Dawn Buckingham, the Republican incumbent, is running for a second term as Texas land commissioner in the Nov. 3 general election.
This candidacy is listed in the Texas secretary of state’s official November 3, 2026 certification for Collin County.
Buckingham, a physician and former state senator, took office in January 2023 after winning the 2022 statewide election. She says on her campaign website that she is the first woman in Texas history to serve as land commissioner.
- Party: Republican
- Office sought: Texas Land Commissioner
- Education: Bachelor's degree in kinesiology, University of Texas at Austin (1992); doctor of medicine, University of Texas (1997). Buckingham graduated magna cum laude and debt-free, according to the Texas General Land Office.
- Background: Buckingham grew up on a ranch near the Texas coast before moving to Central Texas, according to the General Land Office. She says she is a ninth-generation Texan. She worked two jobs to pay her own way through college, according to the General Land Office.
Buckingham has served as Texas land commissioner since Jan. 10, 2023, according to the General Land Office. She also chairs the Veterans' Land Board, according to her campaign website.
Before winning the land commissioner race, Buckingham served in the Texas State Senate representing District 24. She says she was elected in 2016 as the first Republican from Travis County and the first woman to represent that district. She also worked as a physician and served as a volunteer firefighter, attending the Texas A&M Fire School, according to her campaign website.
Responses are based on public data and answers to a Surround Sound Media questionnaire if they were provided.
