Cook Political Report Shifts Ratings for Texas and Iowa 2026 Races

The Cook Political Report issued updated ratings for 2026 midterm races in Texas and Iowa, according to reporting from The Center Square, The Washington Post, Axios Des Moines, and WQAD published between August 20 and August 24, 2026. In Texas, the report shifted the governor's race from solid Republican to 'leans right' and moved the Senate race to a 'toss-up.' In Iowa, the gubernatorial race was shifted from 'toss-up' to 'lean Democrat,' and the Senate race moved from 'lean Republican' to 'toss-up.' In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is running against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa and is reported to be statistically tied with her in some polls despite holding a $67 million campaign war chest, per The Center Square. The Washington Post reported that Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, along with Attorney General Ken Paxton, face unexpectedly tight election battles ahead of the midterms, though specific polling figures for Patrick and Paxton were not detailed. In Iowa, Democratic Auditor Rob Sand is competing against Republican Zach Lahn for governor, with Axios Des Moines and WQAD both reporting Sand has built a consistent polling lead. The Iowa Senate race pits Republican Ashley Hinson against Democrat Josh Turek. The shifts reflect Cook's reassessment of competitiveness in both states ahead of the 2026 midterms, though the underlying polling data driving these changes was not independently detailed across all sources. Axios Des Moines attributed part of the shift in Iowa to a tougher political environment for Republicans, citing tariffs and stagnant crop prices affecting farmers, a framing not corroborated by other reports in this set. The extent of Paxton's specific electoral vulnerability, beyond being grouped with Abbott and Patrick as facing trouble, remains unconfirmed by a second independent source. No further details on debate schedules, additional polling, or campaign finance figures for the Iowa races were available in the supplied reporting.