Guadalupe County Commissioner race heads to runoff

Incumbent Stephen Germann and challenger Joel Hicks will face off in the upcoming runoff election.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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The race for Guadalupe County Commissioner Precinct 4 is headed to a runoff after no candidate secured the majority needed to claim the Republican nomination outright in Tuesday night's primary election. Incumbent Stephen Germann led the race with 45.04% of the vote, followed by challenger Joel Hicks with 29.36% and third candidate Mark Allen with 25.60%. Germann and Hicks will now advance to the runoff election later this spring.

Why it matters

The Guadalupe County Commissioner race is an important local election that will determine the Republican nominee for the Precinct 4 seat. Since there is no Democratic challenger, the winner of the runoff will go on to serve a fresh term in January. The runoff highlights the need for voters to remain engaged in local elections, even when a clear winner is not determined in the initial primary.

The details

In Tuesday night's primary, Germann led the race with 1,939 votes (45.04%), followed by Hicks with 1,264 votes (29.36%) and Allen with 1,102 votes (25.60%). However, since no candidate secured more than 50% of the vote, Germann and Hicks will now advance to a runoff election later this spring. Germann says he is thankful for the continued support from voters and looks forward to making his case again in the upcoming runoff, while Hicks and Allen were unavailable for comment following the results.

  • The runoff election will take place later this spring.
  • The winner of the runoff will begin a fresh term in January.

The players

Stephen Germann

The incumbent Guadalupe County Commissioner for Precinct 4, who led the initial primary with 45.04% of the vote.

Joel Hicks

The challenger in the Guadalupe County Commissioner Precinct 4 race, who finished second in the initial primary with 29.36% of the vote and will advance to the runoff.

Mark Allen

A third candidate in the Guadalupe County Commissioner Precinct 4 race, who finished third in the initial primary with 25.60% of the vote and will not advance to the runoff.

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What they’re saying

“We're just going to have to get our supporters to go back and vote again. The key in a runoff is to get the voters to go back and vote again. This runoff will be the same way as the runoff I was in before. It will be behind some municipal and school district elections and so you have voter apathy. It's hard to get them to go back, but they're going to have to go back. We're going to have to work on getting some votes from my other opponent, Mr. Allen, to come and vote for us, to put us over the top and that's how we need to proceed forward.”

— Stephen Germann, Incumbent Guadalupe County Commissioner (seguintoday.com)

What’s next

The runoff election between Germann and Hicks will take place later this spring, with the winner becoming the Republican nominee for the Precinct 4 seat.

The takeaway

The Guadalupe County Commissioner race highlights the importance of voter engagement in local elections, even when a clear winner is not determined in the initial primary. The upcoming runoff will be an opportunity for voters to have their voices heard and help shape the future leadership of their community.