ELECTION 2026: TEXAS SENATE DISTRICT 18

Josh Blaschke October 29, 2026

731

As early voting winds down for the November midterm elections, voters in Washington County are deciding on who will represent the area in U.S. Congress, the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate.

Vying to serve Texas Senate District 18, comprised of 14 full counties and portions of four others, are Republican incumbent Lois Kolkhorst and Democratic challenger Erica Gillum.

Lois Kolkhorst was first elected to the Texas Senate in 2014 after seven terms in the Texas House. She chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, as well as the Sunset Advisory Commission, with several other Senate committee roles.

As Texas continues to grow, Kolkhorst says she wants to continue her work in keeping the state a “beacon of freedom”.

Some of Kolkhorst’s priorities include lowering property taxes, maximizing budget efficiency and reducing waste, protecting Texas lands, affordability, giving counties more flexibility with data centers, and privacy issues with automated license plate reader technology.

Kolkhorst says she has helped the state make meaningful investments in education, infrastructure and the economy, and that her record speaks for itself.

Erica Gillum is a realtor, real estate coach and investor who served on the Hempstead City Council from 2020 to 2022 and then as mayor of Hempstead from 2022 to 2024.

Gillum believes there is a gap in communication between state and local governments, and that constituents deserve transparency and accountability in addressing what matters to them.

Gillum’s points of emphasis include reducing costs for families, addressing infrastructure and environmental concerns in connection to data centers, fully funding public education, rural healthcare, and giving citizens more information and agency in the policy-making process.

Gillum said she is concerned about the state that she loves, and she pledges to put the people first.