LUBBOCK, Texas — A week after Election Day for the Texas 2026 Republican Primary for Texas’ 19th Congressional District, it is still unclear who is headed to a runoff.
On March 3, 2026, over 77,000 TX-19 voters cast a vote in a contentious race that saw seven candidates trying to vie for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock.
While numerous voters showed up, no candidate was able to earn 50% of the vote plus one to secure the Republican nomination for the November 2026 election, meaning a runoff will ensue in late May.
In Texas, a runoff is between the top two finishers in a race. As of Wednesday, March 11, Tom Sell of Lubbock secured a spot in the runoff with 40.42% of the votes.
Just 193 votes separate the second and third-place candidates, with ballots still being processed.
Currently, in second place is Abraham Enriquez of Lubbock with 18.76% of the vote — 14,568. In third place is Matt Smith of Abilene with 18.51% of the vote — 14,375.
This is causing people to question when they will know which candidate is set to face Sell in the runoff election. What is for certain is whoever wins the GOP TX-19 primary runoffs is set to face Democratic nominee Kyle Rable in the November 2026 General Election.
Here’s what the Texas Secretary of State elections calendar says and the process of a recount if a candidate requests one.
When will I know who’s in the TX-19 GOP primary runoff race?
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s elections calendar for the March 3 primary election, it should be on March 15 when canvassing at the state level should be completed.
For context, canvassing is a post-election process that aggregates and confirms that all valid ballots cast in the election are accurately counted and included in the final election results.
In Texas, that is done at the county and statewide level. For major cities like Lubbock and Abilene, their county elections office will conduct their canvassing on Thursday, March 12 — which is also the last day for local canvassing.
From there, the state executive committee has until March 15 to meet, canvas the elections and certify who goes to a runoff election.
Candidates who are in a runoff have until March 18 to withdraw. The runoff election will be May 26, 2026.
Can a candidate ask for a recount of the votes?
Simple answer, yes. Long answer, there are a few conditions that must be met.
The SOS website explains that a losing candidate can request a recount if the vote difference between them and the person ahead of them is less than 10% of the winner’s vote total.
However, to do so, the candidates must request a recount no later than two days following the canvass.
But according to the SOS website, canvassing will still happen on schedule — as a recount request does not stop the official counting process.
It, however, delays the certification of the candidates in the runoff until the recount is done and the recount can officially begin seven days after the recount petition has been approved
From there, the votes are either recounted manually or electronically — up to the campaigns.
Has anyone requested a recount?
Officially, no.
Enriquez’s campaign, the day after Election Day, declared victory in securing the second runoff spot in the race. The campaign released the following statement:
“West Texas, thank you. The establishment did everything it could to stop us because they know we’re a threat to the way Washington does business. We launched in a small chapel, grounded in faith and the values that built this region — and the people responded. The same forces that secretly bankrolled pro-amnesty, pro-gun control Democrats are now trying to buy this seat. West Texas deserves a representative who stands unapologetically with President Trump, defends our border, protects our Second Amendment, and fights the Swamp, not does its bidding.”
Smith’s campaign released a social media post on March 5 saying:
“193 votes from a runoff. About 1% of the vote is still uncounted — so a clear, transparent process and a complete count matters. No concession. God called us to this — and my family and our community have watched us run with integrity, no negativity. Not interested in the rumor mill — but if there’s real wrongdoing, we absolutely want it exposed. If you have firsthand, verifiable information, send it to our campaign so it can be forwarded to the proper election officials. Outsider. Built Fat Matt Roofing. Campaign largely self-funded—so I answer to voters, not the political machine. Like Gideon, we believe God is working in the details. We expect to be in the runoff—and we expect to win.”
Mateo Rosiles is a reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and USA TODAY Network in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him: mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Here’s what we know, are waiting for in Texas’ U.S. 19 GOP runoff
Reporting by Mateo Rosiles, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
