Updated Feb. 10 11:25 a.m.

The candidate filing period for next March's primary election closed Dec. 13, and Central Austinites have several races to watch heading into next spring.

Primary contests for both state and federal offices will be decided March 1 with winners advancing to the Nov. 8 general election. Ahead of election day, voter registration will close Jan. 31, and early voting will run from Feb. 14-25.

The primaries will be held under new district boundaries approved by the state leaders this year and set to be in effect through the 2020s, which shuffled some representation in Central Texas. The new maps are also being challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice over the alleged disenfranchisement of minority voters.

Below are the primary races for the state House, state Senate and congressional districts representing the Austin area with candidates and parties listed in alphabetical order. More information on the March primary and individual candidates is available through the Texas secretary of state's elections division.

State House



District 46

Democrat:
  • Sheryl Cole (incumbent)
Republican:
  • Sam Strasser
District 48

Democrat:
  • Donna Howard (incumbent)
District 49

Democrat:
  • Gina Hinojosa (incumbent)
Republican:
  • Katherine Griffin
District 50


Democrat:
  • David Alcorta
  • James Talarico
Republican:
  • Victor Johnson
District 51

Democrat:
  • Cody Arn
  • Albino Bino Cadenas
  • Maria Luisa "Lulu" Flores
  • Mike Hendrix
  • Claire Campos-O'Neal
  • Cynthia Valadez-Mata
  • Matt Worthington
Republican:
  • Robert Reynolds

State Senate



District 14

Democrat:
  • Sarah Eckhardt (incumbent)
District 21


Democrat:
  • Judith Zaffirini (incumbent)
Republican:
  • Julie Dahlberg

Congress



District 35

Democrat:
  • Greg Casar
  • Eddie Rodriguez
  • Carla Joy Sisco
  • Rebecca Viagran
Republican:
  • Jenai Aragona
  • Bill Condict
  • Marilyn Jackson
  • Alejandro Ledezma
  • Dan McQueen
  • Sam Montoya
  • Michael Rodriguez
  • Asa George Kent Palagi
  • Dan Sawatzki
  • Jennifer Sundt
District 37

Democrat:
  • Quinton "Q" Beaubouef
  • Lloyd Doggett
  • Donna Imam
  • Chris Jones
Republican:
  • Jeremiah Diacogiannis
  • Rod Lingsch
  • Jenny Garcia Sharon