Fort Bend County 2026: Democrats Lead Every Statewide Race on the Ballot, but Confidence in the Elections Splits Along Jurisdictional Lines

A new survey of 1,200 likely voters from the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University finds Fort Bend County—Texas's most ethnically diverse county—breaking decisively for Democrats up and down the ballot, even as the local race for County Judge stays close. Democrat Dexter McCoy leads Republican Daniel Wong 49%-40% for County Judge, while in the three statewide contests identified as closest in the Center's September survey, Fort Bend Democrats pull well ahead: James Talarico leads Ken Paxton 56%-38% for U.S. Senate, Gina Hinojosa leads Greg Abbott 53%-42% for Governor, and Jon Rosenthal leads Bo French 50%-35% for Railroad Commissioner (margin of error ±2.83%).

Confidence in the integrity of this fall's elections falls sharply the further the jurisdiction from home. Four-fifths of Fort Bend voters (80%, with Democrats and Republicans essentially in agreement) are confident their own county's elections will be conducted fairly and accurately, but that bipartisan consensus frays at the state level—where 80% of Republicans but only 51% of Democrats trust the outcome—and collapses nationally, where confidence drops to 45% overall with both parties equally skeptical (43% each). Down-ballot, voters remain largely unfamiliar with Fort Bend's other countywide officials: 61%-73% don't know enough about the Sheriff, District Attorney or County Attorney to rate them, though all three post positive net-favorability among those who do have an opinion. The exception is suspended County Judge KP George, known to 75% of voters and underwater at 70% unfavorable to just 5% favorable. President Trump's approval in the county sits at 39% favorable to 60% unfavorable.

Full crosstabs by race, gender, age, education and partisanship are in the report. Read it here