Bryan Hughes
Bryan Hughes (Republican Party) is a member of the Texas State Senate, representing District 1. He assumed office on January 10, 2017. His current term ends on January 11, 2027.
Hughes (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the Texas State Senate to represent District 1. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Biography
Hughes has a Private Law Practice in Mineola, and has previously worked as a Briefing Attorney for United States District Judge William M. Steger.
He is on the Board of Trustees of the Steward's Foundation, and a member of the Golden Bible Chapel, Mineola Foundation Board, National Rifle Association, Red Cross, and Rotary Club of Mineola.[1]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Hughes was assigned to the following committees:
- Committee of the Whole Senate
- Finance Committee
- Health & Human Services Committee
- Jurisprudence Committee, Chair
- Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee
- Nominations Committee
- Senate State Affairs Committee, Chair
2021-2022
Hughes was assigned to the following committees:
- Education Committee
- Jurisprudence Committee
- Nominations Committee
- Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee
- Senate State Affairs Committee, Chair
2019-2020
Hughes was assigned to the following committees:
- Administration Committee, Chair
- Criminal Justice Committee
- Education Committee
- Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee
- Senate State Affairs Committee, Vice-Chair
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Administration |
| • Criminal Justice |
| • Education |
| • State Affairs, Vice chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Hughes served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Juvenile Justice & Family Issues |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Hughes served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Criminal Jurisprudence |
2011-2012
Hughes served on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Livestock |
| • Human Services |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2026
See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Texas State Senate District 1
Incumbent Bryan Hughes (R) and Laticia Ambroz (D) are running in the general election for Texas State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| | Bryan Hughes (R) | |
| | Laticia Ambroz (D) ![]() | |
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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 1
Laticia Ambroz (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laticia Ambroz ![]() | 100.0 | 33,392 |
| Total votes: 33,392 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 1
Incumbent Bryan Hughes (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bryan Hughes | 100.0 | 101,734 |
| Total votes: 101,734 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
Endorsements
Hughes received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Texas Alliance For Life
- Texas Right to Life
- Young Conservatives of Texas
2022
See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2022
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Bryan Hughes won election in the general election for Texas State Senate District 1.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 1
Incumbent Bryan Hughes advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 1 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bryan Hughes | 100.0 | 88,469 | |
| Total votes: 88,469 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2020
See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Texas State Senate District 1
Incumbent Bryan Hughes defeated Audrey Spanko in the general election for Texas State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bryan Hughes (R) | 75.3 | 267,404 | |
Audrey Spanko (D) ![]() | 24.7 | 87,885 | ||
| Total votes: 355,289 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 1
Audrey Spanko advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Audrey Spanko ![]() | 100.0 | 29,162 | |
| Total votes: 29,162 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 1
Incumbent Bryan Hughes advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bryan Hughes | 100.0 | 99,356 | |
| Total votes: 99,356 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2016
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Texas State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.[2] Incumbent Kevin Eltife (R) did not seek re-election.
Bryan Hughes ran unopposed in the Texas State Senate District 1 general election.[3]
| Texas State Senate, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | 100.00% | 245,648 | ||
| Total Votes | 245,648 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Bryan Hughes defeated David Simpson in the Texas State Senate, District 1 Republican primary runoff.[4]
| Texas State Senate, District 1 Republican Primary Runoff, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | 69.33% | 27,541 | ||
| Republican | David Simpson | 30.67% | 12,186 | |
| Total Votes | 39,727 | |||
Bryan Hughes and David Simpson defeated James K. Red Brown and Mike Lee in the Texas State Senate District 1 Republican Primary.[5][4]
| Texas State Senate, District 1 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | 48.03% | 64,200 | ||
| Republican | 21.24% | 28,395 | ||
| Republican | James K. Red Brown | 21.23% | 28,382 | |
| Republican | Mike Lee | 9.49% | 12,683 | |
| Total Votes | 133,660 | |||
Primary
- Main article: Notable Texas primaries, 2016
Simpson and Hughes received the most endorsements of the four candidates.
Simpson was endorsed by State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R) and Open Carry Texas: Texarkana.[6][7]
Bryan Hughes received key endorsements from Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R) and the following state conservative groups:[8][9]
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
- Texas Right to Life
- Conservative Republicans of Texas
- Grassroots America We the People (GAWTP)
- Young Conservatives of Texas
Hughes and Simpson sparred on illegal immigration. Both candidates claimed to oppose providing public education to those living in the country illegally.
Hughes said Simpson voted in favor of driver’s licenses for illegal residents, a claim Simpson called "false." PolitiFact Texas found that it was "mostly true" that Simpson strongly opposed the driver's licenses. Hughes noted that conservative groups like Young Conservatives of Texas (which endorsed Hughes) and others opposed the amendment for which Simpson voted in the state House.[10][11]
2014
Elections for all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. Those candidates who did not receive 50 percent or more of the vote in their party primary on March 4 faced an additional May 27 primary runoff. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Incumbent Bryan Hughes was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hughes defeated Ron Walenta (L) in the general election.[12][13][14]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 92.3% | 30,779 | ||
| Libertarian | Ron Walenta | 7.7% | 2,552 | |
| Total Votes | 33,331 | |||
2012
Hughes ran in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 5. Hughes defeated Mary Lookadoo in the May 29 primary election and was unchallenged in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[15][16]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
|
77.7% | 13,094 |
| Mary Lookadoo | 22.3% | 3,766 |
| Total Votes | 16,860 | |
2010
Hughes won re-election unopposed to the 5th District seat in 2010. He had no opposition in the March 2nd primary, or opposition in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[15]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 5 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| 33,980 | 100% | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Hughes won re-election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas' 5th District. Hughes ran unopposed in the general election, and he received 47,309 votes.[15] Hugest raised $107,167 for his campaign.[17]
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2022
Bryan Hughes did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Bryan Hughes did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2012
Hughes' website highlighted the following campaign themes:
- Job creation - "Bryan Hughes believes job creation is a priority, and he will continue to create new jobs and retain the ones we already have."
- Education and school finance - "Bryan will continue to protect benefits for our teachers and direct more money to the classrooms and teachers, not administrative overhead in Austin."
- Healthcare - "Bryan Hughes knows that healthcare is not a Republican or a Democratic issue, and that's why he built coalitions with members of both parties to expand access to healthcare in rural areas." He also authored the Texas CARES program.
- Fiscal responsibility - Rep. Hughes "recognized the basic fact that when times get tough, Texas families look at their budgets and decide what they can cut back on and what they can do without. Bryan thought it was time for government to do the same."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2025.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Sierra Club Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Values Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
In 2024, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2023.
- Sierra Club Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Values Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The Institute for Legislative Analysis — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
In 2022, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2021.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Sierra Club Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Values Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
In 2020, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2019.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Environment Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and public health issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Eagle Forum — Legislators are scored based on votes relating to conservative issues.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Values Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
In 2018, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2017.
- Conservative Roundtable — Legislators are scored on their votes for or against the organization's position and principles.
- Environment Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and public health issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Sierra Club Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans for Vaccine Choice — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Alliance For Life — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
- Texas Association of Business — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to businesses, taxpayers, and families.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Values Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Young Conservatives of Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Texas State Senate District 1 |
Officeholder Texas State Senate District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ DavidSimpson.com, "Open Carry Texas: Texarkana Endorses Simpson," January 5, 2016
- ↑ DavidSimpson.com, "Rep. Jonathan Stickland Proudly Endorses David Simpson," September 26, 2015
- ↑ BryanHughes.com, "Endorsements," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ DavidSimpson.com, "Endorsements," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ The Marshall News Messenger, "Hughes and Simpson clash over immigration issue in senate race," December 3, 2015
- ↑ PolitiFact Texas, "David Simpson mostly right about his staunch opposition to driver's licenses for 'illegal aliens'," December 11, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Representative Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ Office of the (Texas) Secretary of State, "Race Summary Report," accessed July 12, 2012
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Candidate funds," accessed May 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Texas State Senate District 1 2017-Present |
Succeeded by - |



