What it would take for Danny Minton.
Ellzey starts 22.8 points ahead on our starting line from recent official results. Campaign work can move about 5,405 net votes toward Minton, a 2.4-point gain. Winning outright would take a 20.3-point national wave on top of that. Here is the plan that makes Minton the one standing if one comes.
A long shot on the math: it takes a 20.3-point national wave.
110,355 votes.
That is half of the 220,709 ballots we expect in this race, plus one. Where Minton stands today, and what is missing:
Starting line: a weighted blend of the official 2022 and 2024 results in this district (President, U.S. Senate, Railroad Commissioner, Governor, Attorney General). No 2026 polls have been published. 2026 turnout modeled on 2022, the last midterm.
<1% today. A wave changes that.
We ran this race 20,000 times with realistic error on every assumption. Drag the slider to see the odds move as the campaign captures more of what history says is available.
Each simulation draws the starting line with an error of 7 points of margin (no 2026 polls, so the starting line comes from history and carries more error) and lets the plan over- or under-deliver by 30 percent. Seeded and reproducible; the method and data are at the bottom of the page.
The gap closes three ways.
Change minds. Bring out voters who skip midterms. Win back the third-party vote. Every pool below is counted from official precinct returns and published polls.
Who. 3,473 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Ellzey today.
How. Live conversations on the call list that matters: voters who crossed party lines, plus the undecided. Minton needs to win 50 percent of the ones now leaning Ellzey.
Who. At least 14,591 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where Minton's side wins at least 55 percent.
How. Voter ID calls to people who voted in 2024 and skipped 2022, then a ballot chase until each one has voted.
Who. Voters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean Minton's way.
How. A direct appeal to voters who went third party last time. They have already shown they will leave the two-party default.
Together: 5,405 net votes against a gap of 50,211. Still 44,806 short. The rest needs a national shift of about 20.3 points that no campaign controls.
12 precincts carry 23% of it.
Ranked by the net votes each one gives the plan. The darker the county, the more of the upset lives there.
- 01+199Precinct 1054 (Ellis County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +46. 2.8% split their ticket. About 1,097 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 02+175Precinct 43 (Johnson County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +19. 2.3% split their ticket. About 2,382 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 03+152Precinct 4621 (Dallas County)persuadeStarting line Minton +35. 9.9% split their ticket. About 690 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 04+108Precinct 4608 (Dallas County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +26. 6.0% split their ticket. About 686 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 05+87Precinct 4632 (Dallas County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +27. 7.7% split their ticket. About 617 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 06+85Precinct 4627 (Dallas County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +18. 2.5% split their ticket. About 917 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 07+79Precinct 1001 (Ellis County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +30. 1.2% split their ticket. About 713 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 08+78Precinct 1052 (Ellis County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +24. 2.5% split their ticket. About 707 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 09+76Precinct 1050 (Ellis County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +22. 2.1% split their ticket. About 699 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 10+70Precinct 4628 (Dallas County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +40. 6.9% split their ticket. About 363 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 11+70Precinct 4640 (Dallas County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +30. 4.1% split their ticket. About 456 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 12+69Precinct 4648 (Dallas County)mobilizeStarting line Minton +38. 5.3% split their ticket. About 351 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
The hidden path.
Precinct 1054 (Ellis County) carries the most.
Precinct 1054 (Ellis County) gives this plan more net votes than any other precinct: 199. It sits at Minton +46 on our starting line, and 2.8 percent of its voters split their ticket in recent elections.
Precinct 43 (Johnson County) is a turnout race.
Minton's side leads Precinct 43 (Johnson County) by about 19 points on our starting line, and it cast about 2,382 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (an estimate). Roughly that many of its 2024 voters sat out the last midterm; bringing enough of them back nets 144 votes there.
Precinct 4621 (Dallas County) splits its ticket the most.
Of the precincts in this plan, Precinct 4621 (Dallas County) has the highest share of ticket splitters: 9.9 percent. That is where a persuasion call is most likely to reach someone open to crossing over.
Spend it where it counts.
As of June 30, 2026, Ellzey had $2.48 million in cash on hand to Minton's $14K. That is exactly why the plan puts every dollar on the few places listed here instead of the whole map.
Where voters cross over.
Every dot is a precinct. If no one split a ticket, every dot would sit on the line. The orange ones are where Minton's side lost voters it won further up the ballot.
- Precincts
- 248
- Slope
- 1.033
- R²
- 0.994
- Residual SD
- 2.3 pts
- Crossover precincts
- 36
Weighted least squares, one point per precinct, weighted by ballots cast. Orange precincts sit more than one residual standard deviation below the line: Minton's side did worse there in this race than the top of the ticket predicts. Hover any dot for the precinct.
Voting starts October 19.
- Now to October 5Find them
Voter ID calls across the persuasion list in these precincts. Every conversation tags the voter: with Minton, with Ellzey, or undecided. The undecided become the persuasion universe; the supporters become the ballot chase list.
- October 6 to 18Persuade
Second conversations with every undecided and soft voter, built around the one issue they named on the first call. The goal is 3,473 net votes from people who have crossed party lines before.
- October 19 to 25Bank the ballots
Mail ballots are already going out, and in-person early voting runs October 19 through October 30. Mail ballot applications must be received by October 23. Chase every supporter's mail ballot request until it is returned, and move supporters to early voting while it is open.
- October 26 to November 2Turn them out
The drop-off voters: people who voted in 2024 and skipped 2022. At least 14,591 of them live where Minton is favored. In-person early voting ends October 30. Mail ballots count if received by 7 p.m. on November 3, or by 5 p.m. on November 4 if postmarked by Election Day.
- November 3Election day
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Texas has no same-day registration; the registration deadline is October 5. The last calls go to identified supporters who have not voted, with their polling place in hand.
No wishful thinking.
Official results in this district: Trump carried the 2024 presidential race by 22.9 points; Cruz carried the 2024 U.S. Senate race by 17.2 points; Abbott carried the 2022 governor's race by 24.3 points.
- Minton wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Ellzey.
- In Precinct 1054 (Ellis County) and Precinct 43 (Johnson County), 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- The national environment moves about 20.3 points toward Minton's side between now and November 3.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
2,566 conversations.
That is how many live voter conversations this plan takes: about 48,967 dials to 16,322 households, before the last ballot is cast.
Call list: every ticket splitter and undecided voter in the targeted places (you cannot tell which way they lean before the call), every targeted drop-off voter, and the reachable third-party voters. About 69 households for every 100 voters on the list, three attempts each, and a 5.24 percent live answer rate per attempt, the per-program average across 1.2 million real 2026 dials in our published benchmarks.
We run this list.
Calls are the voter ID and ballot chase engine of this plan. They find the persuadable voters and the supporters, so every other dollar lands on the right door. The full call program for this list is an estimated $6,472 at our published rates: 16,322 households, three attempts each.
Professional live callers working exactly these precincts: persuasion on the ticket splitters, voter ID on the fence, ballot chase on every absentee request until it is returned. A live dashboard shows every conversation as it happens. Days to launch, not weeks.
Who is on the ballot.
Danny Minton (D)
Medical sales professional in women's healthcare with a zoology degree from the University of Oklahoma and advanced study in epidemiology; won the Democratic nomination unopposed.
Cash on hand $13,638 and $44,283 raised since January 1, 2025, per FEC reports through June 30, 2026.
Jake Ellzey (R)
U.S. representative for the 6th District since 2021 and a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who flew as a Navy fighter pilot with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq; previously a Texas Veterans Commission commissioner and state representative.
Cash on hand $2,483,402 and $4,660,385 raised since January 1, 2025, per FEC reports through June 30, 2026.
What changed, and when.
We re-run this race as new polls, fundraising reports and early vote counts arrive. Every change to the numbers is logged here.
- September 26, 2026Underdog plan published
Starting line: Ellzey +22.8. Danny Minton needs 50,199 net votes. Odds under 1% today, under 1% with the plan.
Questions
Can Danny Minton win Texas's 6th Congressional District in 2026?
Only with help from the national environment. Campaign work can move about 5,405 net votes; the gap is 50,211. The rest would take a 20.3-point national shift.
Where are the votes Danny Minton needs?
Ranked by net votes in the plan: Precinct 1054 (Ellis County), Precinct 43 (Johnson County), Precinct 4621 (Dallas County), Precinct 4608 (Dallas County), Precinct 4632 (Dallas County). Persuadable voters are counted from ticket splitting in 2022 and 2024 official returns; turnout targets are people who voted in 2024 and skipped 2022.
How many voters does Danny Minton need to persuade?
About 1,736 voters who lean Jake Ellzey today, each worth two votes of margin when they switch. That is 50 percent of the 3,473 persuadable voters leaning Jake Ellzey.
When does early voting start in Texas in 2026?
In-person early voting in Texas runs October 19 through October 30, 2026. The voter registration deadline is October 5, and applications for a mail ballot must be received by October 23. Mail ballots count if received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, or by 5 p.m. the next day if postmarked by Election Day. Texas does not offer same-day registration.
Who made this analysis?
The Political Group, an independent campaign services firm, from official Texas Secretary of State precinct returns, Census data, FEC filings and published polls. It is not affiliated with any candidate or party.
Method and sources
Precinct math from official Texas Secretary of State returns for 2022 and 2024, projected onto current district lines. Polls, ratings and fundraising as published on the dates shown. This is independent analysis by The Political Group, as of September 26, 2026. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any candidate or party, and it is written for every campaign that starts behind.
Statistics: a weighted least squares crossover regression on every precinct, and 20,000 seeded Monte Carlo simulations. The baseline error (7 points of margin) and plan efficacy spread (30 percent) are our stated assumptions. Download the precinct data (CSV, ready for JASP). Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.
- Texas Secretary of State, election results
- Texas Legislative Council redistricting (PLANC2333)
- FEC candidate filings (OpenFEC)
- 2026 voter contact benchmarks (The Political Group)
Race coverage
- Wikipedia: Texas's 6th congressional district
- Ballotpedia: Texas' 6th Congressional District election, 2026
- Ballotpedia: Jake Ellzey
- Ballotpedia: Danny Minton