Texas Ballot Compare

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Nonpartisan voter guide · Texas

State Senator, District 26

Race · November 3, 2026 general election

State of Texas
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
Jose MenendezJose MenendezDemocratic Incumbent
Julián VillarrealGreen
On ballot as
Jose Menendez
Julián Villarreal
Current role
State Senator, Texas Senate District 26 (since 2015 special election)
Scientist and engineer (per his questionnaire answers)
Background
  • Graduate, Central Catholic High School
  • Degrees in business administration and Latin American studies, Southern Methodist University
  • Vice President, Stewart Title Guaranty; Director, Multicultural Market (occupation per the Senate)
  • Hometown San Antonio
  • Son of immigrants (per his Senate biography)
  • Grew up working at his family's West Side business (per his Senate biography)
  • Bachelor of Science in materials science and engineering, MIT
  • Doctorate, University of Texas at Austin
  • Professional fields include metallurgy, nanoscience and semiconductor manufacturing (per candidate)
  • Born and raised in San Antonio; lives on the Southside (per candidate)
  • Age 41 (per candidate)
Experience
  • Texas House, District 124 (2001–2015)
  • San Antonio City Council, District 6 (elected 1997)
  • David's Law, an anti-cyberbullying measure (credited to him by his Senate biography)
  • Volunteer Council District 5 representative, CPS Energy Community Input Committee (per his questionnaire answers)
  • Has served on the Green Party's Texas State Executive Committee for years (per the Green Party)
  • Green Party candidate for this seat (2020)
Top priorities
  • In a November 2024 statement on his bills for the 2025 session: "preserve and fully fund our public education system" and "safeguard the right to vote"
  • Joined a February 2025 statement opposing the school voucher bill as "public subsidization of private schools' choice"
  • Immigration enforcement: "We must hold them accountable to protect people and restore basic human rights" (October 2026 statement)
  • Campaign site (archived March 2026, undated text): "I voted to give residents the power to increase their homestead exemptions"
  • Campaign site (archived March 2026, undated text): "I authored a bill capping the cost of insulin"
  • Housing: "direct investment in affordable housing to lower costs and combat homelessness" and "a Tenants' Bill of Rights"
  • Environment: "strong legislation to reduce emissions and mandate that polluters pay to clean up their mess"
  • "I support a statewide moratorium on new data centers and stricter regulations on existing ones"
  • Civil rights: "We must end 287g agreements and repeal the anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4 passed in 2023"
  • "I support a prohibition on corporate spending in elections"
Tidbits
  • Abortion: No public statement found
  • Border and immigration: At an Oct. 2, 2026 congressional field hearing in San Antonio: "The Trump Administration and Governor Abbott have colluded to stoke fear in our communities and incite human rights violations across our country."
  • Guns: After a September 2019 town hall in San Antonio, KSAT reported: "We want to do universal background checks. We want to do red flag laws that make us safer"
  • Public schools and vouchers: In a Feb. 5, 2025 statement with six other senators on the voucher bill, SB 2: it is "public subsidization of private schools' choice"
  • Property taxes: Campaign site, as archived by the Internet Archive on March 23, 2026 (text undated): "I voted to give residents the power to increase their homestead exemptions"
Claims and the record
  • 2017 unreported campaign contributions: A 2017 news review of campaign finance filings found he had not reported two $25,000 contributions. No report of a penalty was found, and the Texas Ethics Commission lists no order in his name. He said he would amend his reports and there was no intent to deceive: "The ultimate responsibility is with me".
  • Abortion: No public statement found
  • Border and immigration: Campaign site: "I support ending mandatory 287g agreements and repealing anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4 that passed in 2023."
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: Campaign site: "I oppose the TEFA program because it undermines the goal of universal, high-quality, public education for all students."
  • Property taxes: In a San Antonio Report questionnaire: "we should implement a land value tax (exempting the improvement value) for most residential properties"
Claims and the record
  • Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
Endorsements
  • Texas AFL-CIO
  • Texas AFT
None found in our research
Campaign website
Not found
julianfortxsenate.org
Jose Menendez

Jose Menendez

Democratic Incumbent
On ballot as
Jose Menendez
Current role
State Senator, Texas Senate District 26 (since 2015 special election)
Background
  • Graduate, Central Catholic High School
  • Degrees in business administration and Latin American studies, Southern Methodist University
  • Vice President, Stewart Title Guaranty; Director, Multicultural Market (occupation per the Senate)
  • Hometown San Antonio
  • Son of immigrants (per his Senate biography)
  • Grew up working at his family's West Side business (per his Senate biography)
Experience
  • Texas House, District 124 (2001–2015)
  • San Antonio City Council, District 6 (elected 1997)
  • David's Law, an anti-cyberbullying measure (credited to him by his Senate biography)
Top priorities
  • In a November 2024 statement on his bills for the 2025 session: "preserve and fully fund our public education system" and "safeguard the right to vote"
  • Joined a February 2025 statement opposing the school voucher bill as "public subsidization of private schools' choice"
  • Immigration enforcement: "We must hold them accountable to protect people and restore basic human rights" (October 2026 statement)
  • Campaign site (archived March 2026, undated text): "I voted to give residents the power to increase their homestead exemptions"
  • Campaign site (archived March 2026, undated text): "I authored a bill capping the cost of insulin"
Tidbits
  • Abortion: No public statement found
  • Border and immigration: At an Oct. 2, 2026 congressional field hearing in San Antonio: "The Trump Administration and Governor Abbott have colluded to stoke fear in our communities and incite human rights violations across our country."
  • Guns: After a September 2019 town hall in San Antonio, KSAT reported: "We want to do universal background checks. We want to do red flag laws that make us safer"
  • Public schools and vouchers: In a Feb. 5, 2025 statement with six other senators on the voucher bill, SB 2: it is "public subsidization of private schools' choice"
  • Property taxes: Campaign site, as archived by the Internet Archive on March 23, 2026 (text undated): "I voted to give residents the power to increase their homestead exemptions"
Claims and the record
  • 2017 unreported campaign contributions: A 2017 news review of campaign finance filings found he had not reported two $25,000 contributions. No report of a penalty was found, and the Texas Ethics Commission lists no order in his name. He said he would amend his reports and there was no intent to deceive: "The ultimate responsibility is with me".
Endorsements
  • Texas AFL-CIO
  • Texas AFT
Campaign website
Not found

Julián Villarreal

Green
On ballot as
Julián Villarreal
Current role
Scientist and engineer (per his questionnaire answers)
Background
  • Bachelor of Science in materials science and engineering, MIT
  • Doctorate, University of Texas at Austin
  • Professional fields include metallurgy, nanoscience and semiconductor manufacturing (per candidate)
  • Born and raised in San Antonio; lives on the Southside (per candidate)
  • Age 41 (per candidate)
Experience
  • Volunteer Council District 5 representative, CPS Energy Community Input Committee (per his questionnaire answers)
  • Has served on the Green Party's Texas State Executive Committee for years (per the Green Party)
  • Green Party candidate for this seat (2020)
Top priorities
  • Housing: "direct investment in affordable housing to lower costs and combat homelessness" and "a Tenants' Bill of Rights"
  • Environment: "strong legislation to reduce emissions and mandate that polluters pay to clean up their mess"
  • "I support a statewide moratorium on new data centers and stricter regulations on existing ones"
  • Civil rights: "We must end 287g agreements and repeal the anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4 passed in 2023"
  • "I support a prohibition on corporate spending in elections"
Tidbits
  • Abortion: No public statement found
  • Border and immigration: Campaign site: "I support ending mandatory 287g agreements and repealing anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4 that passed in 2023."
  • Guns: No public statement found
  • Public schools and vouchers: Campaign site: "I oppose the TEFA program because it undermines the goal of universal, high-quality, public education for all students."
  • Property taxes: In a San Antonio Report questionnaire: "we should implement a land value tax (exempting the improvement value) for most residential properties"
Claims and the record
  • Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
Endorsements
None found in our research
Campaign website
julianfortxsenate.org

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