The General Land Office oversees investments that earn billions of dollars for public education, manages state lands, operates the Alamo and distributes benefits to Texas veterans. Here’s a look at who’s running in the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries and where they stand.
Alejandra Martinez
Alejandra Martinez is a Fort Worth-based environmental reporter. She’s covered the impacts of petrochemical facilities on Black and brown communities, including investigating a chemical fire at an industrial complex and how the state's air monitoring system has failed Latino communities. Her work on climate change includes exploring the health effects of extreme heat and how extended droughts affect water resources. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, Alejandra was an accountability reporter at KERA, where she began as a Report for America Corps Member and then covered Dallas City Hall. She also has worked as an associate producer at WLRN in South Florida. A Houston native, Alejandra studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and speaks fluent Spanish.
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State Government
Federal officials close discrimination case over Texas’ distribution of Hurricane Harvey aid
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has ended a yearslong investigation into how the General Land Office handled $1 billion in disaster aid.
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State Government
Texas officials say the power grid will hold through winter storm, but local outages are likely
State and local officials say they’re better prepared than they were five years ago when Winter Storm Uri blanketed the state, killing hundreds and leaving scores without power and water.
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Environment
The EPA is easing pollution rules under Trump. Here’s how it’s affecting Texas.
As President Trump marks one year back in office, his EPA has proposed rolling back key air and climate protections, which experts say has already begun to strain Texas’s air quality and public health.
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Environment
After killing planned desalination plant, Corpus Christi tries to drill its way out of a water crisis
After an industrial building boom on Corpus Christi Bay, the city is drilling wells to meet water demand, and rural Nueces County residents say their own wells are being impacted.
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State Government
From school vouchers to flood warning systems, these are the Texas developments to watch in 2026
Several court hearings and policies affecting education, health and more will roll out in the new year.
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Environment
Texas’ newest state park gives visitors a sneak peek ahead of planned 2026 opening
Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will be the first to open in North Texas in about 25 years.
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Hill Country floods
Texas is approving money for flood warning systems, but will it be enough to build Kerr County’s?
The county where more than 100 died in July floods wants to quickly build a $5 million flood warning system.
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Energy
Residents protest high-voltage power lines that could skirt Dinosaur Valley State Park
One of three possible routes would border the North Texas park. The project is part of a statewide effort to keep pace with Texas’ rapidly growing energy needs.
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Investigations
Kerr County was among dozens of Texas communities to turn down state flood money, saying it wasn’t enough
Texas earmarked $1.4 billion to help fund flood prevention projects. But after learning that so many communities turned down the money, two lawmakers who approved the program acknowledged it was flawed.