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Texas' 4th Congressional District elections, 2014

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Texas' 4th Congressional District
General Election Date
November 4, 2014
Primary Date
March 4, 2014
November 4 Election Winner:
John Ratcliffe Republican Party
Incumbent prior to election:
Ralph Hall Republican Party
Ralph Hall.jpg
Race Ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid R[1]

Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2]

Texas U.S. House Elections
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2014 U.S. Senate Elections
2014 U.S. House Elections
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The 4th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.

John Ratcliffe (R) won election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 4th Congressional District in 2014. He defeated incumbent Ralph Hall in the primary. Since Hall only received 45 percent of the primary vote, he was forced to face Ratcliffe in the primary runoff election. Ratcliffe won the runoff by roughly 5 percent. Hall was the only incumbent in Texas to lose to a primary challenger in 2014. Ratcliffe went on to win election in November with no opposition.

Candidate Filing Deadline Primary Election General Election
December 9, 2013
March 4, 2014
November 4, 2014

Primary: 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)[3]

“ 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.'[4] ”

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

Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by February 2, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 5, 2014 (30 days prior to election).[5]

See also: Texas elections, 2014

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Ralph Hall (R), who was first elected in 1980. Incumbent Hall was defeated in the primary.

Texas' 4th Congressional District is located in the northeastern portion of the state. Bowie, Camp, Cass, Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, and Titus counties along with areas of Collin and Upshur counties make up the district.[6]

Candidates

General election candidates

Republican Party John Ratcliffe Green check mark transparent.png


May 27, 2014, Republican primary runoff candidates

March 4, 2014, primary results

Republican Party Republican Primary

Election results

General election

U.S. House, Texas District 4 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Ratcliffe 100% 115,085
Total Votes 115,085

Primary election

U.S. House, Texas District 4 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRalph Hall Incumbent 45.4% 29,848
Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Ratcliffe 28.8% 18,917
Lou Gigliotti 16.1% 10,601
John Stacy 4.3% 2,812
Brent Lawson 3.5% 2,290
Tony Arterburn 1.9% 1,252
Total Votes 65,720
Source: Texas Secretary of State
U.S. House, Texas District 4 Runoff Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Ratcliffe 52.8% 22,271
Ralph Hall Incumbent 47.2% 19,899
Total Votes 42,170
Source: Texas Secretary of State
Note: Vote totals above are unofficial and will be updated once official totals are made available.

Polls

Ralph Hall vs. John Ratcliffe
Poll Ralph Hall John RatcliffeNot sureMargin of ErrorSample Size
Gravis Marketing (May 15, 2014)
 46%18%16%+/-4656
Wenzel Strategies (March 12-13, 2014)
 35%47%17%+/-3.9436
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Media

Now or Never PAC

Now or Never PAC's March 2014 ad.

Ralph Hall

Congressman Ralph Hall - TX04
Ad comparing Hall to Ratcliffe

John Ratcliffe

A New Generation of Conservative Leadership
John Ratcliffe - The Next Generation

Endorsements

Ralph Hall

Hall received the endorsement of third place primary finisher Lou Gigliotti in his upcoming primary runoff battle with John Ratcliffe. Gigliotti said, "If it’s not me then it’s gotta be Ralph. He’ll do a good job for another two years. I can tell you this: it was a chore to get voters in this district to vote for anyone but Ralph."[7]

Hall also received the endorsement of another former primary challenger, Tony Arterburn.[8]

John Ratcliffe

Ratcliffe received the endorsement of State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg on March 11, 2014. She said "I am very confident that John Ratcliffe is the person who will step up to defend liberty for this generation. I am proud to endorse John Ratcliffe for Congress."[9]

Ratcliffe also received the endorsement of the Club for Growth PAC in March.[10]

The Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) endorsed Ratcliffe on April 11, 2014. SCF Executive Director Matt Hoskins said, "John Ratcliffe is a principled, conservative leader who will fight to stop the massive spending and debt in Washington that are bankrupting our country. He's part of a new generation of conservative Republicans, and we're excited to support him."[11]

Key votes

Below are important votes the former incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

Yea3.png On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit.[12] Hall joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.[13][14]

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

Yea3.png On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[15] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[16] Ralph Hall voted in favor of the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[17]

Nay3.png The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[18] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Ralph Hall voted against HR 2775.[19]

Campaign contributions

Ralph Hall

John Ratcliffe

**As of the 2014 October Quarterly Report, Ratcliffe's committee owed $685,300 in outstanding loans to John Ratcliffe.

Tony Arterburn

John Stacy

Brent Lawson

Lou Gigliotti

District history

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

2012

The 4th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012, in which incumbent Ralph Hall (R) won re-election. He defeated VaLinda Hathcox (D) and Thomas Griffing (L) in the general election.[43]

U.S. House, Texas District 4 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRalph M. Hall Incumbent 73% 182,679
     Democratic VaLinda Hathcox 24.1% 60,214
     Libertarian Thomas Griffing 2.9% 7,262
     Write-in Fred Rostek 0.1% 188
Total Votes 250,343
Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Ralph Hall won re-election to the United States House. He defeated VaLinda Hathcox (D), Jim Prindle (L) and Shane Shepard (I) in the general election.[44]

U.S. House, Texas District 4 General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRalph Hall incumbent 73.2% 136,338
     Democratic VaLinda Hathcox 22% 40,975
     Libertarian Jim Prindle 2.5% 4,729
     Independent Shane Shepard 2.3% 4,244
Total Votes 186,286

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR June 26, 2014," accessed July 28, 2014
  2. ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed July 28, 2014
  3. ↑ Texas Statutes, "Section 172.086," accessed October 7, 2024
  4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "Register to Vote," accessed January 3, 2014
  6. ↑ Texas Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed July 24, 2012
  7. ↑ Politico, "Texas 3rd placer backs incumbent Ralph Hall," March 5, 2014
  8. ↑ WFAA.com, "Rep. Ralph Hall gets endorsements from two of four opponents," March 16, 2014
  9. ↑ John Ratcliffe campaign website, "State Rep. Laubenberg Endorses Ratcliffe in Runoff," March 11, 2014
  10. ↑ Club for Growth, "John Ratcliffe (TX-04)," accessed March 26, 2014
  11. ↑ The Hill, "Senate Conservatives Fund backs Ralph Hall challenger," April 11, 2014
  12. ↑ U.S. House, "House Resolution 676," accessed July 30, 2014
  13. ↑ Associated Press, "Suing Obama: GOP-led House gives the go-ahead," July 31, 2014
  14. ↑ Washington Post, "House clears way for lawsuit against Obama," accessed July 30, 2014
  15. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  16. ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
  17. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  18. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
  19. ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
  20. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ralph Hall April Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2013
  21. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ralph Hall July Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2013
  22. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ralph Hall October Quarterly," accessed October 22, 2013
  23. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ralph Hall Year-End," accessed February 6, 2014
  24. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ralph Hall Pre-Primary," accessed April 20, 2014
  25. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ralph Hall April Quarterly," accessed April 20, 2014
  26. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Ratcliffe Year-End," accessed February 13, 2014
  27. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Ratcliffe Pre-Primary," accessed May 2, 2014
  28. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Ratcliffe April Quarterly," accessed May 2, 2014
  29. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Ratcliffe Pre-Primary," accessed July 25, 2014
  30. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Ratcliffe July Quarterly," accessed July 25, 2014
  31. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Ratcliffe October Quarterly," accessed October 22, 2014
  32. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Tony Arterburn July Quarterly," accessed February 4, 2014
  33. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Tony Arterburn October Quarterly," accessed February 4, 2014
  34. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Tony Arterburn Year-End," accessed February 4, 2014
  35. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Stacy Year-End," accessed February 13, 2014
  36. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Brent Lawson April Quarterly," accessed February 13, 2014
  37. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Brent Lawson July Quarterly," accessed February 13, 2014
  38. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Brent Lawson October Quarterly," accessed February 13, 2014
  39. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Lou Gigliotti April Quarterly," accessed February 13, 2014
  40. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Lou Gigliotti July Quarterly," accessed February 13, 2014
  41. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Lou Gigliotti October Quarterly," accessed February 13, 2014
  42. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Lou Gigliotti Year-End," accessed February 13, 2014
  43. ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Texas," November 6, 2012
  44. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
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Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress
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John Cornyn (R)
Ted Cruz (R)
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District 1
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Al Green (D)
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Chip Roy (R)
District 22
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