TX-COMP: State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D) announces run for comptroller, dropping congressional bid

State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, on Monday announced she was no longer running for Congress and would instead run for state comptroller.

The pivot, coming on the last day to file for Texas’ 2026 primaries, ends Eckhardt’s roughly monthlong campaign for the 10th Congressional District, a Republican-leaning seat that is being vacated by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin. Eckhardt has served in the Texas Senate since 2020 and was reelected in 2024, meaning she will retain her seat if she loses the comptroller race. Democrats have not won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.

At least one other Democrat has filed for comptroller: Michael Lange, an investment manager who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for land commissioner in 2022.

If elected, Eckhardt said she wants to tackle government waste and fraud as a watchdog of the state’s $337 billion budget — one of the comptroller’s main responsibilities. She pointed to her experience as Travis County judge, during which she said she delivered balanced budgets, as proof she’s the best candidate for the job.



https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/08/sarah-eckhardt-texas-comptroller-democratic-primary-2026/