1998 Texas Senate election

1998 Texas Senate election

←  1996 November 3, 1998 2000  →
16 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate 16 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Rep Dem Party Republican Democratic Last election 16 15 Seats before 17 14 Seats won 16 15 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 917,623 659,753 Percentage 58.17% 41.83%
Senate results by district      Republican hold      Democratic hold     Democratic gain      No election
President Pro Tempore before election Republican Elected President Pro Tempore Republican

The 1998 Texas Senate elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Texas voters elected state senators in 16 State Senate districts. All of the seats up for this election were for four-year terms, with senators up for re-election in the 2002 elections. State senators typically serve four-year terms in the Texas Senate, but all Senators come up for election in the cycles following each decennial redistricting. The winners of this election served in the 76th Texas Legislature.

Background

The 1996 elections had initially left the Senate with a 15–15 tie between the Republicans and the Democrats, with one outstanding special election runoff in the West Texas-based 28th district. ^[1] Republicans won the December runoff, winning a majority of seats and breaking over 100 years of continuous Democratic control of the chamber. ^[2]

District 5 special election

Democratic Senator Jim Turner resigned his seat after winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1996 elections. A special election was held for his seat in January 1997, which Republican Steve Ogden won, flipping the district and expanding the Republicans' newfound majority.

1997 District 5 special election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Steve Ogden	21,245	55.46%
	Democratic	Mary M. Moore	17,062	44.54%
Total votes			38,307	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic

Results

Despite Republican governor George W. Bush's landslide re-election, his party only won a narrow 16–15 majority in the Senate. ^[4] Democrats gained one seat in the chamber, with David Bernsen's victory in Beaumont-based 4th district. ^[5] Bernsen defeated incumbent Republican Michael Galloway, who himself had flipped the seat in an upset victory in 1994. ^[6]

Results by district

District	Democratic		Republican		Total		Result
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
District 1	-	-	90,024	100.00%	90,024	100.00%	Republican hold
District 4	76,540	55.15%	62,237	44.85%	138,777	100.00%	Democratic gain
District 5	61,508	44.33%	77,227	55.67%	138,735	100.00%	Republican hold
District 6	37,746	100.00%	-	-	37,746	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 11	47,696	42.90%	63,492	57.10%	111,188	100.00%	Republican hold
District 13	86,631	100.00%	-	-	86,631	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 16	-	-	80,802	100.00%	80,802	100.00%	Republican hold
District 17	40,331	29.40%	96,846	70.60%	137,177	100.00%	Republican hold
District 18	85,291	59.44%	58,195	40.56%	143,486	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 19	55,544	100.00%	-	-	55,544	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 20	57,298	58.09%	41,338	41.91%	98,636	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 22	-	-	83,933	100.00%	83,933	100.00%	Republican hold
District 23	61,685	100.00%	-	-	61,685	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 28	-	-	82,368	100.00%	82,368	100.00%	Republican hold
District 30	49,483	37.35%	82,996	62.65%	132,479	100.00%	Republican hold
District 31	-	-	98,165	100.00%	98,165	100.00%	Republican hold
Total	659,753	41.83%	917,623	58.17%	1,577,376	100.00%	Source: [7]

References

1. Barboza, David (November 29, 1996). "Republicans Strike Deep In the Heart of Texas". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
2. "Rep. Stockman loses in Texas Congress runoff GOP claims majority in one house of state legislature, 1st since 1872". Baltimore Sun. December 12, 1996. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
3. "Race Summary Report - January 1997 Special Elections". Texas Secretary of State.
4. Barta, Carolyn (1999). "Republicans Sweep Statewide Offices". Texas Almanac, 2000-2001. Dallas, Texas. p. 418.
5. "Election Results". www.austinchronicle.com. November 6, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
6. Ramsey, By Ross (March 24, 2014). "Analysis: Handful of Candidates Hoping to Regain Voters' Favor". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
7. "Race Summary Report - 1998 General Election". Texas Secretary of State.