State · November 3, 2026 General Election
One of 31 state senators. Votes on state laws and the state budget, and confirms the governor's appointees.
What this office does
The Texas Senate is one of the two chambers of the Texas Legislature (the other is the Texas House). Its 31 senators each represent a state senate district. With the House, the Senate writes Texas state law and passes the state budget; the Senate alone confirms the Governor's appointees to state boards and agencies. The Lieutenant Governor presides over the Senate. The Legislature meets in regular session every two years.
| What we compare | Erica Gillum | Lois KolkhorstHolds this office |
|---|---|---|
| Now | — | Texas State Senator, District 18, 2014 – presentTexas Senate – Member Page, District 18 ↗ |
| Before | — | Texas House of Representatives Member, 2001 – 2014Texas Senate – Member Page, District 18 ↗ |
| Work | — | Business OwnerTexas Senate – Member Page, District 18 ↗ |
| Raised | $6K$5,926 in total receipts, through Jun 30, 2026 — Search the Texas Ethics Commission for Erica Gillum's filings | $415K$415,371 in total receipts, through Jun 30, 2026 — Search the Texas Ethics Commission for Lois Kolkhorst's filings |
| Their words | “I'm Erica Gillum, a lifelong Texan, businesswoman, and former Mayor of Hempstead, and I'm running to represent District 18 in the Texas Senate.”Gillum for Texas (campaign site) — self-reported ↗ | No published platform we could quote |
| Records check | 4 official registries searched for every candidate in this race on 28 July 2026 — nothing found. Texas Legislature (impeachment records) · Texas Ethics Commission (final orders) · State Bar of Texas (attorney discipline) · Texas State Securities Board (enforcement orders). | |
| Full profile → | Full profile → | |
Money figures are as filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, and cover only the period each report covers — they are a snapshot, not a live total. Each candidate’s profile carries that filing’s own caveats.
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