The 2026 Texas Land Commissioner race puts Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham on the November 3, 2026, ballot against Democrat Benjamin Flores and Libertarian Neil Snider. The winner will lead the General Land Office, which manages roughly 13 million acres of state land, funnels revenue to public schools through the Permanent School Fund, runs the Veterans Land Board, administers billions in federal disaster recovery money, and serves as custodian of the Alamo.
Dawn Buckingham, Republican Incumbent
Buckingham, a physician and former state senator, was first elected Land Commissioner in 2022 after defeating Democrat Jay Kleberg.1Texas Tribune. Dawn Buckingham Defeats Jay Kleberg for Texas Land Commissioner She ran unopposed in the March 2026 Republican primary after her only challenger, Davy Hobson, withdrew.2TransparencyUSA. Texas Land Commissioner Race
Her campaign centers on protecting the oil and gas industry, supporting border enforcement, and stewarding the Alamo in a way she says honors the 1836 battle. Among her signature initiatives is the “Jocelyn Initiative,” a program that identifies state-owned land the GLO could offer to the federal government for use in deporting undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes.3Texas General Land Office. Commissioner Buckingham Announces Jocelyn Initiative Her endorsements include multiple Railroad Commissioners, the House Speaker, dozens of state legislators, the National Border Patrol Council, and the Texas Oil & Gas Association.4News From the States. Texas Land Commissioner Primary: Who’s Running and What You Need to Know
Benjamin Flores, Democratic Nominee
Benjamin Flores is a Mexican-born immigrant, cybersecurity consultant, and small-scale organic pig farmer who operates “Lord of the Pigs Ranch” near Bay City.5Texas Monthly. The Pig Farmer Who Wants to Be Texas Governor Elected to the Bay City city council in 2023 as a Democrat in a heavily Republican community, he initially declared for governor in mid-2025 before switching to the Land Commissioner race.6Texas Tribune. Democratic Land Commissioner Nominee Benjamin Flores Diagnosed With Leukemia
In the March 2026 Democratic primary, Flores defeated Jose Loya with roughly 55.6% of the vote, taking about 1.13 million votes to Loya’s 900,000.7New York Times. Texas Land Commissioner Primary Results His platform calls for more public school funding, expanded solar and wind development on state land, and support for veterans, including a veterans’ hospital in the Rio Grande Valley.6Texas Tribune. Democratic Land Commissioner Nominee Benjamin Flores Diagnosed With Leukemia
In early June 2026, the Flores campaign disclosed that he had been diagnosed with leukemia. On June 12, he announced he was in remission and receiving treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He said the diagnosis would keep him off the campaign trail for several months but that he was staying in the race. “I did not bow down to challenges of winning my March primary, and I will not bow down to leukemia,” Flores said in a statement.8Click2Houston. Democratic Land Commissioner Nominee Diagnosed With Cancer, Announces He’s in Remission
Neil Snider, Libertarian
Libertarian Neil Snider is also on the November ballot. As of mid-2026, his campaign had reported no contributions or expenditures.2TransparencyUSA. Texas Land Commissioner Race
The Money
The financial gap between the two major-party candidates is wide. As of May 16, 2026, Buckingham had raised approximately $1.76 million and spent about $887,000, and she reported over $2.8 million in cash on hand as of February 2026.4News From the States. Texas Land Commissioner Primary: Who’s Running and What You Need to Know Flores had raised roughly $26,500 in contributions and loaned his own campaign $100,000, with about $94,000 in expenditures.2TransparencyUSA. Texas Land Commissioner Race The disparity in outside contributions runs close to 67-to-1.
What the Land Commissioner Does
The General Land Office was established in 1836 by the Republic of Texas.9Texas State Historical Association. General Land Office The commissioner is elected statewide to a four-year term.
The agency manages state-owned lands and the mineral rights beneath them. Texas is the only public-land state that retained full control over its own public lands when it joined the Union, and the GLO manages roughly 13 million acres, including submerged lands extending more than 10 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.10Texas Tribune. Texas March 2026 Primary Ballot It conducts oil, gas, and mineral lease sales and manages surface leasing, wind and solar leasing, and rights of way on state property.11Texas General Land Office. Texas General Land Office Homepage
Revenue from those activities flows into the Permanent School Fund, created by the 1845 Texas Constitution and now holding over $60 billion in assets. The fund distributes more than $2.4 billion each year to Texas public schools.12Texas Permanent School Fund. Texas Permanent School Fund Corporation
The commissioner also chairs the Veterans Land Board, which runs self-funded home and land loan programs for Texas veterans. The board offers fixed-rate home loans up to $832,750, with discounted rates for veterans with service-connected disabilities of 30% or greater. VLB loan programs are financed through bonds serviced by borrowers’ payments rather than taxpayer dollars.13Texas General Land Office. Veterans Home Loans The VLB also operates state veterans’ homes and cemeteries.14Texas General Land Office. Commissioner Buckingham Announces Veterans Land Board Home Loan Increase
The GLO administers more than $14.3 billion in federal disaster recovery and mitigation funding across eight major disasters, including over $5.6 billion tied to Hurricane Harvey.15Texas General Land Office. Disaster Recovery It runs coastal erosion, oil spill prevention, and beach access programs and allocated $100 million to a Resilient Communities Program that helps local governments adopt stronger building codes and flood damage prevention standards.16Texas General Land Office. Resilient Communities Program
The Alamo Controversy
The Legislature designated the GLO as custodian of the Alamo in 2011. The office contracts with a nonprofit called Alamo Trust, Inc. for day-to-day operations and an approximately $500 million redevelopment and museum project.17The Alamo. Alamo Trust Governance
In October 2025, Alamo Trust CEO Kate Rogers was forced to resign after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for her removal. The dispute centered on a 2023 doctoral dissertation Rogers had written about the political dynamics surrounding the Alamo, in which she discussed the “conservative agenda” of the 2023 legislative session, including restrictions on teaching Critical Race Theory, and expressed a desire for the site to be a “beacon for historical reconciliation.” Patrick called her views “incompatible with the telling of the history of the battle of the Alamo.”18Texas Tribune. Alamo Trust CEO Kate Rogers Resigns Under Pressure From Dan Patrick The removal of a social media post recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day in mid-October 2025 was an additional catalyst.19Texas Public Radio. The Alamo Cenotaph Gets a Rededication Amid Lingering Leadership Controversy
Buckingham played a role of her own in the conflict. According to Rogers, the Land Commissioner expressed dissatisfaction with the museum exhibit script, taking issue with the frequency of certain terms in it, including how often words like “slavery” and “enslaved” appeared relative to “patriotic” and “freedom.” In November 2025, Rogers sued Patrick, Buckingham, and members of the Alamo Trust board, arguing her termination over her academic work violated her First Amendment rights and seeking reinstatement.20San Antonio Report. Alamo Trust CEO Kate Rogers Q&A Former Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade was appointed the Trust’s new president and CEO.19Texas Public Radio. The Alamo Cenotaph Gets a Rededication Amid Lingering Leadership Controversy
The State of the Race
The fundamentals favor the incumbent. Texas has not elected a Democrat to any statewide office since 1994, Buckingham holds a large fundraising advantage, and Flores faces the practical challenge of campaigning while undergoing cancer treatment. Election Day is November 3, 2026.