Blue tsunami hits Texas Tuesday night; Election Results

Election Day was an historic one in Texas, with Democrats securing wins in a number of highly-publicized races.  Looming large on the ballot was the high-stakes U.S. Senate race between Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic State Rep. James Talarico.  Texans also chose between incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, as well as weighed in on the lieutenant governor’s race, state attorney general’s race and more.

Democrat Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, defeating Paxton after receiving 55.08% of all votes cast to pull off the first statewide victory in more than 30 years.  Talarico will become the Senate’s youngest member and replace longtime Sen. John Cornyn, 74, who lost the GOP primary to Paxton.  Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since 1988.

Texas will soon have a new governor for the first time in more than a decade.  Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, receiving 52% of the vote, while Abbott received 45%.  Abbott has served as the governor of Texas since 2015.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick conceded to State Rep. Vikki Goodwin on Tuesday, clearing the way for Texas’ first Democratic lieutenant governor in 27 years.  Goodwin defeated Patrick by nearly six percentage points, receiving 51.73% of the votes cast.

Democrat Nathan Johnson has defeated Republican Mayes Middleton in the race for Texas Attorney General.  Johnson will replace Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose position was up for grabs for the first time in 12 years, with no incumbents from either major party.  The attorney general’s office is one of the largest and most powerful in the country, with more than 4,000 employees and 750 lawyers handling cases that affect the lives of every voter.

In other contests:

~Democrat Jon Rosenthal will become the state’s new Railroad Commissioner after defeating Republican Bo French.  Rosenthal received 52.51% of the votes cast.

~In the Texas Land Commissioner Race, Democrat Benjamin Flores defeated Republican Dawn Buckingham.  Flores received 51.43% of the votes.

~Democrat Sarah Eckhardt defeated Republican Don Huffines garnering 51.30% of the votes to become the state’s next Texas Comptroller.

~Voters elected Democrat Clayton Tucker to fill the Texas Agriculture Commissioner seat.  Tucker received 51.30% of all votes cast to defeat Republican candidate Nate Sheets.

~With Chip Roy deciding against seeking re-election in lieu of an unsuccessful run for Texas Attorney General, it was former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira who defeated Kristin Hookd after receiving 54.52% of the votes.  Teixeira, a first-time candidate, ran on a platform of lowering health care costs and pushing for term limits.  He has also pledged to cut government spending and defend “parental rights.”  Teixeira is one Republican that was able to emerge victorious in Texas despite Democrats taking huge victories across the state.

~Democrat Katy Padilla Stoutd defeated Republican Brandon Herrerar in the U.S. House District 23 race.  The seat has been vacant since April, when GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned.  He was facing an expulsion vote after admitting an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

~Incumbent Kerr County Commissioner Precinct 2 Rich Paces defeated his opponent, Independent candidate Jeremy Walthers after receiving 62% of the votes.

~In the Kendall County Justice of the Peace, PCT 1 race, Republican Michele Van Stavern handily defeated Democratic candidate Adriann R. Wolfe.  Van Stavern received 72% of all votes cast.

 

 

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