Texas underwent a second round of mid-decade redistricting as a result of the Supreme Court case League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry. The court had ruled that District 23 violated the Voting Rights Act.[1] Due to this ruling, the 15th, 21st, 23rd, 25th, and 28th districts were redrawn after the primary election had occurred, voiding the results. These districts instead conducted special elections concurrent with the general elections.[2] This election marks the first time Democrats made a net gain of seats over Republicans since the 1992 elections.
Overview
2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas*[3][4][5]
Freshman Congressman Louis Gohmert (R-Tyler), elected in 2004 after redistricting in East Texas, faced Roger Owen (D) of Hallsville in the general election, along with Libertarian nominee Donald Perkinson. Gohmert was one of four Republicans who succeeded in defeating incumbent Democrats with help from a controversial redistricting effort orchestrated by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
In 2004, Ted Poe (R-Humble) unseated Democrat Nick Lampson after heavy redistricting changed the political landscape, allowing him to win with 55% of the vote. His opponent in November was Democrat Gary Binderim, along with the Libertarian Justo J. Perez.
Incumbent Sam Johnson (R-Plano) faced Dan Dodd, Democrat from McKinney, and Libertarian Christopher J. Claytor in the general election. This district is dominated by the Republican stronghold of Collin County, as well as Garland, another large Dallas suburb.
Endorsements
Dan Dodd (D)
Individuals
Wesley Clark, General, 2004 democratic presidential candidate[6]
25-year incumbent Ralph Hall (R-Rockwall), who switched from the Democratic Party shortly before the 2004 election, faced Democrat Glenn Melancon of Sherman and Libertarian Kurt G. Helm. Though it is best known as the district of the well known former Speaker Sam Rayburn, and thus a long Democratic stronghold, the southern end of the district consists of Republican-dominated Dallas suburbs.
Endorsements
Glenn Melancon (D)
Individuals
Wesley Clark, General, 2004 democratic presidential candidate[7]
Joe Barton (R-Ennis), who has represented the Sixth District since 1985, faced Democrat David T. Harris of Arlington in November, along with Libertarian Carl Nulsen.
Endorsements
David T. Harris (D)
Individuals
Wesley Clark, General, 2004 democratic presidential candidate[8]
Incumbent John Culberson (R-Houston) faced Democratic teacher Jim Henley of Houston and Libertarian Drew Parks in the general election in November. The seventh district is one of the most heavily Republican districts in Texas yet it is mostly urban, as it is also one of the wealthiest districts in the country and includes several affluent areas of Houston, including the Upper Kirby, Uptown, Spring Branch-Memorial, and River Oaks neighborhoods, as well as the cities of West University Place, Bellaire, and Jersey Village.
Incumbent freshman Michael McCaul (R-Austin) faced some minor celebrity in that of 2004 Libertarian presidential nominee Michael Badnarik. Vietnam veteran Ted Ankrum of Houston ran as the Democratic nominee. McCaul was elected with no Democratic opposition in 2004, as the Libertarian candidate captured 15% of the vote (no Libertarian candidate in the entire state garnered more than 4% when running against both major parties). The 10th district spans a large swath of southeast and central Texas from eastern Austin to Harris County west of Houston.
Incumbent Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) faced John R. Morris (D), also of Fort Worth, in the general election. Gardner Osborne received the Libertarian nomination.
Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Amarillo) faced Roger Waun, Democrat from Wichita Falls, in this panhandle race. Jim Thompson represented the Libertarian Party in the election.
Congressman Ron Paul, the Republican from Surfside, faced Shane Sklar, Democratic nominee from Edna, to represent this coastal district, which stretches from Victoria and stretches in a northward and eastward direction to Fort Bend and Brazoria counties.
Four-term incumbent Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (D-McAllen) ran against Republicans Paul Haring and Eddie Zamora in a special election caused by court mandated redistricting in South Texas and the redrawing of the district's lines.
Democratic Congressman Silvestre Reyes of El Paso faced third-party opposition in the fall, in the form of Libertarian Gordon Strickland. The 16th District is heavily Democratic and comprises mainly El Paso, which is heavily Hispanic.
Incumbent Chet Edwards (D-Waco) won reelection by a 51% to 48% margin in 2004 after the 2003 Texas redistricting changed his exurban Central Texas district substantially and made it more Republican, he also pulled off the victory despite the fact Bush won the district by a margin of 40%. His district includes Waco and Crawford, the location of George W. Bush's ranch, Prairie Chapel Ranch. With his district stretched to include his alma mater of Texas A&M University, he was able to pull off a narrow victory in 2004. He was also helped by the fact that his opponent, then-State Representative Arlene Wohlgemuth, was nominated only after a nasty, expensive primary. This year, he was challenged by Republican Van Taylor, an attorney and Iraq War veteran from a prominent family in Waco. Guillermo Acosta also ran as the Libertarian nominee.
Incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) faced Republican Ahmad Hassan to represent this largely Democratic and urban Congressional seat in the heart of Houston. Patrick Warren was the Libertarian nominee.
Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-Lubbock), victorious in 2004 over fellow incumbent Congressman Charlie Stenholm (D-Abilene), faced Democrat Robert Ricketts, also of Lubbock, in November. Fred Jones was on the ballot as the Libertarian nominee.
Charlie Gonzalez (D-San Antonio) defended his Congressional seat against Libertarian Michael Idrogo. His district covers much of inner city San Antonio, which is mostly Hispanic.
Lamar S. Smith (R-San Antonio) was running against San Antonio Democrat John Courage in the general election, along with James Arthur Strohm, the Libertarian nominee. The district was changed somewhat in the federal court remapping mandated by the Supreme Court and attracted several new candidates for the special election ensued as a result of the boundary change after the party primaries took place. Candidates included Democratic perennial candidate Gene Kelly, along with Independent candidates Tommy Calvert, James Lyle Peterson, and Mark Rossano. Smith won a majority of votes and avoided a December runoff.
Retiring incumbent Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land) had been facing mounting ethical challenges and corruption charges in recent months,and won reelection by a surprisingly small 55% to 41% margin in 2004,even though George W. Bush carried the suburban Houston district with 64%. On September 28,2005,DeLay was indicted by a grand jury in Travis County. As a result,he felt forced to step down from his post as House Majority Leader. In announcing his plans not to seek reelection,Delay noted his poor poll showing and the constant criticisms he was expecting. DeLay declared himself ineligible for the race on Tuesday,April 4 by attempting to officially change his residence to Virginia. "Those polls showed him beating Democrat Nick Lampson in the general election but in a race that would be too close for comfort,DeLay said." The Galveston County Daily NewsNational,World and Business News | Reuters.com.
DeLay's district faced a strong challenge from former Rep. Nick Lampson,a Democrat whose district he dismantled during the 2003 mid-decade redistricting. Lampson's former district contained much of the eastern area of DeLay's present district.
Libertarian Bob Smither also ran for the 22nd district of Texas.
The Republican nomination to replace DeLay was prevented by a court ruling that mandated that DeLay could not be replaced on the ballot. As a result,Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott,who previously sent out telephone calls encouraging Republicans to vote for DeLay in the primary,called for DeLay's name to be removed from the ballot and replaced with another GOP candidate. The court order was upheld by a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court and appeal to the Supreme Court refused by Justice Antonin Scalia. DeLay then filed to withdraw his name from the ballot to allow the GOP to rally behind another candidate.
The Texas GOP then decided to attempt to rally behind a write-in candidate,choosing Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs during a meeting of precinct chairs in the 22nd district on August 17. The presumed favorite before the denial of the appeal,Sugar Land mayor David Wallace,filed as a write-in candidate with the Texas Secretary of State before the meeting,vowing to run even without the support of the GOP. Sekula-Gibbs picked as write-in candidate
The 23rd district was among five districts holding a special election on November 7,the same day as the general election. The race pitted all certified candidates against one another in each district,regardless of party.
The reason for this arrangement stems from the controversial 2003 Texas redistricting plan which was ruled unconstitutional with respect to the 23rd district by the Supreme Court in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry. The Court ruled that the plan was a racial gerrymander;specifically that it lowered the Hispanic population percentage in the district to the extent that it unconstitutionally diminished the constituency's political influence. The 23rd had to be redrawn,and,in all,five districts were effected,and all primary results from those districts were vacated. The new lines effected mostly the 23rd and 28th districts.
The incumbent in the 23rd was Congressman Henry Bonilla (R-San Antonio). His opponent originally was Rick Bolanos,57,Democrat from El Paso,who was to be Bonilla's challenger before the district was redrawn and forced the new elections. As redrawn,however,Bonilla's district included the home of Democratic ex-Congressman Ciro Rodriguez,who jumped into the race,after losing his primary challenge against Henry Cuellar in the 28th district.
Incumbent Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) originally was slated to have no major party opposition in the fall. The 25th district formerly stretched from Austin to the Mexican border,but has been redrawn for the 110th Congress to be more compact and completely in the central part of the state.
As this district was redrawn after the party primaries took place,a special election ensued in November,meaning that instead of a plurality required for victory,a majority was required. If no candidate received a majority,the top two contenders would meet in a runoff election in December. He was opposed by Republican Grant Rostig,Libertarian Barbara Cunningham,and Independent Brian Parrett.
Congressman Michael C. Burgess (R-Lewisville) was challenged by Democrat Tim Barnwell of Denton,along with Libertarian Rich Haas. The Denton County-centered district is strongly Republican.
Incumbent Solomon P. Ortiz (D-Corpus Christi) ran for reelection against Republican William Vaden,also of Corpus Christi. They were joined on the ballot by Libertarian Robert Powell.
Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) had no opposition from Republicans in November. However,a recent Supreme Court ruling struck down Texas' 23rd District,which is located next to this district,as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander resulting from the controversial 2003 Texas redistricting efforts coordinated by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and the Republican-controlled legislature.
Cuellar's power base in Laredo was consolidated in the resulting remap and thus will not face Congressman Bonilla,as had been speculated as a scenario. This election was a special election,as the district was drawn after the party primaries,and Cuellar faced fellow Democrat Frank Enriquez and Constitution Party candidate Ron Avery. The Libertarian nominee did not re-file to run in the special election.
Congressman Gene Green (D-Houston) ran against Republican Eric Story,also of Houston,in the November general election. Clifford Lee Messina,a Libertarian,rounded out the ballot. This district contains several heavily Hispanic neighborhoods in inner-city Houston,as well as several blue-collar eastern suburbs of Houston,including Pasadena,Channelview and Baytown,which are home to a strong majority of the Houston area's petrochemical refineries.
Incumbent Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Dallas) faced Republican Wilson Aurbach in the general election,along with Ken Ashby,the Libertarian nominee. The 30th District contains the southern and downtown portions of Dallas,as well as several of its inner southern suburbs. It is heavily Democratic.
Congressman John Carter (R-Round Rock) defended his Central Texas Congressional seat in November against Democrat Mary Beth Harrell of Gatesville and Libertarian Matt McAdoo. The largely Republican district consists of many northern Austin suburbs as well as the gigantic Fort Hood military base.
Incumbent Pete Sessions (R-Dallas),who defeated longtime Democratic Congressman and fellow incumbent Martin Frost in a contentious reelection in the 2004 redistricting aftermath,faced Democrat Will Pryor for the right to represent this suburban Dallas district. Joining the two was Libertarian John Hawley.
Nicholas Valentino Lampson is an American politician and restaurateur who is a former Democratic Congressman representing the 22nd Congressional District and the 9th Congressional District of Texas.
Henry Bonilla is an American politician and former congressman who represented Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was defeated in his bid for re-election by Ciro Rodriguez,a former Democratic member of Congress,in a special election runoff held on December 12,2006. His term expired January 3,2007 when the 110th Congress officially began.
Ciro Davis Rodriguez is an American politician and social worker who served as a U.S. Representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district,serving from 2007 until 2011. The district stretched from El Paso in the west to San Antonio in the east,a distance of some 500 miles (800 km). A member of the Democratic Party,he previously represented the neighboring 28th congressional district from 1997 to 2005,and was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1987 to 1997.
Texas's 8th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes all of Polk and San Jacinto counties,and parts of Harris,Walker,and Montgomery counties. It includes much of the northern outlying areas of metro Houston,including Conroe,Magnolia,and most of Lake Livingston. The current Representative from the 8th district is Morgan Luttrell and has been since 2023.
The 2003 Texas redistricting was a controversial intercensus state plan that defined new congressional districts. In the 2004 elections,this redistricting supported the Republicans taking a majority of Texas's federal House seats for the first time since Reconstruction. Democrats in both houses of the Texas Legislature staged walkouts,unsuccessfully trying to prevent the changes. Opponents challenged the plan in three suits,combined when the case went to the United States Supreme Court in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry (2006).
The 2006 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7,2006,to elect the governor of Texas. The election was a rare five-way race,with incumbent Republican governor Rick Perry running for re-election against Democrat Chris Bell and Independents Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman,as well as Libertarian nominee James Werner.
Texas's 22nd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers a largely suburban southwestern portion of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. The district includes most of Fort Bend County,including most of the cities of Sugar Land,Rosenberg,Needville and the county seat of Richmond as well as the county's share of the largely unincorporated Greater Katy area west of Houston. In addition,the district also contains portions of northern Brazoria County,including most of Pearland and Alvin and all of Wharton and Matagorda counties,as well as a small portion of western Harris County centered on most of that county's share of the Greater Katy area.
Texas's 25th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives stretches from Arlington and Fort Worth to some of its outer southwestern suburbs,as well as rural counties east of Abilene. The district's current Representative is Roger Williams.
The 2006 Texas 22nd congressional district election for the 110th Congress was held on November 7,2006,and attracted considerable attention because this district was represented by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay,a prominent member of the Republican Party,who resigned after being indicted and subsequently winning the Republican primary. Because of Texas state law,Republicans,in order to hold on to the seat,would have had to win a write-in campaign,something that has only been done four other times in the history of U.S. congressional elections.
The 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado were held on November 7,2006,with all seven House seats up for election. The winners served from January 3,2007 to January 3,2009.
The 2008 elections for the Texas delegation of the United States House of Representatives was held on November 4,2008. 31 of 32 congressional seats that make up the state's delegation were contested. In Texas's 14th congressional district no one challenged incumbent Ron Paul. Since Representatives are elected for two-year terms,those elected will serve in the 111th United States Congress from January 4,2009,until January 3,2011.
Peter Graham Olson is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 2009 to 2021. His district included much of southern Houston,as well as most of the city's southwestern suburbs such as Katy,Pearland,and Sugar Land. He is a member of the Republican Party. On July 25,2019,Olson announced that he would retire at the end of his term. He was succeeded by fellow Republican Troy Nehls.
The 2010 U.S. congressional elections in Texas were held on November 2,2010,to determine who will represent the state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms;those elected served in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013.
The 2006 House elections in Kentucky occurred on November 7,2006,to elect the members of the State of Kentucky's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Kentucky had six seats in the House,apportioned according to the 2000 United States census.
The 2004 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas occurred on November 2,2004,to elect the members of the state of Texas's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Texas had thirty-two seats in the House,apportioned according to the 2000 United States census.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on Tuesday,November 6,2012,to elect the 36 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas—an increase of four seats in reapportionment following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices,including a quadrennial presidential election and an election for the U.S. Senate. The primary election had been scheduled to be held on March 6,2012,with a runoff election on May 22;because of problems arising from redistricting,the primary was postponed to May 29,and the run-off to July 31.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on November 3,2020,to elect the 36 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas,one from each of the state's 36 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the U.S. Senate and various state and local elections. Primaries were held on March 3 and run-offs were held on July 14.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on November 8,2022,to elect the 38 U.S. representatives from Texas,one from each of the state's 38 congressional districts. The state gained two seats after the results of the 2020 census. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives,other elections to the United States Senate,and various state and local elections. Primary elections took place on March 1,with primary runoffs scheduled for May 24 for districts where no candidate received over 50% of the vote.
The 2022 Texas Attorney General election took place on November 8,2022,to elect the Attorney General of Texas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton won re-election to his third term. Paxton won 233 counties and won the popular vote by a margin of 9.7%,underperforming Governor Greg Abbott's concurrent bid for re-election by 1.1%.
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