Cole Hefner
Cole Hefner (Republican Party) is a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 5. He assumed office in 2017. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.
Hefner (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 5. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Biography
Cole Hefner was born in Pittsburg, Texas. His career experience includes working as a small business owner.[1]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Hefner was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Hefner was assigned to the following committees:
- Business & Industry Committee, Vice chair
- Calendars Committee
- Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee
2019-2020
Hefner was assigned to the following committees:
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 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 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner (R) and Hector Garza (D) are running in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Cole Hefner (R) | |
| Hector Garza (D) | ||
| ||||
 = 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 5
Hector Garza (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Hector Garza | 100.0 | 5,777 | |
| Total votes: 5,777 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner (R) defeated Dewey Collier (R) in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cole Hefner | 76.5 | 22,408 |
 | Dewey Collier | 23.5 | 6,898 | |
| Total votes: 29,306 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Steven Laxton (R)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Hefner received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Texas Alliance For Life
- Texas Gun Rights PAC
- Young Conservatives of Texas
2024
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner defeated Nancy Nichols in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cole Hefner (R) | 98.8 | 74,381 |
 | Nancy Nichols (Independent) (Write-in) | 1.2 | 910 | |
| Total votes: 75,291 | |||
| = 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 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner defeated Jeff Fletcher and Dewey Collier in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cole Hefner | 69.8 | 20,040 |
 | Jeff Fletcher | 19.3 | 5,547 | |
| Dewey Collier | 10.9 | 3,119 | |
| Total votes: 28,706 | |||
| = 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 Hefner in this election.
2022
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Cole Hefner won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 5.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner defeated Dewey Collier in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cole Hefner | 81.0 | 20,202 |
| Dewey Collier | 19.0 | 4,753 | |
| Total votes: 24,955 | |||
| = 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 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner defeated LaWyanda Prince in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cole Hefner (R) | 80.0 | 59,197 |
 | LaWyanda Prince (D) | 20.0 | 14,824 | |
| Total votes: 74,021 | |||
| = 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 5
LaWyanda Prince advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | LaWyanda Prince | 100.0 | 5,202 |
| Total votes: 5,202 | |||
| = 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 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cole Hefner | 100.0 | 23,932 |
| Total votes: 23,932 | |||
| = 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
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner defeated Bill Liebbe in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cole Hefner (R) | 79.3 | 44,604 |
| Bill Liebbe (D) | 20.7 | 11,610 | ||
| Total votes: 56,214 | |||
| = 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 5
Bill Liebbe advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bill Liebbe | 100.0 | 2,105 | |
| Total votes: 2,105 | |||
| = 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 5
Incumbent Cole Hefner advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cole Hefner | 100.0 | 16,008 |
| Total votes: 16,008 | |||
| = 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
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 Bryan Hughes (R) did not seek re-election.
Cole Hefner ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 5 general election.[3]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 5 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Cole Hefner (unopposed) |
100.00% | 51,428 | |
| Total Votes | 51,428 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Cole Hefner defeated Jay Misenheimer in the Texas House of Representatives, District 5 Republican primary runoff.[4]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 5 Republican Primary Runoff, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Cole Hefner |
60.77% | 7,184 | |
| Republican | Jay Misenheimer | 39.23% | 4,637 | |
| Total Votes | 11,821 | |||
Cole Hefner and Jay Misenheimer defeated Randy Davis, Philip Hayes and Holly Coggins Hayes in the Texas House of Representatives District 5 Republican Primary.[5][4]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 5 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Cole Hefner |
46.03% | 12,917 | |
| Republican | Jay Misenheimer |
26.98% | 7,571 | |
| Republican | Randy Davis | 13.52% | 3,793 | |
| Republican | Philip Hayes | 7.45% | 2,091 | |
| Republican | Holly Coggins Hayes | 6.03% | 1,693 | |
| Total Votes | 28,065 | |||
Endorsements
In 2016, Hefner's endorsements included the following:[6]
|
|
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cole Hefner has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Cole Hefner asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Cole Hefner, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for. More than 26,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.
You can ask Cole Hefner to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing cole@colehefner.com.
2024
Cole Hefner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hefner's responses.
| Collapse all
- Secure the Border.
- Lower Taxes.
- Protect Texas Families.
Senator Bryan Hughes
Congressman Lance Gooden
Comptroller Glenn Hegar
Commissioner Wayne Christian
Smith Co. Sheriff Larry Smith
Wood Co. Sheriff Kelly Cole
Titus Co. Sheriff Tim Ingram
Upshur Co. Sheriff Larry Webb
Camp Co. Sheriff John Cortelyou
Rains Co. Sheriff Michael Hopkins
National Rifle Association
Young Conservatives of Texas
Texas Values Action
Texas Home School Coalition
Combined Law Enforcement Assoc. of Texas
Texas Alliance for Life
Texans for Medical Freedom
Life PAC (Texans for Life)
Texas State Rifle Association
Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND
Texas Association of Realtors
TSCRA Cattle Raisers PAC
Texans for Lawsuit Reform
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2022
Cole Hefner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Cole Hefner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
| “ |
|
” |
| —Cole Hefner[8] | ||
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 House of Representatives District 5 |
Officeholder Texas House of Representatives District 5 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 4, 2024
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Cole Hefner for State Representative, "Endorsements," accessed February 23, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cole Hefner for State Representative, "Issues," accessed February 23, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Texas House of Representatives District 5 2017-Present |
Succeeded by - |
