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Erin Zwiener

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Erin Zwiener
Image of Erin Zwiener
Texas House of Representatives District 45
Tenure

2019 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

6

Predecessor

Compensation

Base salary

$7,200/year

Per diem

$221/day

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Montana

Graduate

University of Arizona

Personal
Birthplace
Irving, Texas
Contact

Erin Zwiener (Democratic Party) is a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 45. She assumed office on January 8, 2019. Her current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Zwiener (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 45. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Erin Zwiener was born in Irving, Texas, and lives in Driftwood, Texas. She earned a bachelor's degree in natural resource conservation from the University of Montana and a master's degree in creative nonfiction from the University of Arizona.[1]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Zwiener was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Zwiener was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Zwiener was assigned to 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

2024

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Erin Zwiener defeated Tennyson Moreno in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener (D)
 
56.8
 
52,912
Image of Tennyson Moreno
Tennyson Moreno (R) Candidate Connection
 
43.2
 
40,312

Total votes: 93,224
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Erin Zwiener defeated Chevo Pastrano in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener
 
71.0
 
8,283
Image of Chevo Pastrano
Chevo Pastrano
 
29.0
 
3,386

Total votes: 11,669
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Tennyson Moreno advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tennyson Moreno
Tennyson Moreno Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
9,248

Total votes: 9,248
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Zwiener received the following endorsements.

2022

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Erin Zwiener defeated Michelle Lopez in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener (D) Candidate Connection
 
59.2
 
39,078
Image of Michelle Lopez
Michelle Lopez (R)
 
40.8
 
26,888

Total votes: 65,966
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Erin Zwiener defeated Angela Villescaz and Jessica Mejia in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener Candidate Connection
 
80.7
 
8,224
Image of Angela Villescaz
Angela Villescaz
 
12.1
 
1,237
Jessica Mejia
 
7.1
 
724

Total votes: 10,185
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Michelle Lopez advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Michelle Lopez
Michelle Lopez
 
100.0
 
8,159

Total votes: 8,159
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign finance

2020

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Erin Zwiener defeated Carrie Isaac in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener (D)
 
50.5
 
57,383
Image of Carrie Isaac
Carrie Isaac (R) Candidate Connection
 
49.5
 
56,175

Total votes: 113,558
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Carrie Isaac defeated Kent Wymore in the Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on July 14, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Carrie Isaac
Carrie Isaac Candidate Connection
 
56.7
 
6,447
Kent Wymore
 
43.3
 
4,924

Total votes: 11,371
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Erin Zwiener defeated Liliana Posada in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener
 
69.1
 
16,120
Liliana Posada
 
30.9
 
7,195

Total votes: 23,315
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Carrie Isaac and Kent Wymore advanced to a runoff. They defeated Austin Talley in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Carrie Isaac
Carrie Isaac Candidate Connection
 
47.9
 
8,248
Kent Wymore
 
41.4
 
7,135
Image of Austin Talley
Austin Talley
 
10.7
 
1,852

Total votes: 17,235
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance


2018

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Erin Zwiener defeated Ken Strange in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener (D) Candidate Connection
 
51.6
 
43,207
Ken Strange (R)
 
48.4
 
40,531

Total votes: 83,738
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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Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Erin Zwiener defeated Rebecca Bell-Metereau in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener Candidate Connection
 
51.4
 
3,003
Image of Rebecca Bell-Metereau
Rebecca Bell-Metereau
 
48.6
 
2,837

Total votes: 5,840
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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Rebecca Bell-Metereau and Erin Zwiener advanced to a runoff. They defeated Les Carnes in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rebecca Bell-Metereau
Rebecca Bell-Metereau
 
45.4
 
5,133
Image of Erin Zwiener
Erin Zwiener Candidate Connection
 
30.7
 
3,466
Les Carnes
 
23.9
 
2,705

Total votes: 11,304
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 election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45

Ken Strange defeated Amber Pearce, Naomi Narvaiz, Austin Talley, and Amy Akers in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 45 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Ken Strange
 
54.7
 
7,257
Image of Amber Pearce
Amber Pearce
 
24.4
 
3,233
Image of Naomi Narvaiz
Naomi Narvaiz
 
9.2
 
1,217
Image of Austin Talley
Austin Talley
 
6.8
 
901
Image of Amy Akers
Amy Akers
 
4.9
 
651

Total votes: 13,259
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Erin Zwiener did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Candidate Connection

Erin Zwiener completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zwiener's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Erin Zwiener is an author, educator, and conservationist who is currently serving her second term in the Texas House of Representatives. She's committed to fighting for our Texas values of healthy communities, inclusivity, and common-sense government.

Rep. Zwiener serves on the House Committees on Public Health, House Administration, and Appropriations, where she is the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Article III (Education). She is a member of the House Democratic Caucus, LGBTQ Caucus, Criminal Justice Reform Caucus, Women’s Health Caucus, and IT Caucus. In January of 2021, Rep. Zwiener established the Caucus on Climate, Environment, and the Energy Industry and currently serves as its Chair.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Conservation, a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and is a three-time Jeopardy! champion. She lives in Driftwood with her husband Quincy, daughter Lark, a dog, three horses, a mule, a pony, a pig, and too many chickens.

  • Restore state funding for public education so that all our kids get a great education without overrelying on property taxes.
  • Expand Medicaid to provide health care for another 1.5 million Texans and drive down costs for everyone.
  • Protect clean air and water and fight climate change so our children can enjoy our beautiful Texas home.
Environmental: I'm a lifelong environmentalist with a degree in Natural Resource Conservation. I love designing smart policy that makes it easier for businesses and individuals to do the right thing and take care of our natural world.

Better Democracy: Voting rights, fair redistricting, and campaign finance reform will all make participating in our democratic process more accessible and fairer for everyone.

Equality: Every single Texan, regardless of their identity, deserves to be treated with respect and dignity by their government and their community.
Both political parties have been guilty of partisan gerrymandering. Gerrymandered districts discourage voter participation and weaken the power of individual votes. I'll fight for an independent redistricting commission, so that voters will choose their elected representatives instead of the other way around.
I'm running for the office I want. I don't know what the future holds, but my ambitions are Texas-sized. I have no interest in going to Washington, D.C.

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.

2020

Erin Zwiener did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Erin Zwiener completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zwiener's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Restore state funding for public education so that all our kids get a great education without driving up property taxes. Expand Medicaid to provide health care for another 1.5 million Texans and drive down costs for everyone. Protect our rivers, streams, and groundwater from overuse and habitat degradation.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Environmental: I'm a lifelong environmentalist with a degree in Natural Resource Conservation. I love designing smart policy that makes it easier for businesses and individual to do the right thing and take care of our natural world. Better Democracy: Voting rights, fair redistricting, and campaign finance reform will all make participating in our democratic process more accessible and fair for everyone.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Both political parties have been guilty of partisan gerrymandering. Gerrymandered districts discourage voter participation and weaken the power of individual votes. I'll fight for an independent redistricting commission, so that voters will choose their elected representatives instead of the other way around.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Elections, Natural Resources, Environmental Regulation, and State Affairs all interest me.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I'm running for the office I want. I don't know what the future holds, but my ambitions are Texas-sized. I have no interest in going to Washington, D.C.

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.

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.


Erin Zwiener campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Texas House of Representatives District 45Won general$159,676 $101,385
2024* Texas House of Representatives District 45Won general$464,685 $440,255
2022Texas House of Representatives District 45Won general$560,759 $600,247
2020Texas House of Representatives District 45Won general$1,628,846 N/A**
2018Texas House of Representatives District 45Won general$243,333 N/A**
Grand total$3,057,298 $1,141,888
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and 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 Texas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2024


2023


2022


2021


2020


2019









See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
Jason Isaac (R)
Texas House of Representatives District 45
2019-Present
Succeeded by
-


Current members of the Texas House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Dustin Burrows
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Hubert Vo (D)
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Republican Party (88)
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