06-03). "Sid Miller, Dem ag chief nominee to speak at data center forum". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
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Official campaign websites

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