Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.

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

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search


2020 →
← 2016
Texas' 6th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 11, 2017
Primary: March 6, 2018
Primary runoff: May 22, 2018 (if needed)
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Joe Barton (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: Likely Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
Texas' 6th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th • 29th • 30th • 31st • 32nd • 33rd • 34th • 35th • 36th • 27th (special)
Texas elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018



Former Tarrant County Tax Assessor Ronald Wright defeated former Navy pilot Jake Ellzey in the runoff for Joe Barton's (R) congressional seat.

Wright and Ellzey were the top two vote-getters in the Republican primary election for Texas' 6th Congressional District. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election was held on May 22, 2018. For more information about the primary runoff election, click here.

Barton announced on November 30, 2017, that he would not seek re-election to an eighth term in 2018 after sexual images he shared with a woman during an extramarital relationship were released publicly, leaving the seat open for the first time since 1984.[1][2]

Wright, who resigned from his position as Tarrant County tax assessor-collector to run for the 6th District seat, was described by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as "Barton's successor-in-waiting."[3][4] Barton also said that he expected to vote for Wright, but was unlikely to give his endorsement to any candidate due to the circumstances of his resignation.[1] Wright expanded his fundraising operation in the early weeks of 2018, jumping from the candidate with the third highest fundraising to the top of the field. He has raised about $105,000, spent about $38,000, and has about $67,000 in cash on hand entering the final weeks of the campaign.

Ellzey, an aide to the George W. Bush White House and a member of the Texas Veterans Commission, was endorsed by former Texas Gov. and U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry (R) in the race.[5][6] He led the field in fundraising in 2017, but he fell behind Wright in the early weeks of 2018. He raised about $100,000, spent about $41,000, and had about $60,000 in cash on hand entering the final weeks of the campaign.

This seat was rated Safe Republican by three outlets as of January 25, 2018.[7] However, Kyle Kondik, managing editor for Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said, "Open seats sometimes see a big swing to the other party in midterm wave years, so I don’t think one can totally rule out the Democrats making a play here if the cycle breaks in their favor. But they would need outstanding nonwhite turnout in what is a diversifying but still clearly GOP-leaning district."[8]

Texas voter? Dates you need to know.
Primary electionMarch 6, 2018
Candidate filing deadlineDecember 11, 2017
Registration deadlineFebruary 5, 2018
Absentee application deadlineFebruary 23, 2018
General electionNovember 6, 2018
Voting information
Primary typeOpen
Early voting deadlineMarch 2, 2018
Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day.


For more on related elections, please see:



Candidates and election results

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 6 on March 6, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 6

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ronald Wright
Ronald Wright
 
45.1
 
20,750
✔
Image of Jake Ellzey
Jake Ellzey
 
21.8
 
9,999
Image of Ken Cope
Ken Cope
 
7.7
 
3,540
Image of Shannon Dubberly
Shannon Dubberly
 
6.3
 
2,884
Image of Mark Mitchell
Mark Mitchell
 
4.7
 
2,152
Image of Troy Ratterree
Troy Ratterree
 
4.0
 
1,858
Image of Kevin Harrison
Kevin Harrison
 
3.9
 
1,771
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Deborah Gagliardi
 
3.6
 
1,676
Image of Thomas Dillingham
Thomas Dillingham
 
1.2
 
544
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Shawn Dandridge
 
1.1
 
518
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Mel Hassell
 
0.6
 
268

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

Total votes: 45,960
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.

Election updates

Campaign finance

  • February 22, 2018: The deadline for candidates to report campaign finance figures for the first 45 days of 2018 was February 22. Ron Wright raised about $80,000 (making him first in overall fundraising), spent about $35,000, and had about $67,000 in cash on hand. Jake Ellzey raised almost $29,000, spent almost $35,000, and had about $60,000 in cash on hand.[9]
  • January 31, 2018: The campaign finance reports for the final quarter of 2017 showed Ellzey in the lead with nearly $72,000 in donations and about $66,000 in cash on hand. Wright finished third in Republican fundraising, coming in behind Shannon Dubberly. He raised over $24,000 and had nearly $22,000 in cash on hand.

Candidate forums

Endorsements

  • March 1, 2018: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) endorsed Ron Wright.[10]
  • February 27, 2018: State Rep. John Wray (R) endorsed Ellzey, who previously ran against him in a primary election. Wray said that Ellzey "is the best candidate for Congress because he is a man of character and backbone, and he will be relentless about defending our nation."[11]
  • January 2, 2018: The Texas Tribune reported that Ron Wright had received 19 endorsements from state and local officials and interest groups.[12]


Top candidates

The candidates included below have either been mentioned as leading candidates by local media or received support from elected officials in the state. They are listed in alphabetical order.

Republican Party Jake Ellzey (R)

Jake Ellzey Overview.png

A former U.S. Naval officer and fighter pilot, Jake Ellzey served as a social aide in the George W. Bush White House, a member of the Texas Veterans Commission, and the CEO of the public speaking and professional development organization HoldFast.[13]

He filed to challenge Barton in the primary on November 28, 2017, before Barton announced his retirement. He said he was running against Barton due to his disagreements with him on immigration and Barton's 33-year tenure in office. Ellzey said he would only serve for five terms (10 years) if elected.[14]

Ellzey ran for the 10th District seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 2014. He was endorsed in that race by then-Gov. Rick Perry (R).[15] Perry backed him in his 2018 bid as well.[5]

Republican Party Ron Wright (R)

Ron Wright Overview.png

Ron Wright was outgoing 6th District Rep. Barton's district director from 2000 to 2009 and chief of staff from 2009 to May 2011. In May 2011, he was appointed by the Tarrant County Commissioners Court as the county's tax assessor-collector.[16] He held that position until November 30, 2017, when he resigned to file for the 6th Congressional District race.[17]

Wright previously served as an at-large member of the Arlington City Council, a delegate to the 2004 Republican National Convention, the chair of the Tarrant County Historical Commission, and the president of the Arlington Night Shelter and the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation. He was also a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from 1995 to 2000.[16]

He has received support in the race from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), state Sen. Konni Burton (R), and organizations such as Texas Right to Life and Empower Texans.[18][10]

On the campaign trail, Wright emphasizes his history as Tarrant County tax assessor, particularly his opposition to red light cameras for detecting traffic offenses, his support for including "In God We Trust" to the stationary in his office, and his cancellation of his office's United Way charity drive because he believed it would benefit Planned Parenthood.[19] He also said he would join the House Freedom Caucus if elected.[20]

List of all Republican candidates

This list was finalized on December 21, 2017.

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Republican Party factional conflict

See also: Republican Party factional conflict in U.S. House primaries, 2018

Disputes between potential members of the House Freedom Caucus and other members of the Republican Party occurred in U.S. House primaries in 2018.

In 2015, conservative Republicans formed the Freedom Caucus and began opposing House Republican leaders on fiscal policy, chamber procedures, and caucus leadership, among other things.[21] Members of the Freedom Caucus broke away from the Republican Study Committee, which, along with the Republican Main Street Partnership, was more closely aligned with House Republican leaders.[22]

In this primary, Ronald Wright affiliated with the Freedom Caucus.[23][24]

The chart below shows a scorecard for how the Freedom Caucus performed in competitive Republican primaries that featured at least one Freedom Caucus candidate and one Republican opponent not affiliated with the group.

U.S. House Republican factions
Faction Primary victories in 2018 Seats held prior to primaries Performance
Affiliated with the House Freedom Caucus 8 6 +2
Not affiliated with the House Freedom Caucus[25] 10 12 -2

How did the candidates differ?

U.S. House caucus preference

  • Republican Party Jake Ellzey: According to the Dallas Morning News, Ellzey expressed his desire to remain independent in Congress and said, "I will work with anybody who will work with me to ensure our country is safer and more secure."[26]
  • Republican Party Ron Wright: According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Wright said he would join the House Freedom Caucus if elected.[20]

Political analysis

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."[27]


Endorsements

See also: Endorsements in the Texas congressional primaries, 2018
Republican candidate endorsements
Endorsement Date Ellzey Wright
Federal officials
U.S. Secretary of Energy and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry[5] December 26, 2017 ✔
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)[10] March 1, 2018 ✔
State officials
State Sen. Konni Burton[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
State Rep. Tony Tinderholt[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
State Rep. Bill Zedler[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
State Rep. Matt Krause[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
State Rep. Craig Goldman[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
State Rep. Stephanie Klick[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
State Rep. John Wray[11] February 27, 2018 ✔
Local officials[29]
Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
Mansfield Mayor David Cook[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert[30] Unknown ✔
Organizations
The With Honor Fund[31] January 25, 2018 ✔
Young Conservatives of Texas[31] January 25, 2018 ✔
Lone Star Liberty[32] January 24, 2018 ✔
Texas Right to Life[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
Empower Texans[28] January 2, 2018 ✔
Texas Home School Coalition[33] Unknown ✔
Texas Conservative Digest[33] Unknown ✔
Media figures
Former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell[30] Unknown ✔
News organizations
Dallas Morning News[34] February 9, 2018 ✔
Fort Worth Star-Telegram[20] February 16, 2018 ✔

Campaign finance

This table contains data from FEC February 2018 reports. It shows candidates' total contributions, total spending, and cash on hand, as well as their contributions and disbursements in the first 45 days of 2018 (Jan. 1 through Feb. 14).[35]

Republican Party Republicans


Timeline

The timeline below lists the most recent noteworthy events in this election.

Debates and forums

January 20 candidate forum

The Republican Women of Arlington held a candidate forum on January 20, 2018. All candidates except Mel Hassell and Thomas Dillingham attended.

"RWA GOP TX CD6 CandidateForum (20 Jan 18)," released January 21, 2018

Top candidates Jake Ellzey and Ron Wright expressed similar positions on issues such as the authority of the executive branch (which they both said should be curbed in favor of Congress) and the authority of the federal government (which they said should be curbed in favor of state governments). The issues highlighted below are where the candidates expressed some disagreement.

DACA

The candidates discussed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was put in place by the administration of Barack Obama (D) and scheduled to be rescinded by the administration of Donald Trump (R) in March 2018. DACA allowed individuals who were brought to the United States as children to receive relief from being deported for a period of time if they met certain criteria. The discussion was notable because Congressman Joe Barton (R) supported legislative approval of DACA.[19]

  • Republican Party Jake Ellzey (R): Ellzey said he opposed DACA and that it was designed by Democrats to give citizenship to people living in the country without legal permission. He said these people would later use the country's family-based immigration to bring their relatives, a number he said could be as high as 15 million. He said, "If you grant amnesty … that’s 15 million people entering the country illegally to now vote Democrat." He also said he thought that DACA could possibly be kept in place for persons that serve five years in the U.S. Military.
  • Republican Party Ron Wright (R): Wright said that he did not support DACA and that he believed it was unconstitutional.

Term limits

The candidates discussed limitations of how long members could serve in Congress. Congressman Barton served from 1985 through 2017.

  • Republican Party Jake Ellzey (R): Ellzey said he would serve in the House for five terms, or 10 years, and that he supported a constitutional amendment limiting members of the U.S. House to six terms and members of the U.S. Senate to two terms, or 12 years.
  • Republican Party Ron Wright (R): Wright said that he would serve in the House for four terms, or eight years. He said he opposed a constitutional amendment proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) because it limited House members to three terms (six years) while allowing senators to serve for two terms (12 years). He said that he would support an amendment that set both limits at 12 years.

Campaign tactics and strategies

Effect of Barton's retirement

Ron Wright may have benefited from Barton's retirement announcement on November 30, 2017, which came about two weeks before the candidate filing deadline. According to Rebecca Deen, a political scientist at the University of Texas at Arlington, “Any time you have a sudden departure, it benefits someone who is more established. So I think that is why you see a coalescence of people behind Mr. Wright. I think they wanted someone with more of a track record.”[36]

Policies

The following policies are displayed on the candidates' campaign websites. This section provides a comparison between the candidates' preferred policies.

Border security

  • Republican Party Jake Ellzey (R): "To stop the invasion of illegal immigration, we need to build a wall where able, and enforceable choke points patrolled by manpower and reconnaissance air assets."
  • Republican Party Ron Wright (R): "In Congress, Ron will fight to increase funding for border security and for the hiring and empowering of border security officers to enforce existing immigration controls."

Immigration

  • Republican Party Jake Ellzey (R): "It’s time we stop chain migration and only issue merit-based green cards for foreign-born individuals who will contribute to the well being of our country. And we need to do more to welcome our legal immigrants and assist them as they assimilate."
  • Republican Party Ron Wright (R): "Ron will also advocate for comprehensive immigration reform to fix our current broken system, which has allowed illegal immigration to run rampant and has failed to secure our borders from criminals and terrorists."

Military

  • Republican Party Jake Ellzey (R): "It’s time we reinvest in our military, provide our warriors with the tools they need to protect our country and no longer enter in armed conflicts unless we are willing to use our full force to ensure our victory instead of getting bogged down in drawn out conflicts."
  • Republican Party Ron Wright (R): "As part of an enlarged defense budget, Ron supports modernization programs that will allow our military to meet 21st century threats, from rogue nations to non-state terrorist organizations."

Taxation

  • Republican Party Jake Ellzey (R): "I will insist on a complete review of our tax code – that means ending the most egregious taxes that impact working families and looking for additional tax cuts that spur new spending on innovation, research and job creation. Ultimately, I would like to see our country move to a simpler and fairer flat tax."
  • Republican Party Ron Wright (R): "As Representative for the 6th District, Ron will fight for comprehensive tax reform, cutting taxes for the middle class and simplifying the tax code for working Americans."

Online presence

Campaign themes and policy stances

These are the policy positions listed on the candidates' websites, if available.

Republican Party Jake Ellzey

“

IMPROVING BORDER SECURITY Border security is essential to national security. To stop the invasion of illegal immigration, we need to build a wall where able, and enforceable choke points patrolled by manpower and reconnaissance air assets. By taking these long overdue actions, we can better fight the drug trade, and eliminate the horrific reality of human trafficking -- the exploitation of women and children.


STOPPING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION The fact is the Constitution requires the federal government to protect our states from invasion, and 40,000 apprehensions at the border in one month is an invasion. It’s time we stop chain migration and only issue merit-based green cards for foreign-born individuals who will contribute to the well being of our country. And we need to do more to welcome our legal immigrants and assist them as they assimilate.


IMPROVING OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE After eight years of neglect by the Obama administration, the ability of our military to guarantee our national defense has been compromised. As a result, potential adversaries have become more aggressive and belligerent. It’s time we reinvest in our military, provide our warriors with the tools they need to protect our country and no longer enter in armed conflicts unless we are willing to use our full force to ensure our victory instead of getting bogged down in drawn out conflicts.


TAKING BETTER CARE OF OUR VETERANS We ask our military men and women to risk their lives for our country. Yet our federal government ignores the sacrifice of our veterans by providing subpar services and unconscionable delays in care at our Veterans Affairs facilities. With my experience as a Commissioner on the Texas Veterans Commission, I will lead efforts to overhaul the VA and bring together the VFW, American Legion, IAVA and other veteran service organizations to ensure the best care and benefit services are provided to our warriors. I also want immediate changes in Department of Defense policies to ensure that no active duty or reserve military member will be discharged until their disability rating process is complete.


ESTABLISHING TERM LIMITS I plan to lead by example by serving no more than 5 terms in the US House. The fact is elected leaders from both parties have no interest in giving up high paying jobs and expensive perks. Only by finally passing term limit legislation can we start bringing new blood and fresh ideas to Washington.


CONTINUE TO REFORM OUR TAX CODE The Trump tax cuts are a good start, but more work is needed. I will insist on a complete review of our tax code – that means ending the most egregious taxes that impact working families and looking for additional tax cuts that spur new spending on innovation, research and job creation. Ultimately, I would like to see our country move to a simpler and fairer flat tax.


REDUCE GOVERNMENT SPENDING My goal is to pass a balanced budget amendment. Until then, I would like to see every level of the federal government utilize similar process driven reviews of how they spend our tax dollars. Such reviews have a track record of success. The national debt is a threat to national securtiy and to the future of our children and grandchildren. By rooting out wasteful spending, we can make sure our tax dollars are better used to improve the quality life for all Americans – especially those in need.


DECREASE THE ROLE OF UNELECTED BUREAUCRATS It’s one of the biggest yet most ignored problems in Washington – the negative impact of unelected bureaucrats who don't answer to a constituency. Only congress can make laws and levy taxes and currently, unelected bureaucrats are doing both, and it is a threat to our liberty. I will push for a full review of every governmental agency to find and remove unnecessary positions that are driving up our federal budget. This review would also look closely at the power of government employees to determine if they overstep their intended role. [37]

”
—Jake Ellzey’s campaign website (2018)[38]

Republican Party Ron Wright

“

Taxes and spending As Tarrant County Tax Assessor Collector, Ron instituted systematic reforms to increase efficiency, eliminate redundancy, and return hard-earned money to taxpayers. As Representative for the 6th District, Ron will fight for comprehensive tax reform, cutting taxes for the middle class and simplifying the tax code for working Americans.

Jobs and economic growth In Congress, Ron will fight for working Texans, and will support investment and business opportunities in North Texas. Ron will push a pro-growth and pro-jobs agenda, reducing government red tape and eliminating unnecessary regulations.

Border security and immigration In Congress, Ron will fight to increase funding for border security and for the hiring and empowering of border security officers to enforce existing immigration controls. Ron will also advocate for comprehensive immigration reform to fix our current broken system, which has allowed illegal immigration to run rampant and has failed to secure our borders from criminals and terrorists.

Defending our Second Amendment Since the time of the Founding Fathers, Americans have lawfully owned and used firearms for hunting, sport shooting, and defense of their families and homes. Gun ownership has been a part of Texas culture for countless generations. In Congress, Ron will fight efforts from liberals to infringe on Texans’ right to bear arms, and will promote laws protecting responsible gun ownership for all law-abiding Americans.

Protecting Texas values As an elected official, Ron has long fought against government support of Planned Parenthood, proclaiming that “Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in the United States. I’m not going to support any organization that supports or aids Planned Parenthood in any way. Period.”

Ron is a passionate and consistent opponent of abortion, earning him the endorsement of Texas Right to Life.

As Tarrant County Tax Assessor Collector, Ron won the praise of conservatives across Texas and the United States for including our national motto, In God We Trust, on all official correspondence.

Education When it comes to education, Ron believes that local control is better than centralized bureaucracy, and that parental choice is crucial in the schooling of our children. In Congress, Ron will back legislation that maximizes government support for education and minimizes government interference with parental rights. Ron will fight for the autonomy of local school districts, the expansion of school vouchers, and the rights of parents to home school their children.

Strengthening our national defense Ron believes that a strong national defense is the linchpin of freedom--and begins with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces. In Congress, Ron will fight for expanded military spending to ensure our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have the tools and support they need to protect American citizens while taking care of their own families at home. As part of an enlarged defense budget, Ron supports modernization programs that will allow our military to meet 21st century threats, from rogue nations to non-state terrorist organizations. Ron, the son of a World War II veteran, will also stand up for the tens of thousands of retired U.S. service members, working as their advocate to expand and update our veterans benefits programs.


[37]

”
—Ron Wright’s campaign website (2018)[39]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: Texas' 6th Congressional District election, 2018
Race tracker Race ratings
October 30, 2018 October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political Report Solid Republican Solid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales Solid Republican Solid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball Likely Republican Likely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

Early voting in Texas primaries, 2018

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

District history

2016

See also: Texas' 6th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Joe Barton (R) defeated Ruby Faye Woolridge (D) and Darrel Smith Jr. (G) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Barton defeated Steven Fowler and Collin Baker in the Republican primary on March 1, 2016, while Woolridge defeated Don Jaquess and Jeffrey Roseman to win the Democratic nomination.[40][41]

U.S. House, Texas District 6 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Barton Incumbent 58.3% 159,444
     Democratic Ruby Faye Woolridge 39% 106,667
     Green Darrel Smith 2.6% 7,185
Total Votes 273,296
Source: Texas Secretary of State


U.S. House, Texas District 6 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Barton Incumbent 68.6% 55,285
Steven Fowler 22.3% 17,960
Collin Baker 9.1% 7,292
Total Votes 80,537
Source: Texas Secretary of State
U.S. House, Texas District 6 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRuby Faye Woolridge 69.7% 23,294
Jeffrey Roseman 17.9% 5,993
Don Jaquess 12.4% 4,132
Total Votes 33,419
Source: Texas Secretary of State

2014

See also: Texas' 6th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 6th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Joe Barton (R) defeated David Cozad (D) and Hugh Chauvin (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Texas District 6 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Barton Incumbent 61.1% 92,334
     Democratic David Cozad 36.4% 55,027
     Libertarian Hugh Chauvin 2.4% 3,635
Total Votes 150,996
Source: Texas Secretary of State

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+9, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 9 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 6th Congressional District the 146th most Republican nationally.[42]

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 0.96. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.96 points toward that party.[43]

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).[44][45]

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[46][47]
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[48]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014[49] Republican Party John Cornyn 61.56% Democratic Party David Alameel 34.36% 27.20%
2012[50] Republican Party Ted Cruz 56.46% Democratic Party Paul Sadler 40.62% 15.84%
2008[51] Republican Party John Cornyn 54.82% Democratic Party Richard Noriega 42.84% 11.98%
2006[52] Republican Party Kay Bailey Hutchison 61.69% Democratic Party Barbara Ann Radnofsky 36.04% 25.65%
2002[53] Republican Party John Cornyn 55.30% Democratic Party Ron Kirk 43.33% 11.97%
2000[54] 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[55]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Greg Abbott 59.27% Democratic Party Wendy Davis 38.90% 20.37%
2010 Republican Party Rick Perry 54.97% Democratic Party Bill White 42.30% 12.67%
2006 Republican Party Rick Perry 39.03% Democratic Party Chris Bell 29.79% 9.24%
2002 Republican Party Rick Perry 57.81% Democratic Party Tony Sanchez 39.96% 17.85%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

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

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

Trifectas, 1992-2017

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

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

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


See also

External links

Jake Ellzey

Ron Wright

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Dallas Morning News, "Rep. Joe Barton: I Will Not Seek Re-Election," November 30, 2017
  2. ↑ Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "He Talked Panties and Politics: Woman Shares Facebook Messages from Joe Barton," November 29, 2017
  3. ↑ Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Tarrant County Tax Collector Resigns, Will Run for Joe Barton's Seat," November 30, 2017
  4. ↑ Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Who's the Best Bet for Barton's Seat? Wright Has Name Recognition, But Watch a Former Navy Pilot," December 2, 2017
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Facebook, "Jake Ellzey," accessed on January 5, 2018
  6. ↑ Daily Kos, "Morning Digest: Pennsylvania GOP's leading Senate candidate linked to Holocaust-denier," January 26, 2018
  7. ↑ Ratings are based on projections found in Governing, Larry Sabato, The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, Decision Desk HQ, and The Cook Political Report. These ratings are updated periodically throughout the election season.
  8. ↑ Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Does Joe Barton's departure open the door for Democrats in Congressional District 6?," February 16, 2018
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Blastf22
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Texas Tribune, "The Blast," March 1, 2018
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Texas Tribune, "The Blast," February 28, 2018
  12. ↑ Twitter, "Patrick Svitek," January 2, 2018
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named campaignbio
  14. ↑ Dallas News, "Rep. Joe Barton faces new primary challenger after sexting revelation," November 28, 2017
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named perryendorse
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Tarrant County, Texas, "Ron Wright's Biography," accessed December 14, 2017
  17. ↑ Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Tarrant County Tax Collector Resigns, Will Run for Joe Barton's Seat," November 30, 2017
  18. ↑ Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "State Sen. Konni Burton Joins the Push for Joe Barton to Step Down," November 29, 2017
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Star-Telegram, "Is Joe Barton now too liberal for Texas? District 6 candidates sour on Dreamers, DACA," January 20, 2018
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "A GOP independent could be a standout for the 6th Congressional District," February 16, 2018
  21. ↑ Pew Research Center, "What is the House Freedom Caucus, and who’s in it?" October 20, 2015
  22. ↑ Politico, "Conservatives split off from Republican Study Committee," January 13, 2015
  23. ↑ House Freedom Fund, "Endorsements," accessed May 15, 2018
  24. ↑ Some candidates were not formally endorsed by the caucus but said they would join if elected. See a list of all Freedom Caucus-affiliated candidates here.
  25. ↑ This includes all seats not held by members of the Freedom Caucus prior to the 2018 elections, including those held by Democrats.
  26. ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Mostly unknown Democrats, Republicans vie to replace Texas Rep. Joe Barton," February 19, 2018
  27. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 3/8," March 8, 2018
  28. ↑ 28.00 28.01 28.02 28.03 28.04 28.05 28.06 28.07 28.08 28.09 28.10 Twitter, "Patrick Svitek," January 2, 2018
  29. ↑ This is a selected list of local endorsements for Ron Wright. Click here to see the full list.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Ellzey for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed January 25, 2018
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Texas Tribune, "The Blast," January 25, 2018
  32. ↑ Twitter, "Lone Star Liberty," January 24, 2018
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Ron Wright for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed January 25, 2018
  34. ↑ Dallas Morning News, "We recommend Jake Ellzey in the GOP primary for 6th Congressional District," February 9, 2018
  35. ↑ FEC, "Federal Election Commission", accessed February 13, 2018
  36. ↑ KERA News, "In Race To Replace North Texas Rep. Joe Barton, Republicans Have 11 Candidates To Consider," February 27, 2018
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  38. ↑ Jake Ellzey for Congress, “Issues,” accessed January 25, 2018
  39. ↑ Ron Wright for Congress, “Issues,” accessed January 25, 2018
  40. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed December 15, 2015
  41. ↑ The New York Times, "Texas Primary Results," March 1, 2016
  42. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  43. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  44. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Texas," accessed December 12, 2017
  45. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Houston; San Antonio; Dallas," accessed December 13, 2017
  46. ↑ 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
  47. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results," January 30, 2017
  48. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Federal Elections 2014: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed December 13, 2017
  49. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2014 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  50. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2012 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  51. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2008 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  52. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2006 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  53. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2002 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  54. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2000 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  55. ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Texas Election Results," accessed December 13, 2017
v • e
Texas Republican primaries to watch, 2018
U.S. overview
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
TX overview
Congress
State leg
State exec
Primary runoffs


Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
John Cornyn (R)
Ted Cruz (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
Al Green (D)
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
Vacant
District 19
District 20
District 21
Chip Roy (R)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
Republican Party (27)
Democratic Party (12)
Vacancies (1)


v • e
2017-2018 Elections to the United States Congress
Senate by StateCongressLogo.png
House by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Election information
Super PACs/Organizations
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Texas%27_6th_Congressional_District_election_(March_6,_2018_Republican_primary)&oldid=10217886"