Colleyville, Texas: November 3, 2026

Who is running for Texas Land Commissioner in 2026?

Here are the candidates for Texas Land Commissioner on the November 3, 2026 ballot in Colleyville, Texas.

Positions come only from each candidate's own votes, official actions, statements and questionnaire answers, never from party labels. Every item links to its source.

Dawn Buckingham

Republican · Incumbent

Texas Land Commissioner

Dawn Buckingham is a physician who has served as Texas Land Commissioner since January 2023 and is seeking a second term¹. She represented Texas Senate District 24 from 2017 to 2023 and won the 2022 land commissioner race with 56.2 percent of the vote¹. She was unopposed in the March 2026 Republican primary⁶.

Where they stand

Immigration: Secure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steady Official action · low confidence
- As land commissioner, Buckingham offered the incoming Trump administration more than 1,400 acres of state land in Starr County for deportation facilities and staging areas; her office's release said the land would support the administration's plans to deport illegal immigrants. (2024-11-20) source
- In her letter she wrote that her office was prepared to allow a facility for the processing, detention and coordination of what she called the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation's history. (2024-11-19) source
- ABC News reported that she said in a Fox News interview she was fully on board with the incoming administration's promise to deport criminals. (2024-11-20) source
- Her office signed an agreement with the Texas Facilities Commission authorizing state border wall construction on the Starr County ranch. (2024-10) source
- Local coverage reports she launched an initiative to set aside state land the federal government could use for mass deportation and detention facilities. (2026-09-14) source
- Her 2022 campaign website said she would work to finish the border wall on state-controlled lands and cited her Senate work to make sanctuary city policies illegal in Texas. (2022) source
Energy and climate: All of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets pick Official action · low confidence
- Buckingham announced that the General Land Office would explore developing geothermal, natural gas and small nuclear power plants on state land. (2026-09-15) source
- She said geothermal, advanced nuclear and natural gas plants are different approaches to producing dependable power in Texas. (2026-09-15) source
- Ahead of an August 2023 federal offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf, she said her office would not grant the approvals needed for offshore wind construction, according to Inside Climate News. (2023) source

No public position found on: Housing and growth.

Benjamin Flores

Democrat

Bay City City Council member

Benjamin Flores is a Bay City City Council member who spent about 30 years in cybersecurity and risk management and now raises heritage pigs in Matagorda County¹. He immigrated from Mexico City in 1996 and later became a U.S. citizen¹³. He won the March 2026 Democratic primary for land commissioner with 55.6 percent over Jose Loya⁴.

Where they stand

Energy and climate: All of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets pick Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
- In a Ballotpedia survey Flores said he would get maximum value from state land leases by welcoming renewable energy producers alongside oil and gas. (2026) source
- His campaign site says he would expand revenue from both traditional and renewable energy on state lands to fund public schools. (2026) source
Immigration: A path to citizenship for most, and more legal immigration Said · low confidence
- In a campaign Q&A Flores said he opposes guest worker programs that create a permanent second class of workers without a fair path to citizenship. (2026) source
- He said ICE raids do nothing to improve security and that as land commissioner he would keep state lands from being used for detention or enforcement that violates human dignity or due process. (2026) source
- Local coverage reports he believes Texas can protect its border without being irresponsible with land, water and wildlife. (2026-09) source

No public position found on: Housing and growth.

Neill Snider

Libertarian

Private citizen

Neill Snider is a Waco mechanical contractor who also runs a small cattle operation and is the Libertarian nominee for land commissioner¹². He was nominated at the Libertarian convention in April 2026². He ran for Texas House District 56 as a Libertarian in 2012 and received 20.5 percent³.

Where they stand

Energy and climate: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Said · medium confidence
- Snider's campaign site says he would support responsible energy production and fair leasing practices on state land to raise revenue and ease pressure for higher taxes. (2026) source
- His site says state land and mineral assets should be managed to maximize revenue for taxpayers and schools, or be sold. (2026) source

No public position found on: Immigration, Housing and growth.

Last reviewed 2026-09-26. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.