Texas general election: November 3, 2026

Who is running for District Judge, 274th Judicial District in 2026?

Here are the candidates for District Judge, 274th Judicial District on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in 274th Judicial District.

Judges may not promise how they would rule, so we show experience and record instead of issue positions. How to research a judge.

Gary L. Steel

Republican · Incumbent

Judge, 274th District Court (Hays County)

Gary L. Steel is the sitting judge of the 274th District Court and is listed by Hays County as a Republican officeholder². An October 13, 2021 Corridor News staff report (photo credited to Hays County Communications) says he is elected by his colleagues to be Local Administrative Judge for Hays County and that he holds a Texas Tech law degree³. He is the only candidate on the November 3, 2026 ballot for the seat¹.

Judge, 274th District Court; Hays County lists him as Judge, 274th²
Local Administrative Judge for Hays County, elected by his colleagues, per a Corridor News report dated October 13, 2021³
Appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to an unexpired term through November 19, 2023; the report says he would be the only District Judge serving on the Commission³
Chairman of the Guadalupe County Juvenile Board and Vice-Chairman of the Comal County Juvenile Board, per the same report³
B.B.A. in Finance (1980) and J.D. (1983), Texas Tech University³
Hays County's official officeholder list shows him as the sitting 274th District judge with a term listed through 2026². The sources reviewed do not state when or how he first took the bench.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.