Donna Howard | |
---|---|
Member of the TexasHouseofRepresentatives from the 48th district | |
Assumed office March 2, 2006 | |
Preceded by | Todd Baxter |
Chair of the Texas House Women's Health Caucus | |
Assumed office January 24th,2020 | |
Preceded by | Jessica Farrar |
Personal details | |
Born | Austin,Texas,U.S. | October 25,1951
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Derek Howard |
Residence | Austin,Texas |
Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin (BA,MA) |
Profession | Community Advocate Critical Care Nurse |
Donna Smelser Howard (born October 25,1951) is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives,representing the 48th District since her election in 2006. She currently serves as vice chair of the House Administration Committee and also serves on the Appropriations Committee,the Higher Education Committee,and the Appropriations Sub-Committees on Article III and on Budget Transparency and Reform.
Howard was born in Austin,Texas. She graduated from Reagan High School in Austin before moving on to the University of Texas at Austin,where she earned a B.A. in Nursing in 1974 and an M.A. in Health Administration in 1977. [1] [2]
Howard worked as a critical-care nurse at Brackenrige Hospital and Seton Hospital in Austin. [3] While at Seton,she helped start the Good Health program and served as District 5 President of the Texas Nurse's Association. [3] Howard also served on the University of Texas faculty as a Health Education instructor. [3]
From 1996 to 1999,Howard served on the Eanes Independent School District school board. [4]
On February 14,2006,Howard defeated Republican Ben Bentzin in a special election runoff to replace Todd Baxter. [5]
In the 2006 general election,Howard was again to face Bentzin,but Bentzin ultimately withdrew from the race,which Howard won by a wide margin. [6]
Howard retained her seat in 2008,defeating Republican Pamela Waggoner. [7]
In 2009,the Texas Association of Deans and Directors of Professional Nursing Programs honored Howard with its Champion for Nursing Education Award. [3]
In 2010,Howard narrowly defeated former Texas Longhorn and Denver Broncos player Dan Neil. On election day,the Secretary of State of Texas certified Howard as the winner by 16 votes. [8] Following a recount requested by Neil,the Secretary of State found Howard to still be the winner,though by only 12 votes. [9] Neil then requested that the election be investigated by the House of Representatives. [9] After a four-day hearing headed up by Representative Will Hartnett,Howard was found to have won the election by 4 votes and Neil ultimately dropped the contest. [9] The Secretary of State still reports an official margin of 12 votes. [10] Even with the 12 vote victory that the Secretary of State considers official,it is the closest Texas House race on record.
In 2011,Howard was the recipient of the 2011 Dr. Dorothy J. Lovett Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Texas School of Nursing and was inducted in the University of Texas College of Education Hall of Honor. [11] [12]
In 2019,Howard authored H.B. 1590,which created a Sexual Assault Survivors Task Force in the Governor's Office to collect information on agencies' responses to sexual assaults and develop best practices. The bill passed unanimously in the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor. [13] The Task Force began meeting on February 6,2020,and is due to deliver a series of reports to the Texas Legislature on November 1,2020. [14]
Texas Monthly named Howard a Best Lawmaker in June 2019 for her work during Texas' 86th Legislative session. [15]
Election history of Howard. [16]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 64,039 | 79.6 | |
Libertarian | Daniel Jerome Mccarthy | 16,439 | 20.4 | |
Majority | 47,600 | 59.1 | ||
Turnout | 80,478 | 54.6 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 73,590 | 70.1 | |
Republican | Bill Strieber | 31,382 | 29.9 | |
Majority | 42,208 | 40.2 | ||
Turnout | 104,972 | 71.6 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 67,952 | 100.0 | |
Majority | 67,952 | 100.0 | ||
Turnout | 67,952 | 8.8 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 60,512 | 79.4 | |
Libertarian | Ben Easton | 15,702 | 20.6 | |
Majority | 44,810 | 58.8 | ||
Turnout | 76,214 | 10.5 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 39,668 | 78.1 | |
Libertarian | Ben Easton | 11,126 | 21.9 | |
Majority | 28,542 | 56.2 | ||
Turnout | 50,794 | |||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 46,512 | 59.2 | |
Republican | Robert Thomas | 27,922 | 35.5 | |
Libertarian | Joe Edgar | 4,134 | 5.3 | |
Majority | 18,590 | 23.7 | ||
Turnout | 78,568 | |||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 25,023 | 48.5 | |
Republican | Dan Neil | 25,011 | 48.5 | |
Libertarian | Ben Easton | 1,519 | 2.9 | |
Majority | 12 | 0.0 | ||
Turnout | 51,553 | |||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 39,748 | 53.7 | |
Republican | Pamela Waggoner | 31,028 | 42.0 | |
Libertarian | Ben Easton | 3,174 | 4.3 | |
Majority | 8,720 | 11.7 | ||
Turnout | 73,950 | |||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 31,255 | 77.8 | |
Libertarian | Ben Easton | 8,939 | 22.2 | |
Majority | 22,316 | 55.6 | ||
Turnout | 40,194 | |||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard (Incumbent) | 4,133 | 92.3 | |
Democratic | Kathy Rider | 229 | 5.1 | |
Democratic | Andy Brown | 114 | 2.5 | |
Turnout | 4,476 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard | 12,620 | 57.6 | |
Republican | Ben Bentzin (withdrawn) | 9,284 | 42.4 | |
Majority | 3,336 | 15.2 | ||
Turnout | 21,904 | |||
Democratic gain from Republican |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Donna Howard | 6,705 | 49.5 | |
Republican | Ben Bentzin | 5,125 | 37.8 | |
Democratic | Kathy Rider | 1,416 | 10.4 | |
Libertarian | Ben Easton | 310 | 2.3 | |
Turnout | 13,556 |
Lamar Seeligson Smith is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 21st congressional district for 16 terms, a district including most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as well as some of the Texas Hill Country. He is a member of the Republican Party. He sponsored the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act (PCIP). He also co-sponsored the Leahy–Smith America Invents Act.
John Joseph Carona is a former Republican member of the Texas Senate from District 16 in Dallas County, Texas, serving as President pro tempore during the 80th legislature. Previously, Carona served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
Daniel Patrick Neil is an American former professional football player who spent his entire eight-year career as an guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, earning consensus All-American honors in 1996. He was selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft. Neil was a candidate for the Texas House of Representatives in the 2010 general election.
Judith Pappas Zaffirini is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Texas State Senate from the 21st District, which includes her home city of Laredo in south Texas. Zaffririni is the first female dean of the Texas Senate. Zaffirini has been named among the "Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States" by Hispanic Business magazine. Zaffirini is the first Mexican American woman elected to the Texas Senate.
Gonzalo Barrientos Jr. is a former Democratic member of the Texas Senate representing the 14th District from 1985 to 2007. He was also a member of the Texas House of Representatives from Austin from 1975 to 1985.
Troy Lynn Fraser is a Republican and a former member of the Texas State Senate. From 1997 through his retirement in 2016, he held the 24th District seat, which encompasses all or parts of the counties of Bandera, Bell, Blanco, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Comanche, Coryell, Gillespie, Hamilton, Kerr, Lampasas, Llano, Mills, San Saba, Taylor, and Travis.
Earl Jeffrey Wentworth is a Republican former member of the Texas Senate from San Antonio. He represented District 25 in the upper legislative chamber from January 1997 to January 2013. In addition, from 1993 to 1997, he represented District 26, having been initially elected to the state senate in 1992 to succeed fellow Republican Cyndi Taylor Krier, when she became the county judge of Bexar County. District 25 included northern portions of Bexar County, all of Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, and Kendall counties, and a part of southern Travis County.
Henry V. Rayhons was the Iowa State Representative from the 8th District. A Republican, he served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1997 through 2015, representing the 16th District from 1997 to 2003 and the 11th District from 2003 to 2013. In 2014, Rayhons announced he would not seek reelection to another term.
The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Texas and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party's headquarters are in Austin, Texas.
Deborah Young Riddle is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 150, which encompasses much of northwest Harris County in and about Houston, Texas. Riddle was defeated in the Republican primary by Valoree Swanson of Spring, Texas, who then claimed the seat in the general election held on November 8, 2016.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Texas:
The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican governor Rick Perry ran successfully for election to a third consecutive term. He won the Republican primary against U.S. senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and political newcomer, Debra Medina. The former mayor of Houston, Bill White, won the Democratic nomination. Kathie Glass, a lawyer from Houston and previous candidate for Texas Attorney General, won the Libertarian nomination. Deb Shafto was the nominee of the Texas Green Party. Andy Barron, an orthodontist from Lubbock, was a declared write-in candidate.
Donna Sue Campbell is an American politician and physician who is the 25th District member of the Texas Senate. On July 31, 2012, she became the first person in Texas history to defeat an incumbent Republican senator, Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio, in a primary election.
The 2014 general election was held in the U.S. state of Texas on November 4, 2014. All of Texas's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, and all of Texas's thirty-six seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on March 4, 2014. Primary runoffs, required if no candidate wins a majority of the vote, were held on May 27, 2014. Elections were also held for the Texas legislature and proposition 1, seeking funds for Texas highways.
John Harden Bucy III is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for the 136th District, which includes Northwest Austin, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Round Rock, and the Brushy Creek area in Williamson County.
James Dell Talarico is an American politician and former teacher. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2018 to represent District 52, which includes the cities of Round Rock, Taylor, Hutto, and Georgetown in Williamson County. Following the 2020 redistricting cycle, Talarico announced his run for a seat in District 50 in 2022, which he won. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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%.
The 2022 Austin mayoral election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the next mayor of Austin, Texas. The election was nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations did not appear on the ballot. Incumbent mayor Steve Adler was term-limited and could not run for re-election. In the general election, state representative Celia Israel and former mayor Kirk Watson took the first two spots, leading realtor Jennifer Virden and several other candidates. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the race proceeded to a runoff election between Israel and Watson on December 13, which Watson won by 924 votes.
The 2022 Texas elections were held on November 8, 2022. Primary elections were held on March 1, with runoffs held on May 24 for primary candidates who did not receive a majority of the vote.
The 2006 Texas House of Representatives elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Texas voters elected state representatives in all 150 State House of Representatives districts. The winners of this election served in the 80th Texas Legislature. State representatives serve for two-year terms. Republicans maintained control of the House, losing five seats to the Democrats.