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Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 14 Republican primary runoff)

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Texas' 17th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
Republican primary runoff
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 9, 2019
Primary: March 3, 2020
Primary runoff: July 14, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
Pre-election incumbent:
Bill Flores (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Texas
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Texas' 17th Congressional District
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Texas elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
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U.S. House elections, 2020

Pete Sessions defeated Renee Swann in the Republican primary runoff for Texas' 17th Congressional District on July 14, 2020. Sessions received 54.0% of the vote to Swann's 46.0%, advancing to the general election on November 3, 2020. In the 11-candidate Republican primary on March 3, Sessions received 31.9% of the vote and Swann received 19.2% of the vote.

Sessions was a member of Congress from 1997 to 2019. He campaigned on his record and said he voted in support of Trump 98% of the time from 2017 to 2018. Sessions said he had unfinished business in Congress, including removing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, building a border wall and changing immigration policies, and balancing the federal budget without increasing taxes.[1] During his earlier congressional service, Sessions represented two different districts: Texas' 32nd Congressional District (2003-2019) and Texas' 5th Congressional District (1997-2003).

Swann's campaign highlighted her experience in business and healthcare. Retiring incumbent Bill Flores (R) endorsed Swann in February 2020, citing her desire to work with President Trump and her stances on immigration and social issues.[2][3] Swann said she was running to be a citizen legislator, which she defined as "serving for a period of time, focusing ONLY on the needs of those they represent, representing their values and then coming home to pass the leadership on to someone else."[4]

The 17th District had a Cook 2017 Partisan Voter Index score of R+12, meaning this district's results were 12 percentage points more Republican than the national average in the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. Major independent observers rated the race as solid Republican. Flores won re-election by 15 percentage points in 2018. Click here to learn more about what was at stake in the general election.

Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:


Sessions
Swann



Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Grey.png For more information about the general election, click here.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Texas modified its primary election process as follows:

  • Election postponements: The primary runoff elections were postponed from May 26 to July 14.
  • Political party events: The Republican Party of Texas convention, scheduled for July 16-18 in Houston, was cancelled. The party conducted its convention online.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.


Candidates and election results

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 17

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Pete Sessions
Pete Sessions
 
53.5
 
18,524
Image of Renee Swann
Renee Swann
 
46.5
 
16,096

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

Total votes: 34,620
(100.00% precincts reporting)
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.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[5] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Pete Sessions

Image of Pete Sessions

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: U.S. House of Representatives (1997-2019)

Biography:  Sessions graduated from Southwestern University in 1978. After graduation, he began working for the Southwestern Bell Telephone company, which later became AT&T. Prior to his retirement to run for Congress in 1994, Sessions worked as a District Manager for AT&T.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Sessions said he wants to return to Congress to complete unfinished business, including building a border wall and balancing the federal budget.

Sessions highlighted his voting record and said he voted to support President Trump 98% of the time while he served in Congress from 2017 to 2018.

Sessions said he has "proven conservative principles" and pointed to his ratings from groups such as the National Rifle Association and National Right to Life as evidence of that.

Show sources

Sources: Pete Sessions 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 5, 2020; Pete Sessions 2020 campaign website, "About," accessed February 5, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 17 in 2020.

Renee Swann

Image of Renee Swann

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Swann and her husband founded Brazos Eye Surgery of Texas in 1981. At the time of her 2020 congressional campaign, Swann served as Chief Operations Officer of the company.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Swann identified herself as a limited-government conservative and said she would seek to limit federal regulations on businesses and individuals.

Swann said that she would oppose socialism and promote individual responsibility and personal empowerment.

Swann promised to serve in Congress for a limited time and supported congressional term limits.

Show sources

Sources: Renee Swann 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed February 18, 2020; Renee Swann 2020 campaign website, "About," accessed February 18, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 17 in 2020.


Noteworthy primary endorsements

This section contains endorsements issued ahead of the July 14 runoff, organized by whether they were issued before or after the March 3 primary. This section includes noteworthy endorsements issued in the primary, added as we learn about them. Click here to read how we define noteworthy primary endorsements. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Runoff endorsements

Endorsements made after the March 3 Republican primary election and ahead of the July 14 runoff are shown in the table below. The "Previous endorsee" column shows when a runoff endorsement came from a person or group that endorsed a different candidate in the primary election.
If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Runoff election endorsements
Endorsement Sessions Swann Previous endorsee
Individuals
Former Brazos County GOP Chairman Paul Rieger[6] ✔ --
State Republican Executive Committee member Fernando Trevino[7] ✔ --
March 3 Republican primary candidates
Scott Bland[8] ✔ --
George Hindman[8] ✔ --
Todd Kent[8] ✔ --
Laurie McReynolds[8] ✔ --
David Saucedo[8] ✔ --
Trent Sutton[8] ✔ --
Organizations
Associated General Contractors of America[9] ✔ --
Susan B. Anthony List[10] ✔ --
VIEW PAC[11] ✔ --
Winning For Women[12] ✔ --


Primary endorsements

This section lists endorsements issued ahead of the March 3 primary.
If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Republican primary endorsements
Endorsement Adnan Bland Hindman Sessions Swann Vessali
Newspapers and editorials
Austin American-Statesman[13] ✔
Elected officials
U.S. Rep Bill Flores (R)[2] ✔
Individuals
State Republican Executive Committeeman Mike McCloskey[14] ✔
Former SEAL Team Six Leader Robert O'Neill[15] ✔
Organizations
National Rifle Association[16] ✔


Timeline

2020

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

The following campaign themes and policy positions were found on candidates' campaign websites.

Pete Sessions

Sessions' campaign website stated the following:

“

A Waco native and faithful Christian, Pete Sessions is a pro-life conservative who once represented much of our congressional district.

In Congress, Pete Sessions defended our gun rights, protected our religious liberty, and stood with President Trump to build the border wall. Pete was also part of the House Republican team in the late 1990s that balanced the budget four years in a row.

PETE SESSIONS ON IMMIGRATION AND HIS PLAN TO HELP PRESIDENT TRUMP STOP WELFARE ABUSE BY LEGAL IMMIGRANTS

President Trump is trying to implement a new rule to reduce the number of non-citizens on welfare. Pete Sessions will fight to put the Trump Public Charge Rule into law… ensuring its enforcement in the future.

Click here to read more.

PROVEN CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES

PRO-SECOND AMENDMENT

Pete is a lifetime member of the Texas Rifle Association and maintained a solid “A” rating from the NRA for his votes in Congress. He is endorsed by the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund.

PRO-FAMILY

Last year, House Democrats passed a bill that would deny rights of parents to stop their minor children obtaining sex-change operations or hormone treatments. Curricula in many school districts are teaching children that transgender lifestyles are “normal.” Pete will stop laws that take away parental rights.

PRO-LIFE

While in Congress, Pete had a 100% lifetime voting record with National Right to Life.

PRO-FARMER AND RANCHER

Texas Farm Bureau gave Pete a 100% lifetime voting record.

PROVEN CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP

While in Congress, Pete had the following lifetime voting records:

✔ National Federation of Independent Business: 100%

✔ Texas Farm Bureau: 100%

✔ National Right to Life: 100%

✔ NumbersUSA: “A” Rating

✔ National Rifle Association: “A” Rating

✔ American Conservative Union: 94%

✔ Spirit of Enterprise, Chamber of Commerce Award: 91%

From 2017 through 2018, Pete supported President Trump 98% of the time.

Pete wants to go back to Congress to complete some unfinished business.

1. Lead Republicans in re-taking the majority and removing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker

2. Help President Trump finish building the wall and reform our immigration policies

3. Balance the budget without any new tax increases

Pete Sessions is asking for your vote to complete the “unfinished” business.[22]

”
—Pete Sessions[1]

Renee Swann

Swann’s campaign website stated the following:

“

As a small business owner, a proud conservative, and a Texas job creator, what I see happening in this great country is deeply troubling. It is the rise of socialism: a misguided belief that government should take control of our lives, jobs, and our futures.

It is shocking to see that anyone who enjoys the freedoms and liberties preserved in our Constitution would bend a knee and surrender themselves to an all-powerful federal government.

We have a generational responsibility to fight to make sure that never happens.

I am ready for the fight. And I have the experience and commitment to make sure we win it.

I grew up around people who were roughnecks, farmers, and served in the military. They were folks who had little, worked hard and often gave more than they ever took.

What I learned from my grandfather, my parents, and what Russell and I passed down to the four men we raised, are the virtues of individual responsibility, having a commitment to your family, your community, and the greatest country in the history of mankind.

We were also taught that integrity and honoring your word were never to be compromised.

Thirty-eight years ago, my husband Russell and I had a vision of building what became Brazos Eye Surgery of Texas, because we wanted to be somewhere that had a sense of community, of neighbor helping neighbor, and families growing up together. That’s what it was like for me as a child in Odessa. West Texas folks have a lot of grit and can be strong willed and strongly opinionated, but even when there were political disagreements, we never lost our sense of community and caring for each other.

I’m offering myself as a servant to the people of the 17th Congressional District because I believe we need more people who are committed to being citizen legislators – serving for a period of time, focusing ONLY on the needs of those they represent, representing their values and then coming home to pass the leadership on to someone else.

We and our Central Texas and Brazos Valley neighbors deserve to be represented by folks who truly understand our interests, our hopes, and our challenges. People who work hard, have been brave enough to build businesses, cared for others in our communities, raised their families alongside ours, and who understand that the voices of the people of Central Texas and the Brazos Valley are the ones that really matter.[22]

”
—Renee Swann[23]


Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Pete Sessions

Supporting Sessions

"George Hindman Endorses Pete Sessions" - Sessions campaign ad, released July 8, 2020
"Waco Business Leader Bland Cromwell Backing Pete Sessions" - Sessions campaign ad, released June 29, 2020
"Proven Conservative Pete Sessions Gets Things Done" - Sessions campaign ad, released June 12, 2020
"Scott Bland Endorses Pete Sessions" - Sessions campaign ad, released April 30, 2020

Opposing Swann

"Is Renee Swann using taxpayer dollars for her campaign?" - Sessions campaign ad, released July 9, 2020
"Renee Swann: Liberal. Risky. Wrong." - Sessions campaign ad, released July 3, 2020
"George Hindman: Renee Swann Is a Hypocrite II" - Sessions campaign ad, released June 26, 2020
"Renee Swann: Liberal. Negative. Wrong." - Sessions campaign ad, released June 26, 2020
"George Hindman: Renee Swann Is a Hypocrite" - Sessions campaign ad, released June 16, 2020


Renee Swann

Supporting Swann

"Holding China Accountable" - Swann campaign ad, released June 3, 2020

Opposing Sessions

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.


Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

There are currently no declared candidates in this race. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.


Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[24][25][26]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Interviews and questionnaires

Click the links below to view candidates' responses to interviews and questionnaires.

Debates and forums

June 13, 2020

Sessions and Swann participated in a candidate forum hosted by KWTX.

Coverage:

Primaries in Texas

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. State law requires voters to sign the following pledge before voting in a primary: "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."[27]

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

Runoff elections in Texas

In Texas, a primary election candidate for congressional, state, or county office must receive a majority of the vote (more than 50%) to be declared the winner. If no candidate wins the requisite majority, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters.[28]

As of 2020, the Texas Secretary of State office stated, "There is no requirement to have previously voted in the general primary election in order to participate in the subsequent primary runoff election. Therefore, if a qualified voter did not vote in the general primary election, they are still eligible to vote in the primary runoff election." The office also stated that "if a voter votes in the primary of one party, they will only be able to vote in that party’s primary runoff election. ... After being affiliated with a party, a voter is not able to change or cancel their party affiliation until the end of the calendar year."[29]


What was at stake in the general election?

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2020

U.S. House elections were held on November 3, 2020, and coincided with the 2020 presidential election. All 435 House districts were up for election, and the results determined control of the U.S. House in the 117th Congress.

At the time of the election, Democrats had a 232-197 advantage over Republicans. There was one Libertarian member, and there were five vacancies. Republicans needed to gain a net 21 seats to win control of the House. Democrats needed to gain seats or lose fewer than 14 net seats to keep their majority.

In the 2018 midterm election, Democrats had a net gain of 40 seats, winning a 235-200 majority in the House. Heading into the 2018 election, Republicans had a 235-193 majority with seven vacancies.

In the 25 previous House elections that coincided with a presidential election, the president's party had gained House seats in 16 elections and lost seats in nine. In years where the president's party won districts, the average gain was 18. In years where the president's party lost districts, the average loss was 27. Click here for more information on presidential partisanship and down-ballot outcomes.


General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[30]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[31][32][33]

Race ratings: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+12, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 12 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 17th Congressional District the 113th most Republican nationally.[34]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.[35]

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.[36][37]

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.


District election history

2018

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 17

Incumbent Bill Flores defeated Rick Kennedy and Peter Churchman in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 17 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Flores
Bill Flores (R) Candidate Connection
 
56.8
 
134,841
Image of Rick Kennedy
Rick Kennedy (D)
 
41.3
 
98,070
Image of Peter Churchman
Peter Churchman (L) Candidate Connection
 
1.9
 
4,440

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

Total votes: 237,351
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Rick Kennedy defeated Dale Mantey in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Kennedy
Rick Kennedy
 
63.3
 
14,343
Image of Dale Mantey
Dale Mantey
 
36.7
 
8,300

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

Total votes: 22,643
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17

Incumbent Bill Flores advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 17 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bill Flores
Bill Flores Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
44,388

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

Total votes: 44,388
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Bill Flores (R) defeated William Matta (D) and Clark Patterson (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Flores defeated Ralph Patterson and Kaleb Sims in the Republican primary on March 1, 2016.[38][39]

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBill Flores Incumbent 60.8% 149,417
     Democratic William Matta 35.2% 86,603
     Libertarian Clark Patterson 4% 9,708
Total Votes 245,728
Source: Texas Secretary of State


U.S. House, Texas District 17 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBill Flores Incumbent 72.4% 60,502
Ralph Patterson 18.4% 15,411
Kaleb Sims 9.1% 7,634
Total Votes 83,547
Source: Texas Secretary of State

2014

See also: Texas' 17th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 17th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Bill Flores (R) defeated Nick Haynes (D) and Shawn Michael Hamilton (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Texas District 17 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBill Flores Incumbent 64.6% 85,807
     Democratic Nick Haynes 32.4% 43,049
     Libertarian Shawn Michael Hamilton 3% 4,009
Total Votes 132,865
Source: Texas Secretary of State

State profile

See also: Texas and Texas elections, 2019
USA Texas location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of January 22, 2020

Presidential voting pattern

  • Texas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

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

Texas quick stats
  • Became a state in 1845
  • 28th state admitted to the United States
  • Texas was an independent republic from 1836 to 1845
  • Members of the Texas State Senate: 31
  • Members of the Texas House of Representatives: 150
  • U.S. senators: 2
  • U.S. representatives: 36
More Texas coverage on Ballotpedia:


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.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pete Sessions 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 5, 2020 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "peteissues" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 My High Plains, "U.S. Rep. Bill Flores makes endorsement in crowded Republican primary to succeed him," February 10, 2020
  3. ↑ KWTX, "Congressman Bill Flores endorses Renee Swann as successor to District 17 seat," February 8, 2020
  4. ↑ Renee Swann 2020 campaign website, "Why I’m Running for Congress," accessed April 9, 2020
  5. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  6. ↑ Facebook, "Pete Sessions on June 10, 2020," accessed June 17, 2020
  7. ↑ Facebook, "Renee Swann for Congress on April 21, 2020," accessed April 26, 2020
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Waco Tribune-Herald, "4 former GOP rivals endorse Pete Sessions in runoff to replace Rep. Bill Flores," March 18, 2020
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Facebook, "Pete Sessions on June 2, 2020," accessed June 17, 2020
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Susan B. Anthony List, "SBA List’s Candidate Fund PAC Endorses Renee Swann in TX-17," June 9, 2020
  11. ↑ VIEW PAC, "Who We Support," accessed June 16, 2020
  12. ↑ Facebook, "Renee Swann for Congress on May 28, 2020," accessed June 17, 2020
  13. ↑ Austin American-Statesman, "Endorsement: Mann, Oliver, Kennedy join our Democratic picks for Congress," February 14, 2020
  14. ↑ Facebook, "Renee Swann for Congress on February 6, 2020," accessed May 13, 2020
  15. ↑ Pete Sessions 2020 campaign website, "Former Navy SEAL Team Six Leader Robert O'Neill Supports Pete Sessions for Congress," February 5, 2020
  16. ↑ Twitter, "Pete Sessions on February 13, 2020," accessed February 20, 2020
  17. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Texas - House District 17," accessed July 11, 2020
  18. ↑ The Eagle, "House candidate Renee Swann, husband test positive for COVID-19," July 2, 2020
  19. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Texas - House District 17," accessed April 20, 2020
  20. ↑ The Marshall News Messenger, "Governor postpones primary election runoffs," March 20, 2020
  21. ↑ Office of the Texas Governor, "Governor Abbott Postpones Runoff Primary Election In Response To COVID-19," March 20, 2020
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  23. ↑ Renee Swann 2020 campaign website, "Why I'm Running," accessed February 5, 2020
  24. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  25. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  26. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  27. ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Tex. Election Code Ann. § 172.086," accessed September 16, 2025
  28. ↑ Texas Legislature, "Chapter 172. Primary Elections," accessed July 10, 2020
  29. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Election Advisory No. 2020-05," February 11, 2020
  30. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  31. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  32. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  33. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  34. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  35. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  36. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  37. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  38. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed December 15, 2015
  39. ↑ The New York Times, "Texas Primary Results," March 1, 2016


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