Cecil Bell Jr.

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Cecil Bell Jr.
Republican Party
Texas House of Representatives District 3
Tenure
2013 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
13
Prior offices:
Magnolia Independent School District, Position 3
Years in office: 2004 - 2012
Compensation
Base salary
$7,200/year
Per diem
$221/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
March 3, 2026
Education
High school
Oakwood High School, 1980
Personal
Religion
Christian
Profession
Entrepreneur
Contact
Official website
Official Instagram
Personal Facebook
Personal LinkedIn

Cecil Bell Jr. (Republican Party) is a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 3. He assumed office in 2013. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Bell (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 3. He lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Bell graduated from Oakwood High School as valedictorian in 1980. Bell founded and worked for the following businesses: B-5 Construction Co., Inc. in 1983, Tejas Underground Utilities, LLC in 1997, Storm Maintenance & Monitoring, Inc. in 2001, High Star, Inc. in 2008. He also began a cow/calf ranching operation in 1983.[1]

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Bell was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Bell was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Bell was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Texas committee assignments, 2017
• Land & Resource Management, Vice chair
• Special Purpose Districts

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Bell served on the following committees:

2013-2014

In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Bell served on the following committees:

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 House of Representatives 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 House of Representatives District 3

Nicole King (D) and Kristen Plaisance (R) are running in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Nicole King
Nicole King (D)
Image of Kristen Plaisance
Kristen Plaisance (R)  Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Nicole King (D) defeated James Alvarado (D) in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nicole King
Nicole King
 
68.6
 
5,656
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
James Alvarado
 
31.4
 
2,589

There were no incumbents in this race. Source 1 Source 2

Total votes: 8,245
Candidate Connection = 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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Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Kristen Plaisance (R) defeated incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. (R) in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Kristen Plaisance
Kristen Plaisance  Candidate Connection
 
55.1
 
13,976
Image of Cecil Bell Jr.
Cecil Bell Jr.
 
44.9
 
11,405

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source 1 Source 2

Total votes: 25,381
Candidate Connection = 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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Endorsements

Bell received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

2024

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Cecil Bell Jr.
Cecil Bell Jr. (R)
 
100.0
 
85,793

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 85,793
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Cecil Bell Jr.
Cecil Bell Jr.
 
100.0
 
21,477

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 21,477
Candidate Connection = 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.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Bell in this election.

2022

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

The general election was canceled. Incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 3.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. defeated Kelly McDonald in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Cecil Bell Jr.
Cecil Bell Jr.
 
67.2
 
14,080
Image of Kelly McDonald
Kelly McDonald
 
32.8
 
6,877

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 20,957
Candidate Connection = 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.

Campaign finance

2020

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. defeated Martin Shupp in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Cecil Bell Jr.
Cecil Bell Jr. (R)
 
77.3
 
70,385
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Martin Shupp (D)
 
22.7
 
20,625

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 91,010
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Martin Shupp advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Martin Shupp
 
100.0
 
5,378

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 5,378
Candidate Connection = 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 House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Cecil Bell Jr.
Cecil Bell Jr.
 
100.0
 
19,814

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 19,814
Candidate Connection = 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.

Campaign finance


2018

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. defeated Lisa Seger in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Cecil Bell Jr.
Cecil Bell Jr. (R)
 
76.0
 
48,619
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Lisa Seger (D)
 
24.0
 
15,352

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 63,971
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3

Lisa Seger advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Lisa Seger
 
100.0
 
2,762

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,762
Candidate Connection = 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 House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Cecil Bell Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 3 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Cecil Bell Jr.
Cecil Bell Jr.
 
100.0
 
15,028

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 15,028
Candidate Connection = 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.

2016

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Texas House of Representatives 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 Cecil Bell, Jr. ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 3 general election.[3]

Texas House of Representatives, District 3 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Cecil Bell, Jr. Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 56,737
Total Votes 56,737
Source: Texas Secretary of State


Incumbent Cecil Bell, Jr. ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 3 Republican Primary.[4][5]

Texas House of Representatives, District 3 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Cecil Bell, Jr. Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 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 Cecil Bell, Jr. was unopposed in the Republican primary. Bell defeated Larry Parr (L) in the general election.[6][7][8]

Texas House of Representatives, District 3 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngCecil Bell, Jr. Incumbent 91.1% 28,760
     Libertarian Larry Parr 8.9% 2,818
Total Votes 31,578

2012

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2012

Bell ran in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 3. Bell defeated Bob Bagley and Troy Bonin in the May 29 primary election and was unchallenged in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10]

Texas House of Representatives District 3 Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngCecil Bell, Jr. 56.9% 7,249
Bob Bagley 26.4% 3,359
Troy Bonin 16.7% 2,133
Total Votes 12,741

Endorsements

In 2012, Bell's endorsements included the following:

  • Texas Alliance for Life
  • Texas Right to Life "Certified Pro Life" Candidate
  • Texas Municipal Police Association
  • Houston Contractors Association
  • Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

Note: A full list of Bell's 2012 endorsements can be found on his website, here (dead link).

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cecil Bell Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.


2024

Cecil Bell Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Cecil Bell Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Cecil Bell Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2012

Bell's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[11]

  • "This is without a doubt one of the most important elections facing us in recent memory. Now, more than ever, conservative principles are at risk, Texas values are at stake, and integrity is often lacking in Austin. The new District 3 allows our community the opportunity to send a strong conservative to Austin to represent our area."

Debates

2012
  • On March 27, the District 3 Republican candidates participated in a debate sponsored by the West I-10 Chamber of Commerce. Video of the debate can be found here.
  • On February 16, District 3 candidates Bell and Bob Bagley (R) participated in a debate sponsored by the MC Eagle Forum. Video of the debate can be found here.

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.

Cecil Bell Jr. campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024Texas House of Representatives District 3Won general$160,329 $127,956
2022Texas House of Representatives District 3Won general$259,702 $257,076
2020Texas House of Representatives District 3Won general$98,859 N/A**
2014Texas House of Representatives, District 3Won $164,251 N/A**
2012Texas State House, District 3Won $275,637 N/A**
Grand total$958,778 $385,032
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in Texas

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In 2016, 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 2015.

In 2014, 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 2013.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2011.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bell and his wife, Jo Ann, have two sons.[12]

See also

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External links

Officeholder

Texas House of Representatives District 3
  • Website
  • Instagram
    		•

    Personal

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
    		•

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Friends of Cecil Bell Jr, "Get to know Cecil," accessed February 22, 2014
    2. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
    3. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
    4. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
    5. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
    6. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
    7. ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Representative Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
    8. ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
    9. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 17, 2014
    10. ↑ Office of the (Texas) Secretary of State, "Race Summary Report," accessed July 12, 2012
    11. ↑ Elect Cecil Bell for State Representative, "home page," accessed May 27, 2012
    12. ↑ Cecil Bell Jr Campaign, "Get to Know Cecil Bell...," accessed February 22, 2014

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    -     		Texas House of Representatives District 3
    2013-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -     		Magnolia Independent School District, Position 3
    2004-2012    		 Succeeded by
    -


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