Polling Average
60%50%40%30%20%10%0%
9.7%
52.1%
Democrat
Chris Bell
Texas Democratic Governor nominee?
$14.3K
MAR 4, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleFormer U.S. Representative
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyLiberal Democrat
Age66 years old (Nov 23, 1959)
GenderMale
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LocationTexas
BackgroundAttorney
EducationB.J., University of Texas at Austin (1982)
Notable personal detailsChris Bell is an American attorney and former journalist who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House representing Texas (2003–2005) and previously served on the Houston City Council (1997–2001). He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas in 2006 and later ran for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas in 2020. He announced another run for Texas governor in the 2026 election cycle.
SourcesShowHide
history.house.goven.wikipedia.orgwikidata.orgchrisbelltexas.comcommons.wikimedia.orghouse.texas.govcongress.govwheelercounty.texas.govdbpedia.orgpoliticiancompare.comgovinfo.govsos.state.tx.usco.caldwell.tx.ushoustonpress.comgraysondemocrats.orgpopulartimelines.comcdn.ballotpedia.orgarxiv.orgchron.comchrisbellforgovernor.commrt.comtexastribune.orgmyplainview.comcleanfundtx.orghoustonchronicle.comdallasnews.comontheissues.orgkellysearch.comuniversitysurgical.comusacs.comjsg.utexas.edunpiprofile.comkalterra.comstar-telegram.comstatesman.comwhodatdish.comcbsnews.comhoustonpublicmedia.orgsanantonioreport.orgmanitoulin.comfortworthinc.comreutersconnect.comnytimes.comyahoo.comkwtx.comhoustonvotersguide.orgnewsfromthestates.comfacebook.cominstagram.combioguideretro.congress.govballotready.orgfec.govclerk.house.govnga.org
Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
The candidate has advocated increasing revenue to expand public education funding, including proposals to expand business taxes to raise several billion dollars for schools. He supports increased state spending on K–12 and higher education affordability measures rather than revenue-neutral tax shifts.
Healthcare
Supports expanding access to care including Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, strengthening community and neighborhood health clinics, and treating healthcare as a right. Proposes policies to enroll more Texans in coverage, keep rural hospitals open, and reduce reliance on emergency rooms for primary care.
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Immigration & Border
Supports an earned pathway to citizenship and opposes mass deportation and construction of a border fence, while endorsing some limited enforcement measures such as National Guard support (with caution about militarizing the border).
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate supports reproductive rights and opposes government interference between a woman and her doctor. He has said he would veto laws that would preemptively outlaw abortion and has a pro-choice voting record.
Climate & Energy
Supports clean energy investment and clean-energy programs for Texas, advocates stronger enforcement of environmental regulations, and has worked with organizations to expand access to clean energy and federal clean-energy funding. Positions emphasize clean energy jobs, pollution reduction, and environmental justice while not explicitly calling for immediate fossil fuel phase-out or Green New Deal–style language in available sources.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports an assault-weapons ban with a mandatory buyback, endorses expanded background checks, and has called for removing military-style weapons from civilian circulation to improve public safety.
News
AINews Summary
Last updatedJul 15, 2026
Chris Bell is in the news as a Democratic candidate in the Texas 2026 elections, with the primary now underway and early voting drawing strong turnout. Recent coverage also points to Texas data center growth and power demand as a political issue that Democratic candidates are using to attack Republicans. The broader race has been shaped by high-profile GOP developments, including Trump’s endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate primary, which Democrats see as potentially helping them in the general election.
history.house.gov+53
Articles
CNCBS News5 months ago
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F4FOX 4 News5 months ago
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F4FOX 4 News5 months ago
Everything Texans should know about voting in the primary
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AGAmarillo Globe-News5 months ago
2026 March primary election day is Tuesday
Neutral
Polls
Texas Democratic Governor nominee?
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Endorsements
Texas Democratic Governor nominee?
Endorsers of Chris Bell for Texas Democratic Governor nominee?
Star-Telegram editorial board
Elected official
Star-Telegram editorial board endorsed Chris Bell for Texas governor.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Fundraising