MC Matt Cone

Voter Guide · October 18, 2026

My Voter Guide: November 3, 2026 (West Houston)

The biggest votes on the West Houston ballot this year are Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate and the three Republicans for the Court of Criminal Appeals. I'm also voting for Jon Bonck for Congress in CD 38 and Mayes Middleton for Attorney General. Here's why.

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Before you vote

  • Early voting runs Monday, Oct 19 through Friday, Oct 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 3, 7am–7pm. Harris County uses countywide vote centers, so you can vote at any location. Find one, and see your own ballot, at harrisvotes.com.

  • There's no straight-ticket button. Texas got rid of straight-party voting in 2020. You have to mark every race yourself, and the court races further down are where Republicans lose votes when people stop after the top of the ticket. Take this guide into the booth with you. You're allowed to bring printed notes.

  • Bring an approved photo ID, such as a Texas driver's license, a Texas election ID certificate, a passport or a military ID.

  • If you leave a race blank, the rest of your ballot still counts.

  • Your ballot has many other races on it. This guide focuses on the ones that matter most.

1. U.S. Senate: Ken Paxton (R)

The seat is open, and it decides who controls the Senate. On the ballot: Ken Paxton (R), James Talarico (D) and Ted Brown (L).

Paxton wins. He has run statewide in four election cycles and has never lost a nomination or a general election:

Year Race Result
2014 AG runoff / general Beat Dan Branch 63.6%; won the general 58.8%
2018 AG general 50.6% to Justin Nelson's 47.0%
2022 AG runoff / general Beat George P. Bush 68.0%; beat Rochelle Garza 53.4% to 43.7%
2026 U.S. Senate runoff 63.8%, beating sitting Sen. John Cornyn

West Houston already picked him. In the May 26 runoff, Paxton carried HD 133 with 52.48% and HD 138 with 60.40%. In the 2022 general he carried both districts by more than eight points (52.7% to 44.1%). The idea that Paxton drags down the ticket here doesn't hold up against the actual returns. (Full numbers)

Paxton has shown up for families here. In September 2025, when Stratford students who started a conservative student club were doxxed and harassed, the SBISD Board said nothing. The Attorney General's office stepped in. This year his office also filed an amicus brief supporting SBISD on appeal in Elizondo v. SBISD, the Voting Rights Act case over the district's at-large elections. (Desk note)

The alternative is clear. James Talarico is a Democratic state representative from the Austin area. His own record and platform:

  • He voted against the 2025 school-choice law (SB 2) and tried to send it to a ballot referendum instead.

  • He voted against SB 10, the 2025 law requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

  • His Senate platform says it would "allow every American, regardless of their age, to join Medicare," "codify Roe v. Wade," raise the federal minimum wage to $15, "roll back" the Trump tariffs and require universal background checks for gun sales.

A Talarico win would make a Democratic Senate majority more likely, with everything that comes with it.

Here's the record on the charges against Paxton. The House impeached him 121–23 in May 2023. The Texas Senate acquitted him on every article that September. The 2015 securities case ended with a pretrial agreement in March 2024. He entered no plea and admitted nothing. Prosecutors dismissed all three charges in June 2025 after he completed the terms.

Even Dick Weekley, who spent years and millions of dollars fighting Paxton, now tells his list to vote for him. (Desk post)

My vote: Ken Paxton.

2. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Tom Smith, Kevin Yeary, John Messinger

This is the most important race most voters skip.

What the court does. The Court of Criminal Appeals is Texas's highest court for criminal cases. Its nine judges are elected statewide to six-year terms. It has the final word on criminal appeals, it hears every death-penalty appeal directly, and it rules on habeas petitions from anyone convicted of a state felony.

Why it matters for honest elections. In December 2021, in State v. Stephens, the court ruled 8–1 that the Attorney General can't prosecute election crimes unless a local district or county attorney asks him to. The decision struck down a 1985 law that had allowed it. In practice, election-crime prosecution is now up to local prosecutors like the Harris County DA.

  • In 2024, Republican primary voters replaced three judges from that majority (Presiding Judge Sharon Keller, Barbara Hervey and Michelle Slaughter) with David Schenck, Gina Parker and Lee Finley.

  • In 2025 the court agreed to rehear an election-wrongdoing case it had previously thrown out, according to the Texas Tribune.

  • This year, two more judges from the Stephens majority, Bert Richardson (Place 3) and David Newell (Place 9), are retiring. The one judge who dissented, Kevin Yeary, is up for re-election.

Three seats are on the ballot, and all three matter.

Seat My vote Opponents
Place 3 (open: Richardson retiring) Tom Smith (R) (listed on the ballot as Thomas Smith) Okey Anyiam (D), Mark Ash (L)
Place 4 Kevin Patrick Yeary (R), incumbent Audra Riley (D)
Place 9 (open: Newell retiring) John Messinger (R) Holly Taylor (D)

  • Tom Smith (Place 3) is a former assistant attorney general who was Paxton's counsel when Paxton was in the state Senate. He's endorsed by AG Paxton, Sen. Angela Paxton, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and Texas Values. I backed him in the primary.

  • Kevin Patrick Yeary (Place 4) has been on the court since he was first elected in 2014. He's a former appellate prosecutor for Dallas, Harris and Bexar counties, and he was the only judge to vote against the 2021 Stephens ruling. Gov. Abbott and the C Club of Houston endorse him.

  • John Messinger (Place 9) is an assistant state prosecuting attorney, which means he argues the State's cases at this very court. He has criticized the court for rulings that "ignore or conflict" with its own precedent and for how long it takes to decide cases. He's endorsed by True Texas Project and Young Conservatives of Texas. I backed him in the primary.

About the other side: all three Democratic nominees for this court (Anyiam, Riley and Taylor) list $1,000 contributions from James Talarico's campaign. Holly Taylor ran for presiding judge in 2024 and lost.

My votes: Tom Smith, Kevin Yeary, John Messinger. They're listed after the Texas Supreme Court races. Mark all three.

3. U.S. House, District 38: Jon Bonck (R)

The seat is open because Rep. Wesley Hunt ran for the Senate instead of re-election. On the ballot: Jon Bonck (R), Melissa McDonough (D) and Alex McMenemy (G).

  • Republican voters here already chose him decisively. He finished first in the March primary with 47.7%, and he won the May 26 runoff 64.8% to 35.2% (certified results).

  • He has the backing of conservative leadership. President Trump endorsed him on Feb 16, and so did Sen. Ted Cruz and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

  • He's from outside politics. He has a biochemistry degree from LSU, worked in quality control in the chemical industry and now manages a Houston-area mortgage group. He has said his priorities are affordability, immigration and public safety.

I endorsed Jon Bonck in the February primary, and he has my vote again. My vote: Jon Bonck.

CD 38 covers the Memorial Villages and Spring Branch. Other parts of West Houston are in CD 7, CD 8 or CD 22, so check your ballot at harrisvotes.com.

4. Texas Attorney General: Mayes Middleton (R)

The seat is open because Ken Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate. On the ballot: Mayes Middleton (R), Nathan Johnson (D) and Tom Oxford (L).

  • Republican voters chose him in a contested primary and runoff. He finished first in the four-way March primary with 39.2%. In the May 26 runoff he beat U.S. Rep. Chip Roy 55.2% to 44.8% (certified results).

  • He's a Republican state senator from Galveston.

  • His primary rival endorsed him. Aaron Reitz, a former Justice Department lawyer who finished fourth in March, endorsed Middleton for the runoff. Reitz cited Middleton's support for President Trump and said his record shows he can "keep his foot on the gas after Attorney General [Ken] Paxton leaves office."

His Democratic opponent, Nathan Johnson, is a state senator.

I backed Mayes Middleton in the primary, and he has my vote again. My vote: Mayes Middleton.

The short version

Print your ballot card (PDF)

In the order they appear on your ballot:

  1. U.S. Senator: Ken Paxton.
  2. U.S. Representative, District 38: Jon Bonck (if you're in CD 38).
  3. Attorney General: Mayes Middleton.
  4. Court of Criminal Appeals: Tom Smith (Place 3, listed on the ballot as Thomas Smith), Kevin Yeary (Place 4), John Messinger (Place 9).

Vote early, starting Monday. Bring a neighbor, and don't stop after the Senate race.

— Matt Cone

Notes on this guide. Candidate names and party labels come from the official Harris County Clerk master sample ballot for Nov 3, 2026. The open-seat and incumbent labels are confirmed: CCA Places 3 and 9, CD 38 and Attorney General are open, and Yeary is the incumbent in CCA Place 4. These are my own recommendations.

Sources