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Republican Party primaries in Texas, 2018

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Republican Party primaries, 2018
Texas Republican Party.jpg
Primary Date
March 6, 2018
Federal elections
Republican primary for U.S. Senate
Republican primaries for U.S. House
State elections
Republican primaries for Texas legislature
Republican primary for governor
Republican primary for lieutenant governor
Republican primary for attorney general
State party
Republican Party of Texas
State political party revenue


The March 6 Republican primaries are over. See what political observers said about the outcomes below.

Six congressional primaries — the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 21st, 27th, and 29th districts — went to runoffs scheduled for May 22. State legislative incumbents aligned with House Speaker Joe Straus (R) lost in three races, and seven more contests were settled in the runoffs.

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

He was not on any Texas primary ballot this year, but President Donald Trump was a factor in every one of them, Republican and Democrat alike. But the President wasn't the only political figure, or story, dominating the Texas headlines this election season.

For Texas Republicans, the 2018 primaries were a test of competing visions, agendas, and personalities. The primaries here took on added significance because the GOP held the majority of the state’s elected offices.

Some of the state’s biggest political personalities made their presences felt. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who had a primary race of his own this year, backed candidates for Congress and the state house. Gov. Greg Abbott took made a number of state house and congressional endorsements, as did his predecessor, former governor, and current U.S. Energy Secretary, Rick Perry.

Outside organizations played a major role in the primaries through endorsements, ads, and financial support. The major players included Empower Texans, the Texas Association of Business, and the Texas Association of Realtors.

While their agendas might have differed, their aims were the same: To help their chosen candidates – and themselves – win on March 6.

Six congressional primaries demonstrated the GOP’s new dynamics, and the challenges it faces in the mid-terms.

These six races were in open congressional seats previously held by a Republican incumbent. Open seats typically draw a large number of candidates, and this year was no exception.

In five of the open races, no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote on March 6, meaning they were decided in primary runoffs on May 22. State Rep. Van Taylor won the 3rd District primary to replace Sam Johnson outright.

In the 2nd District primary to replace Ted Poe, state Rep. Kevin Roberts and former Navy SEAL Daniel Crenshaw beat out Cruz-endorsed Kathaleen Wall, who put nearly $6 million of her own money into the race, and six other candidates to make the runoff.

In the 5th District primary to replace Jeb Hensarling, state Rep. Lance Gooden and political consultant Bunni Pounds beat out six other candidates, including former Cruz staffer Jason Wright.

In the 21st District primary to replace Lamar Smith, former Cruz Chief of Staff Chip Roy led the 21-candidate field with 27 percent of the vote. He was joined by businessman Matt McCall in the runoff, who unexpectedly beat out two other top candidates, ex-CIA officer William Negley and state Rep. Jason Isaac.

The 6th and 27th congressional districts, were open seats this year because incumbent Reps. Joe Barton (R-6) and Blake Farenthold (R-27) faced sexual misconduct allegations and chose not to run again.

In the 6th District, former Tarrant County Tax Assessor Ronald Wright and former Navy pilot Jake Ellzey advanced to the runoff. Wright nearly won the March 6 election outright with over 45 percent of the vote.

In the 27th District, former Texas Water Development Board Chairman Bech Bruun and Republican activist Michael Cloud advanced to the runoff. Although Bruun had advantages in fundraising and endorsements, he won just 36 percent of the vote to Cloud's 34 percent in the March 6 election.

See the U.S. House Republican primaries we watched below.

The political drama extended down ballot to the Republican state legislative primaries.

In a number of those contests, allies of outgoing House Speaker Joe Straus (R) battled anti-Straus Republicans. At stake was which faction would have the influence necessary to elect Straus’ successor as speaker in 2019. Two Straus-aligned incumbents lost in the state House primaries and one lost in the state Senate primaries.

Elsewhere, the race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner between incumbent Sid Miller (R) and challenger Trey Blocker generated headlines, too, with both candidates having more than $400,000 in their war chests at the end of 2017. Miller won a majority of the vote in the March 6 primary and avoided a runoff.

Republicans currently hold 25 of the state's 36 congressional districts. In the legislature, they have a 20-11 majority in the Texas State Senate, and a 95-56 majority in the Texas House of Representatives. Republicans also hold all of the elected state executive offices.

This statewide Republican dominance makes Texas both a state government trifecta, and a state government triplex, meaning Republicans hold both state legislature chambers, and the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.

Ballotpedia’s coverage of the 2018 primary season includes Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and state legislative seats. Click here to learn more about those races.

The Texas Republican Party's 2018 convention will be held June 14 -16.[1]

This page focuses on the Republican primaries that took place in Texas on March 6, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.

The filing deadline for candidates these primaries was December 11, 2017.


Battleground primaries

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

Political analysis

Ballotpedia captured reactions from political observers for the Texas Republican primaries in general and for specific races we watched. Know of a reaction we have not covered? Please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

General reaction

Some political observers focused on Republican voter turnout, which was previously thought to be lower than Democratic turnout based on early voting totals.

  • Evan Smith, CEO of the Texas Tribune: "I think there was never a dramatic Texas realignment on the table. I think a lot of people misread the environment and the mood around the country. They saw Virginia. They saw Alabama, Roy Moore and Doug Jones. They saw the state Senate seat in Wisconsin. They thought Texas was the next pebble in the path. Texas is its own path. Nobody understands that. Texas flies by its own set of coordinates politically. This is not a state that is in line, from a trend standpoint, with other places. This is a place that is a blood-red state. If other states move to the middle, or become more blue, Texas has resisted, resisted, resisted at all turns. Of course, the demographic indicators would tell you that change is coming at some point. It’s not here yet."[2]
  • Ross Ramsey, executive editor of the Texas Tribune: "Democrats improved their turnout, from a terrible, awful number — only 560,033 people showed up for the party’s 2014 primary — to a lousy one this year: 1,036,942. That’s an 85.2 percent increase, but it’s not enough to scare anybody. Republican turnout topped 1.5 million, up 13.5 percent from 1.35 million four years ago. They improved less, but they started bigger. And they’re still outrunning the other big party by a 3-to-2 margin in turnout."[3]
  • Alex Samuels and Annie Daniels, Texas Tribune: "If you looked at early voting numbers, you might have thought Democrats had an edge. More than 650,000 people voted early in the 10 counties with the most registered voters. More than 370,000 of those were Democrats, compared to nearly 283,000 Republicans. Four years earlier, Republicans outvoted Democrats in early voting in those 10 counties. So going into Tuesday night, it seemed like the Democrats might be on track to hustle more people to the polls. Election night returns told a different story. Texas is a solidly red state, and voting totals confirmed that — again."[4]
  • Associated Press: Democrats in deep-red Texas turned out in their largest midterm primary election numbers in more than a decade Tuesday, propelling female candidates toward challenges to entrenched male Republicans in Congress and venting their anger at President Trump in the first state primary of 2018...More than 830,000 Democrats had voted with ballots still being counted late Tuesday, the best showing in a midterm primary for Texas Democrats since than 1 million voters turned out in 2002, the first election after the Sept. 11 attacks. Republicans were close to their turnout in previous midterm primaries, with more than 1.3 million votes and counting."[5]

Republican state legislative primaries

See also: Texas state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

May 22 reaction

Here are political reactions to the May 22 primary runoffs:

Pro-Straus Republicans

  • House Speaker Joe Straus: "Once again, Republican primary voters have shown overwhelming support for responsible candidates who will put their communities first and take a serious approach to the state's challenges. The results in these runoffs and in the March primaries clearly demonstrate that Republican voters want constructive and pragmatic leadership for our fast-growing state."[6]
  • Associated Republicans of Texas President Jamie McWright: "It is clear that voters rejected negative campaigns and instead voted for thoughtful, conservative Republicans who are going to have a very positive impact on the next legislative session and on the future of our state.”[7]

Anti-Straus Republicans

  • Texas Freedom Caucus member Jonathan Stickland: "There is not one person that was elected to the Texas House that ran as a moderate. The moderate forces won, but our message won — just not all of our messengers were picked...if [Pro-Straus Republican] Steve Allison does what he said he was planning on doing, then Steve Allison would be in the Freedom Caucus."[7]

March 6 reaction

Political reactions to the March 6 primaries varied, sometimes based on which camp of the Republican Party the observer aligned with.

Outside observers

  • Ross Ramsey, executive editor of the Texas Tribune: "A great line from Republican political consultant Wayne Hamilton nicely summed up this election: 'So much money, so little change.'...Various factions declared victory after the votes were counted; that’s what factions do. But the results were evidence of good defense more than good offense. Most of the incumbents under fire in this year’s primaries survived to the next round. Scads of money were spent, including a fair amount against incumbents."[8]
  • Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune: "If you're keeping track of the Texas GOP civil war, net gains Tuesday tilted slightly toward the more activist end of the spectrum. In Pat Fallon, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick got a new senator who's likely to be even more allied with the presiding officer than the incumbent he knocked off. The Texas House Freedom Caucus, meanwhile, is poised to expand its ranks by at least a few people, provided its current members win re-election in November."[9]
  • Jay Root, Texas Tribune: "Republican incumbents who dared to buck their party leaders or supposedly influential activist groups had a target on their backs in the 2018 primaries. Nearly all of them won anyway. Even when Republican Gov. Greg Abbott put his own campaign money and clout on the line, he mostly came up empty-handed, failing to defeat maverick Republican Reps. Sarah Davis of Houston and Lyle Larson of San Antonio. Perhaps no group got spanked harder Tuesday night than Empower Texans, a conservative group known for using hardball tactics and waging aggressive campaigns against legislators like Davis and Larson who buck the Tea Party orthodoxy. Its political action committee, fat with oil money, spent more than any other PAC in Texas as of late January, a Texas Tribune analysis showed, but when the smoke cleared from the 2018 Republican primaries, the group could claim only a small handful of scalps."[10]
  • Brandon Rottinghaus, University of Houston: "There's been a gradual shift toward the more conservative wing of the party, and that continued in Tuesday's primary. Little by little, they chip away at the support of moderates."[11]
  • Mark Jones, Rice University: "Since the establishment is on the defensive, any loss is significant for them.They're a group that's shrinking, and they didn't add any House seats...The movement conservatives view this not as a single battle but as a war with a longtime horizon. They never expect to flip 12 or 15 seats in any given cycle. Instead, a net pickup of a few seats means an already weakened establishment is weaker in 2019. Over time, the movement conservative wing [will be] predominant in the House, just like it is now in the Senate."[11]

Anti-Straus Republicans

Here are reactions from the faction of Republicans who opposed House Speaker Joe Straus and his allies.

  • Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick: "The liberal Joe Straus agenda is over. It's over. It was clear last night."[9]
  • Michael Quinn Sullivan, President of Empower Texans: Looking at the GOP election results: [Dan Patrick] got 75%. Every Taxpayer Champion is returning to the [Texas Legislature], & one got a promotion to the Senate. Two House & one Senate RINO were defeated; six formerly RINO seats are headed for run-offs. House & Senate have moved right. GREAT!"[12]

Pro-Straus Republicans

Here are reactions from the faction of Republicans who supported House Speaker Joe Straus and his allies.

  • House Speaker Joe Straus: "Voters showed a clear preference for principled Republicans who are serious about solving the state's challenges."[9]
  • Eric Burse, Republican consultant: “The forces of extremism, like Empower Texans ... overplayed their hand, turned voters off and experienced significant losses in the March primaries. It started to become clear in some of these races that it really was a choice between our local representative and someone who is wholly owned by outside groups and outside money.”[10]

Others

  • Unnamed Greg Abbott campaign official: “I don’t think anyone can say that we didn’t send a message. What candidate wants to spend half a million dollars in a primary where they are the incumbent?. Additionally, it is clear that the governor’s coattails continue to be the most effective and sought after in the state. In the vast majority of contested races, the victors used the governor’s messages and images during the primary." [10]

2nd Congressional District

See also: Texas' 2nd Congressional District election (March 6, 2018 Republican primary)

In the aftermath of the March 6 primary, much of the reaction focused on Dan Crenshaw making the May 22 runoff election over Kathaleen Wall, who was widely expected to advance based on her fundraising and endorsements.

  • The Daily Kos: "...there were at least some signs that Wall's campaign didn't really have their finger on the pulse of the GOP electorate. Abbott appeared in an ad for Wall late in the race calling her 'a behind the scenes mover and shaker in Houston politics for years.' In this era where almost every candidate is tripping over each other to portray themselves as the real enemy of the establishment whether they actually are or not, it was quite jarring to hear someone embracing a label like that. By contrast, Crenshaw looked like a candidate with a strong biography but few resources. Crenshaw lost an eye in Afghanistan after being hit by an IED blast in 2012, and he returned to service overseas after surgeries restored his vision. Crenshaw also had an endorsement from none other than Buzz Aldrin. Crenshaw only spent $84,000 during the pre-primary period, so it looked like he'd have a tough time getting his story out to primary voters, but he pulled it off."[13]
  • The Houston Chronicle: "Wall’s defeat is another stunning blow for wealthy self-financers who have consistently lost campaigns for Congress in Texas even while heavily out spending their opponents...What often happens is that self funders are often political novices who try to use their money to overcome their inexperience, said Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. In Wall’s case that inexperience showed up in her speaking engagements where she struggled to remember talking points during forums. Her campaign also avoided interviews with the media, turning down repeated interview requests with the Houston Chronicle."[14]
  • The Houston Chronicle: "Big self-funding candidates in Texas may want to think twice about committing their own money to run for Congress. Since 2000, 21 candidates have now put at least $1 million of their own money into their races. And 18 now have lost."[15]
  • Brendan Steinhauser, political consultant for Crenshaw: "[Wall's focus on television and radio advertising] allowed us to spend our dollars and time efficiently and effectively and help us win the margin of victory in the end. Dan ran a campaign that was very transparent and created many opportunities for voters to get to meet him face-to-face. He handed out his cellphone number to anyone who wanted to talk to him about the race or about issues they care about. He had a story to tell about his life experience, being a warrior, being a hero, and being called to serve, and it resonated with people because it was genuine."[16]
  • Rick Walker: Walker posted an analysis of the election on his website. He said that strategic decisions made by his campaign led to the unexpected result of Wall not making the runoff.
He said, "In the 10 days leading up to election day, we purchased 900 TV spots and radio ads, contrasting myself with Kathaleen Wall, using a version of [a quote from Wall saying she had voted for Hillary Clinton at some point in the past]. We augmented that with a dedicated website and heavy social media messaging. This caused her polling to decline from over 51% down to 27%."
He also said, "We were successful in this primary objective, but unsuccessful in that the votes leaving Mrs. Wall did not fall to us. Nearly all the 24% of votes she lost fell to Dan Crenshaw (or didn’t vote), as he went from 3% to 27% over 2 weeks. Michael Berry endorsing Dan around that same time also helped those votes fall to Dan. There were essentially little-to-no undecided voters left, so someone had to take them away from Mrs. Wall."
He added, "We projected [Kevin Roberts] to finish around 11%. When the elections were over, Kevin Roberts had won 33% of the vote. He had far less TV time, less radio time and less social media presence than either Kathaleen Wall or Rick Walker during that time. Kevin Roberts received the endorsements from all 3 of the pay-to-play slate mailers. I witnessed approximately 65% of early voters carrying these faux sample ballots into voting centers some days. (Kevin didn’t pay them with his campaign dollars, but his brother-in-law essentially owns 2 of the men who run them. Kevin didn’t technically pay-to-play.) Kevin did a fantastic job going after Mrs. Wall’s voters as well via social media and TV."[17]

5th Congressional District

See also: Texas' 5th Congressional District election (March 6, 2018 Republican primary)

In the aftermath of the March 6 primary, political observers focused on whether Lance Gooden or Bunni Pounds would win the runoff election:

  • The Daily Kos: "[After the primary,] Pounds immediately picked up an endorsement from the anti-tax Club for Growth, which hadn't supported anyone in the primary but had run ads against Gooden and Sheets. However, it's possible that geography will give Gooden a lift in May. While this seat is often described as a suburban Dallas district, Dallas County only made up 21 percent of the GOP primary vote on Tuesday, with the rest coming from rural East Texas. Gooden represents a rural seat, while Pounds is from the Dallas area. Gooden notably took a majority of the vote in both the counties that make up his state House district, even though he actually narrowly lost renomination in 2014 and only barely won the primary in 2016."[18]

6th Congressional District

See also: Texas' 6th Congressional District election (March 6, 2018 Republican primary)

Political reactions to the March 6 primary focused on how Ron Wright and Jake Ellzey ran their campaigns and which would be successful in the May 22 runoff.

  • The Daily Kos: "Ron Wright has long been viewed as retiring Rep. Joe Barton's heir apparent in this Fort Worth-area seat, and he looks like the clear frontrunner going into the May GOP runoff against veteran Jake Ellzey...Wright did seem to understand that being labeled as the establishment candidate would be a problem, and he rolled out an endorsement from Sen. Ted Cruz late in the campaign and pledged to join the nihilist Freedom Caucus if he won. Ellzey, a Navy vet who serves on the Texas Veterans Commission, also tried to run as the anti-establishment candidate, and he kicked off a primary bid against Barton just before the congressman retired. (Ellzey claimed he was planning to run even before Barton's scandal.) Ellzey had the support of Secretary of Energy and former Gov. Rick Perry, but it doesn't seem to have helped nearly enough in round one."[19]

21st Congressional District

See also: Texas' 21st Congressional District election (March 6, 2018 Republican primary)

Some reactions to the March 6 primary focused on Matt McCall beating other top candidates to make the runoff. Others focused on McCall's chances against Chip Roy in the May 22 runoff and the performances of other top candidates.

  • The Daily Kos: Longtime party operative Chip Roy, who was Sen. Ted Cruz's first chief of staff, took first place with 27 percent of the vote, but there was a surprise for the second runoff spot. Perennial candidate Matt McCall, who lost the 2016 primary to Smith 60-29 and lost 60-34 the previous cycle, edged former CIA agent William Negley 16.9-15.5. This election cycle has been nothing if not unpredictable, but the May primary looks like Roy's to lose. Roy has the support of Cruz and the Club for Growth, which aired ads for him. By contrast McCall, who self-funded most of his campaign, doesn't seem to have many, if any, influential allies. Still, no matter how the runoff goes, McCall did beat a few noteworthy people on Tuesday. Former Bexar County GOP chair Robert Stovall took just 5 percent of the vote, even though he had campaign help from none other than Brad Parscale, the guy Trump just chose to be his 2020 campaign manager (or knowing Trump, his first of many 2020 campaign managers). Former Rep. Quico Canseco did even worse, taking just 3.5 percent of the vote in his second comeback bid.[20]

27th Congressional District

See also: Texas' 27th Congressional District election (March 6, 2018 Republican primary)

Reactions to the March 6 Republican primary generally focused on Michael Cloud's performance against Bech Bruun, who was the frontrunner heading into the night.

  • The Daily Kos: "We had another frontrunner who didn't do so well in his primary. Bech Bruun, who resigned as chair of the state Water Development Board to run, did take first place, but he led former Victoria County GOP Chair Michael Cloud just 36-34 in the first round of the primary for this safely red Corpus Christi-area seat...Until Tuesday, it appeared that Bruun was on a glide path to Congress. Bruun outspent Cloud $180,000 to $36,000 during the pre-primary period, and GOP power players seemed to prefer him. Cloud did have the support of former Rep. Ron Paul, who used to represent a portion of this seat and is very much not a member of the party establishment, which may have given him an unexpected boost."[21]

Federal elections

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Texas (March 6, 2018 Republican primary)

U.S. House

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

Candidate ballot access
Ballot Access Requirements Final.jpg
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.


District 1

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 2

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District 6

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District 7

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District 8

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District 9

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

District 10

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District 11

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District 12

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District 13

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District 14

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District 15

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 16

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District 17

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 18

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 19

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District 20

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

District 21

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 22

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District 23

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District 24

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District 25

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District 26

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District 27

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District 28

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

District 29

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 30

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

District 31

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District 32

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District 33

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District 34

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District 35

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 36

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

One of 254 Texas counties—0.4 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Jefferson County, Texas 0.48% 1.61% 2.25%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Texas with 52.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 43.2 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Texas cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 66.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Texas supported Democratic candidates slightly more often than Republicans, 53.3 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Texas. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[22][23]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 54 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 65 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.4 points. Clinton won 10 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 96 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 85 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 34.5 points.

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 Republican primary)

Lieutenant gubernatorial election

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

Attorney general election

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

Agriculture commissioner election

See also: Texas Agriculture Commissioner election, 2018 (March 6 Republican primary)

Republican Party Republicans


State legislative elections

The 2018 primaries featured factional conflict among Texas Republicans. Generally, the conflict was between Republicans allied with outgoing House Speaker Joe Straus (R) and those opposed to him. Pro-Straus Republicans included a number of state House incumbents who faced primary challenges in 2018 and organizations like the Texas Association of Business and the Associated Republicans of Texas. Anti-Straus Republicans included members of the Texas Freedom Caucus, many of the primary challengers who faced incumbents, and organizations like Empower Texans and Texas Right to Life.

Visit our page on factional conflict to see how the different wings of the party defined themselves, which issues divided them, and how political observers characterized their differences.


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: Republican Party of Texas


State party leadership

Entering the 2018 election, the chair of the Republican Party of Texas is James Dickey. He was elected to the position by delegates at the party's convention in June 2017.

State political party revenue

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

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:

Republican Party of Texas revenue, 2011 to 2016[24]
Year Federal account State account(s) Total
2011 $1,525,594.22 $692,059.80 $2,217,654.02
2012 $3,123,788.46 $2,901,244.35 $6,025,032.81
2013 $1,780,170.14 $847,960.61 $2,628,130.75
2014 $3,528,178.28 $3,265,012.13 $6,793,190.41
2015 $1,381,891.43 $841,232.59 $2,223,124.02
2016 $3,505,701.75 $1,753,242.23 $5,258,943.98

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)[25]

“ 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.'[26] ”

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.[27]


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.[28]

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.[29]

Automatic registration

Texas does not practice automatic voter registration.[30]

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Texas does not permit online voter registration.[30]

Same-day registration

Texas does not allow same-day voter registration.[30]

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must reside in the county in which they are registering to vote.[31]

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.[26]

”
—Section 18.068, Texas Election Code[32]

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.[33] The review was halted by a federal judge in February 2019, and Secretary of State David Whitley rescinded the advisory in April.[34][35] 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.”[36]

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.[37] 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. 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.


Voter ID requirements

Texas requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[38]

The following list of accepted ID was current as of February 2023. Click here for the Texas Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

  • Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
  • Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
  • Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
  • Texas handgun license issued by DPS
  • United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
  • United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
  • United States passport (book or card)

Identification provided by voters aged 18-69 may be expired for no more than four years before the election date. Voters aged 70 and older can use an expired ID card regardless of how long ago the ID expired.[38]

Voters who are unable to provide one of the ID options listed above can sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and provide one of the following supporting documents:[38]

  • Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
  • Copy of or original current utility bill
  • Copy of or original bank statement
  • Copy of or original government check
  • Copy of or original paycheck
  • Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)

The following voters are exempt from showing photo ID:[38]

  • Voters with a disability
    • Voters with a disability "may apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption to presenting an acceptable photo identification or following the Reasonable Impediment Declaration procedure in the county."
  • Voters who have a religious objection to being photographed

Voters who do not have a photo ID can obtain a Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) at any Texas driver’s license office during regular business hours. Voters can also obtain an Election Identification Certificate from a mobile station. Locations are listed here.[38]

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.[39]

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.[40]


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).[41][42]

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[43][44]
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[45]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014[46] Republican Party John Cornyn 61.56% Democratic Party David Alameel 34.36% 27.20%
2012[47] Republican Party Ted Cruz 56.46% Democratic Party Paul Sadler 40.62% 15.84%
2008[48] Republican Party John Cornyn 54.82% Democratic Party Richard Noriega 42.84% 11.98%
2006[49] Republican Party Kay Bailey Hutchison 61.69% Democratic Party Barbara Ann Radnofsky 36.04% 25.65%
2002[50] Republican Party John Cornyn 55.30% Democratic Party Ron Kirk 43.33% 11.97%
2000[51] 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[52]
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


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

One of 254 Texas counties—0.4 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Jefferson County, Texas 0.48% 1.61% 2.25%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Texas with 52.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 43.2 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Texas cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 66.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Texas supported Democratic candidates slightly more often than Republicans, 53.3 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Texas. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[53][54]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 54 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 65 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.4 points. Clinton won 10 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 96 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 85 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 34.5 points.

See also

Federal primaries in Texas State primaries in Texas Texas state party apparatus Texas voter information
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Footnotes

  1. ↑ Texas GOP, "2018 TEXAS REPUBLICAN CONVENTION," accessed January 25, 2018
  2. ↑ Vox, "The good and bad news for Democrats in Texas, explained by a top political junkie," March 7, 2018
  3. ↑ Texas Tribune, "Analysis: A good day to be a Texas incumbent," March 7, 2018
  4. ↑ Texas Tribune, "Blue wave? Texas Republicans outvoted Democrats in the 2018 primaries — again.," March 7, 2018
  5. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Democrats' turnout in Texas primary is highest in 16 years," March 6, 2018
  6. ↑ Twitter, "Evan Smith on May 22, 2018"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Texas Tribune, "Outside groups spent big backing either centrists or hard-line conservatives in GOP House runoffs. The centrists went 5 for 7," May 23, 2018
  8. ↑ Texas Tribune, "Analysis: A good day to be a Texas incumbent," March 7, 2018
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Texas Tribune, "The Blast", March 7, 2018
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Texas Tribune, "It was a bad election night for Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas' best-funded Tea Party group," March 7, 2018
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Governing, "Primaries Turn Texas a Deeper Shade of Red," March 7, 2018
  12. ↑ Twitter, "Michael Q Sullivan on March 7, 2018," March 7, 2018
  13. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 3/8," March 8, 2018
  14. ↑ The Houston Chronicle, "Navy SEAL’s comeback forced unexpected runoff for Congress," March 7, 2018
  15. ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Two more big self-funders fail in Texas congressional races," March 8, 2018
  16. ↑ Washington Free Beacon, "Navy SEAL Advances to Texas Republican Primary Runoff," March 8, 2018
  17. ↑ Rick Walker for Congress, "Thanks and Campaign Debrief," accessed March 12, 2018
  18. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 3/8," March 8, 2018
  19. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 3/8," March 8, 2018
  20. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 3/8," March 8, 2018
  21. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 3/8," March 8, 2018
  22. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  23. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  24. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Republican Party of Texas and Texas Democratic Party)
  25. ↑ Texas Statutes, "Section 172.086," accessed October 7, 2024
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  27. ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "Who, What, Where, When, How," accessed February 27, 2023
  28. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Request for Voter Registration Applications,” accessed February 27, 2023
  29. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Voter Registration,” accessed February 27, 2023
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed July 28, 2024
  31. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Request for Voter Registration Applications," accessed July 28, 2024
  32. ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, “Election Code,” accessed February 23, 2023
  33. ↑ The Texas Tribune, “Texas officials flag tens of thousands of voters for citizenship checks,” January 25, 2019
  34. ↑ The New York Times, “Federal Judge Halts ‘Ham-Handed’ Texas Voter Purge,” February 28, 2019
  35. ↑ The New York Times, “Texas Ends Review That Questioned Citizenship of Almost 100,000 Voters,” April 26, 2019
  36. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Secretary Whitley Announces Settlement In Litigation On Voter Registration List Maintenance Activity,” April 26, 2019
  37. ↑ 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."
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 Texas Secretary of State, "Required Identification for Voting in Person," accessed February 27, 2023 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "tvid" defined multiple times with different content
  39. ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "FAQ," accessed December 16, 2013
  40. ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "Early Voting," accessed December 16, 2013
  41. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Texas," accessed December 12, 2017
  42. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Houston; San Antonio; Dallas," accessed December 13, 2017
  43. ↑ 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
  44. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results," January 30, 2017
  45. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Federal Elections 2014: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed December 13, 2017
  46. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2014 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  47. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2012 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  48. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2008 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  49. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2006 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  50. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2002 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  51. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2000 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  52. ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Texas Election Results," accessed December 13, 2017
  53. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  54. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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