Democratic Party primaries in Texas, 2018

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Democratic Party primaries, 2018

Texas Democratic Party.png

Primary Date
March 6, 2018

Federal elections
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
Democratic primaries for U.S. House

State elections
Democratic primaries for Texas legislature
Democratic primary for governor
Democratic primary for lieutenant governor
Democratic primary for attorney general

State party
Democratic Party of Texas
State political party revenue


Democratic Party primary elections were held in Texas on March 6, 2018, in order to select the party's candidates for Texas' 2018 elections. These primaries included elections for the U.S. Senate, all 36 of the state's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Governor and Texas Lieutenant Governor, and Texas Attorney General.

Eleven of the congressional elections went to runoffs since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, including the races in the 7th, 21st, and 23rd districts. All three of those districts are held by Republicans, and the only incumbent not running for re-election was Rep. Lamar Smith in District 21. The runoff was held on May 22, 2018.

Click here for coverage of the May 22, 2018 primary election runoff.

Two of the Democratic candidates Ballotpedia tracked did win the primaries outright: El Paso County judge Veronica Escobar in the 16th District and state Sen. Sylvia Garcia in the 29th. Media outlets framed the victories of Garcia and Escobar as what could result in the state sending its first Latina to Congress. The Texas Tribune said of the two primary winners, “The state of Texas is all but certain to break a major glass ceiling and send at least one, and likely two, Hispanic women to Congress next year.”[1]

Beto O'Rourke won the Democratic nomination in the primary election for the U.S. Senate, defeating four other candidates. He hoped to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R) on November 6, 2018. Leading up to the 2018 election, the last time a Democrat had held this U.S. Senate seat was 1993.[2]

Two top vote-getters in the Democratic primary for governor of Texas advanced to a runoff election: Lupe Valdez and Andrew White. They defeated eight other candidates. Valdez, the winner of the runoff, challenged Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and could have broken the state government trifecta that first began in 2003. The last time a Democrat held the governor's office was 1995.[3]

Battleground primaries

Battleground elections are those that Ballotpedia expected would either be more competitive than other races or attract significant national attention.

Federal elections

On March 6, 2018, primary elections took place in Texas for one U.S. Senate seat and for 36 seats in the U.S. House.

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Texas (March 6, 2018 Democratic primary)
U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke raised $1.7 million in the third quarter of 2017, putting him on par with incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over the same period of time.[4][5] End Citizens United PAC, which has 3 million members across the country, also endorsed O'Rourke early in the race in June 2017.[6] To see a full list of candidates in the Democratic primary, click "Show more" below.
Show more
Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

U.S. House

See also: United States House elections in Texas (March 6, 2018 Democratic primaries)

The 2018 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Texas took place on November 6, 2018. Voters elected 36 candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's 36 congressional districts. In 2017, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee identified Texas' 7th, 23rd, and 32nd Congressional Districts as targeted races. To see a full list of candidates in the March 6, 2018, Democratic primary elections, click "Show more" below.
Show more

District 1

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 2

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 3

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 4

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 5

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 6

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 7

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 8

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 9

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 10

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 11

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 12

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 13

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 14

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 15

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 16

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 17

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 18

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 19

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 20

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 21

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 22

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 23

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 24

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 25

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 26

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 27

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 28

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 29

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 30

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 31

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 32

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 33

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 34

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 35

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

District 36

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

State elections

Texas Party Control: 1992-2025
Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Gubernatorial election


See also: Texas gubernatorial election, 2018 (March 6 Democratic primary)

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

Election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Texas

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lupe Valdez
Lupe Valdez
 
42.9
 
435,484
Image of Andrew White
Andrew White
 
27.4
 
278,333
Image of Cedric Davis
Cedric Davis
 
8.3
 
83,817
Image of Grady Yarbrough
Grady Yarbrough
 
5.4
 
54,372
Jeffrey Payne
 
4.8
 
48,269
Image of Adrian Ocegueda
Adrian Ocegueda
 
4.4
 
44,681
Image of Thomas Wakely
Thomas Wakely
 
3.4
 
34,737
James Clark
 
2.2
 
21,871
Joe Mumbach
 
1.4
 
13,878

Total votes: 1,015,442
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.

Lieutenant gubernatorial election

See also: Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (March 6 Democratic primary)

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Texas

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Collier
Mike Collier Candidate Connection
 
52.4
 
500,568
Image of Michael Cooper
Michael Cooper
 
47.6
 
455,222

Total votes: 955,790
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.

Attorney general election

See also: Texas Attorney General election, 2018 (March 6 Democratic primary)

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

Early voting in Texas primaries, 2018

Click here to learn about historic early voting turnout for both parties in Texas in 2014 and 2018.

State party overview

See also: Democratic Party of Texas
Texas Democratic Party.png


State party leadership

Entering the 2018 election, the chair of the Democratic Party of Texas is Gilberto Hinojosa. He was elected to the position by delegates at the party's convention in June 2012.

State political party revenue

See also: State political party revenue and State political party revenue per capita

State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the Democratic Party of Texas' revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016. Revenue totals are broken down by account type and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.

Democratic Party of Texas revenue, 2011 to 2016[7]
Year Federal account State account(s) Total
2011 $701,112.76 $386,877.68 $1,087,990.44
2012 $1,752,672.10 $841,278.33 $2,593,950.43
2013 $1,270,718.14 $223,559.98 $1,494,278.12
2014 $3,641,619.19 $1,783,496.46 $5,425,115.65
2015 $1,042,415.92 $177,443.19 $1,219,859.11
2016 $5,811,137.09 $608,549.81 $6,419,686.90

Texas compared to other states

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:

Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016

Primary election scheduling

Texas was the only state to hold a primary election on March 6, 2018.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party in advance in order to participate in that party's primary. The voter must sign a pledge stating the following (the language below is taken directly from state statutes)[8]

The following pledge shall be placed on the primary election ballot above the listing of candidates' names: 'I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year.'[9]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Texas, all polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Texas is divided between the Central and Mountain time zones. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[10]


Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Texas, an applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of the county in which he or she is registering, and at least 17 years and 10 months old.[11]

The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters can request a postage-paid voter registration form online or complete the form online and return it to the county voter registrar. Applications are also available at a variety of locations including the county voter registrar’s office, the secretary of state’s office, libraries, and high schools. Voter registration certificates are mailed to newly registered voters.[12]

Automatic registration

Texas does not practice automatic voter registration.[13]

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Texas does not permit online voter registration.[13]

Same-day registration

Texas does not allow same-day voter registration.[13]

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must reside in the county in which they are registering to vote.[14]

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Texas does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

State law requires election officials to conduct a check of registered voters' citizenship status. Section 18.068 of the Texas Election Code says the following:

The secretary of state shall quarterly compare the information received under Section 16.001 of this code and Section 62.113, Government Code, to the statewide computerized voter registration list. If the secretary determines that a voter on the registration list is deceased or has been excused or disqualified from jury service because the voter is not a citizen, the secretary shall send notice of the determination to the voter registrar of the counties considered appropriate by the secretary.[9]

—Section 18.068, Texas Election Code[15]

In January 2019, the Texas secretary of state’s office announced that it would be providing local election officials with a list of registered voters who obtained driver’s licenses or IDs with documentation such as work visas or green cards. Counties would then be able to require voters on the list to provide proof of citizenship within 30 days.[16] The review was halted by a federal judge in February 2019, and Secretary of State David Whitley rescinded the advisory in April.[17][18] A news release from Whitley’s office stated that “... going forward, the Texas Secretary of State's office will send to county voter registrars only the matching records of individuals who registered to vote before identifying themselves as non-U.S. citizens to DPS when applying for a driver's license or personal identification card. This will ensure that naturalized U.S. citizens who lawfully registered to vote are not impacted by this voter registration list maintenance process.”[19]

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[20] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Texas Secretary of State’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.


Early voting

Texas permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

Texas voters are eligible to vote absentee in an election if:

  • They cannot make it to the polls on Election Day because they will be away from the county on Election Day and during early voting;
  • They are sick or disabled;
  • They are 65 years of age or older; or
  • They are confined in jail.[21]

To vote absentee, a request must be received by county election officials no later than close of regular business on the eleventh day before the election. The completed ballot must then be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.[22]


State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Texas heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Republicans controlled both chambers of the Texas State Legislature. They had a 93-55 majority in the state House and a 21-10 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • Texas was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House.

2018 elections

See also: Texas elections, 2018

Texas held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Texas
 TexasU.S.
Total population:27,429,639316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):261,2323,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:74.9%73.6%
Black/African American:11.9%12.6%
Asian:4.2%5.1%
Native American:0.5%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:2.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:38.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:81.9%86.7%
College graduation rate:27.6%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$53,207$53,889
Persons below poverty level:19.9%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Texas.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Texas had a population of approximately 27,862,596 people, and its three largest cities were Houston (pop. est. 2.3 million), San Antonio (pop. est. 1.5 million), and Dallas (pop. est. 1.3 million).[23][24]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Texas from 2000 to 2016.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Texas every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Texas 2000-2016[25][26]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 52.23% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 43.24% 8.99%
2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 57.17% Democratic Party Barack Obama 41.38% 15.79%
2008 Republican Party John McCain 55.45% Democratic Party Barack Obama 43.68% 11.77%
2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 61.09% Democratic Party John Kerry 38.22% 22.87%
2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 59.30% Democratic Party Al Gore 37.98% 21.32%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Texas from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Texas 2000-2016[27]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014[28] Republican Party John Cornyn 61.56% Democratic Party David Alameel 34.36% 27.20%
2012[29] Republican Party Ted Cruz 56.46% Democratic Party Paul Sadler 40.62% 15.84%
2008[30] Republican Party John Cornyn 54.82% Democratic Party Richard Noriega 42.84% 11.98%
2006[31] Republican Party Kay Bailey Hutchison 61.69% Democratic Party Barbara Ann Radnofsky 36.04% 25.65%
2002[32] Republican Party John Cornyn 55.30% Democratic Party Ron Kirk 43.33% 11.97%
2000[33] Republican Party Kay Bailey Hutchison 65.04% Democratic Party Gene Kelly 32.35% 32.69%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2014

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2014. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Texas.

Election results (Governor), Texas 2000-2016[34]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Greg Abbott 59.27% Democratic Party Wendy Davis 38.90% 20.37%
2010 Republican Party Rick Perry 54.97% Democratic Party Bill White 42.30% 12.67%
2006 Republican Party Rick Perry 39.03% Democratic Party Chris Bell 29.79% 9.24%
2002 Republican Party Rick Perry 57.81% Democratic Party Tony Sanchez 39.96% 17.85%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Texas 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 25 69.4% Democratic Party 11 30.6% R+14
2014 Republican Party 25 69.4% Democratic Party 11 30.6% R+14
2012 Republican Party 24 66.7% Democratic Party 12 33.3% R+12
2010 Republican Party 23 71.9% Democratic Party 9 28.1% R+14
2008 Republican Party 20 62.5% Democratic Party 12 37.5% R+8
2006 Republican Party 19 59.4% Democratic Party 13 40.6% R+6
2004 Republican Party 21 65.6% Democratic Party 11 34.4% R+10
2002 Republican Party 15 46.9% Democratic Party 17 53.1% D+2
2000 Republican Party 13 43.3% Democratic Party 17 56.7% D+4

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Texas Party Control: 1992-2025
Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


See also

Federal primaries in Texas State primaries in Texas Texas state party apparatus Texas voter information
CongressLogo.png
Flag of Texas.png
Seal of Texas.png
Election Policy Logo.png

Footnotes

  1. Texas Tribune, "Texas poised to send its first two Latinas to Congress," March 6, 2018
  2. Federal Election Commission, "Candidates for Senate," accessed February 7, 2018
  3. Texas State Library and Archives Commission, "Governors of Texas, 1846-Present," accessed December 18, 2017
  4. The Dallas Morning News, "Ted Cruz raises $2M, with challenger Beto O’Rourke close behind at $1.7M," October 11, 2017
  5. The New York Times, "Why Texas Democrats Are Betting on Beto O’Rourke," May 19, 2017
  6. The Dallas Morning News, "Well-funded anti-Citizens United group backs O'Rourke in Senate challenge against Cruz," June 26, 2017
  7. Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Republican Party of Texas and Texas Democratic Party)
  8. Texas Statutes, "Section 172.086," accessed October 7, 2024
  9. 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  10. VoteTexas.gov, "Who, What, Where, When, How," accessed February 27, 2023
  11. Texas Secretary of State, “Request for Voter Registration Applications,” accessed February 27, 2023
  12. Texas Secretary of State, “Voter Registration,” accessed February 27, 2023
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed July 28, 2024
  14. Texas Secretary of State, "Request for Voter Registration Applications," accessed July 28, 2024
  15. Texas Constitution and Statutes, “Election Code,” accessed February 23, 2023
  16. The Texas Tribune, “Texas officials flag tens of thousands of voters for citizenship checks,” January 25, 2019
  17. The New York Times, “Federal Judge Halts ‘Ham-Handed’ Texas Voter Purge,” February 28, 2019
  18. The New York Times, “Texas Ends Review That Questioned Citizenship of Almost 100,000 Voters,” April 26, 2019
  19. Texas Secretary of State, “Secretary Whitley Announces Settlement In Litigation On Voter Registration List Maintenance Activity,” April 26, 2019
  20. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  21. VoteTexas.gov, "FAQ," accessed December 16, 2013
  22. VoteTexas.gov, "Early Voting," accessed December 16, 2013
  23. United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Texas," accessed December 12, 2017
  24. United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Houston; San Antonio; Dallas," accessed December 13, 2017
  25. Federal Election Commission, "2012 Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed December 13, 2017
  26. Federal Election Commission, "Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results," January 30, 2017
  27. Federal Election Commission, "Federal Elections 2014: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed December 13, 2017
  28. Federal Election Commission, "2014 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  29. Federal Election Commission, "2012 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  30. Federal Election Commission, "2008 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  31. Federal Election Commission, "2006 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  32. Federal Election Commission, "2002 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  33. Federal Election Commission, "2000 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  34. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Texas Election Results," accessed December 13, 2017