Texas 2012 legislative election results

The tabs below contain analysis of election results in the 2012 legislative elections for Texas.

Senate

2012 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

Texas State Senate Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Texas State Senate 2012 elections. For results in individual contests see our Texas State Senate elections, 2012 page. The following is a breakdown of the state Senate before and after the election:

Texas State Senate
Party		As of November 5, 2012	After the 2012 Election
	Democratic Party	12	12
	Republican Party	19	19
Total		31	31

What You'll See on This Page

This page displays the following lists of candidates

• Incumbents who ran on November 6
• Newly elected senators
• List of all winners
• Unopposed candidates
• Third party candidates

State Senate Overview:

• A total of 31 of the state's Senate seats were up for election in 2012.

Incumbents

Incumbents who ran on November 6

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who were on the November 6 general election ballot:

1. Kevin Eltife
2. Bob Deuell
3. Robert Nichols (Texas)
4. Tommy Williams (Texas)
5. Jane Nelson
6. Rodney Ellis
7. John Whitmire
8. Kirk Watson
9. John Carona
10. Joan Huffman
11. Juan Hinojosa (Texas)
12. Carlos Uresti
13. Judith Zaffirini
14. Brian Birdwell
15. Royce West
16. Troy Fraser
17. Eddie Lucio
18. Jose R. Rodriguez (Texas)
19. Robert Duncan (Texas)
20. Kel Seliger
21. Dan Patrick
22. Wendy Davis (Texas)
23. Leticia Van de Putte
24. Craig Estes

Incumbents defeated

The following is a list of incumbents defeated in 2012:

Primary election

• Jeff Wentworth

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent in 2012:

General election

• Donna Campbell

New State Senators and General Election Winners

Newly elected senators

The following list displays newly-elected members of the Texas State Senate:

Republican

1. Charles Schwertner
2. Donna Campbell
3. Ken Paxton
4. Larry Taylor (Texas)

Open Seat Winners

The following displays a list of candidates who won election in seats where there was no incumbent:

Republican

1. Charles Schwertner
2. Ken Paxton
3. Larry Taylor (Texas)

Candidates who won election

The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Texas State Senate:

Democratic

1. Rodney Ellis
2. John Whitmire
3. Kirk Watson
4. Juan Hinojosa (Texas)
5. Carlos Uresti
6. Judith Zaffirini
7. Royce West
8. Eddie Lucio
9. Jose R. Rodriguez (Texas)
10. Wendy Davis (Texas)
11. Leticia Van de Putte

Republican

1. Kevin Eltife
2. Bob Deuell
3. Robert Nichols (Texas)
4. Tommy Williams (Texas)
5. Jane Nelson
6. John Carona
7. Joan Huffman
8. Brian Birdwell
9. Troy Fraser
10. Robert Duncan (Texas)
11. Kel Seliger
12. Charles Schwertner
13. Donna Campbell
14. Dan Patrick
15. Ken Paxton
16. Larry Taylor (Texas)
17. Craig Estes

Competitiveness

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates did not face major party competition:

Democratic

1. Rodney Ellis
2. Eddie Lucio
3. Kirk Watson
4. Leticia Van de Putte

Republican

1. Robert Duncan (Texas)
2. Joan Huffman
3. Kel Seliger
4. Robert Nichols (Texas)
5. Charles Schwertner
6. Tommy Williams (Texas)
7. Jane Nelson
8. John Carona
9. Bob Deuell
10. Troy Fraser
11. Brian Birdwell
12. Craig Estes

Ballot Access

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2012:

1. John Lawson (Texas)
2. Bob Townsend (Texas)
3. Dave McElwee
4. Jeffrey Fox
5. Ed Kless
6. John Betz, Jr.
7. Ryan Dixon
8. Austin Page
9. N. Ruben Perez
10. Joseph Morse
11. Tom Kilbride
12. M.J. Smith
13. Richard Forsythe
14. Chris Christal
15. David Courtney
16. Deborah Parrish
17. Edward Carta

House

2012 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

Texas State House Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Texas House of Representatives elections in 2012. For results in individual contests, see our Texas House of Representatives elections, 2012. The following is a breakdown of the state House before and after the election:

Texas House of Representatives
Party		As of November 5, 2012	After the 2012 Election
	Democratic Party	48	55
	Republican Party	100	95
	Vacancy	2	0
Total		150	150

What You'll See on This Page

This page displays the following lists of candidates

• Incumbents who ran on November 6
• Newly elected representatives
• List of all winners
• Unopposed candidates
• Third party candidates

State House Overview

• All 150 of the state's House seats were up for election in 2012.

Incumbency Analysis

Incumbents who ran on November 6

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who were on the November 6 general election ballot:

1. Bryan Hughes
2. David Simpson (Texas)
3. George Lavender
4. Susan King
5. Debbie Riddle
6. Byron Cook
7. Jim Pitts
8. John Raney
9. Lois Kolkhorst
10. John Otto
11. Brandon Creighton
12. Tim Kleinschmidt
13. James White (Texas representative)
14. Joe Deshotel
15. Craig Eiland
16. Dennis Bonnen
17. Ron Reynolds
18. Allan Ritter
19. John Zerwas
20. Ryan Guillen
21. Todd Hunter
22. Connie Scott
23. Sergio Munoz Jr.
24. Richard Raymond
25. Armando Martinez (Texas)
26. J.M. Lozano
27. John Kuempel
28. Rene Oliveira
29. Paul Workman
30. Donna Howard
31. Geanie Morrison
32. Jimmie Don Aycock
33. Larry Gonzales
34. Ralph Sheffield
35. Charles Anderson (Texas)
36. Jim Keffer
37. Phil King (Texas)
38. Tan Parker
39. Rob Orr
40. Larry Phillips (Texas)
41. Van Taylor
42. Myra Crownover
43. Naomi Gonzalez
44. Drew Darby
45. Doug Miller (Texas)
46. Marisa Marquez
47. Donald Margo
48. Joe Pickett
49. Tracy King
50. Tryon Lewis
51. Tom Craddick
52. Charles Perry
53. John Frullo
54. Four Price
55. John Smithee
56. Jodie Laubenberg
57. Lon Burnam
58. Diane Patrick
59. Bill Zedler
60. Charlie Geren
61. Stefani Carter
62. Rafael Anchia
63. Linda Harper-Brown
64. Helen Giddings
65. Yvonne Davis
66. Dan Branch
67. Angie Chen Button
68. Trey Martinez Fischer
69. John Garza
70. Ruth Jones McClendon
71. Lyle Larson
72. José Menéndez
73. Michael Villarreal (Texas House of Representatives)
74. Dan Huberty
75. Patricia Harless
76. John Davis (Texas)
77. Allen Fletcher
78. Joe Straus
79. Wayne Smith (Texas)
80. Alma Allen
81. Gary Elkins
82. Jim Murphy (Texas)
83. Sarah Davis (Texas)
84. William Callegari
85. Dwayne Bohac
86. Armando Walle
87. Roland Gutierrez
88. Joe Farias
89. Senfronia Thompson
90. Harold Dutton Jr.
91. Carol Alvarado
92. Jessica Farrar
93. Hubert Vo
94. Borris Miles
95. Sylvester Turner
96. Mark Strama
97. Eddie Rodriguez
98. Robert Guerra
99. Ana Hernandez (Texas)
100. Elliott Naishtat
101. Steve Toth
102. Dan Flynn
103. Eddie Lucio III
104. Dawnna Dukes
105. Cindy Burkett
106. Roberto Alonzo
107. Lance Gooden
108. Jason Isaac
109. Kenneth Sheets
110. Harvey Hilderbran
111. Garnet Coleman
112. Eric Johnson (Texas)

New Representatives and General Election Winners

Newly elected representatives

The following lists the newly-elected members of the Texas House of Representatives:

Democratic

1. Abel Herrero
2. Oscar Longoria
3. Terry Canales
4. Mary Gonzalez
5. Poncho Nevarez
6. Nicole Collier
7. Chris Turner (Texas)
8. Toni Rose
9. Philip Cortez
10. Justin Rodriguez
11. Gene Wu
12. Mary Ann Perez
13. Joseph Moody

Republican

1. Cecil Bell Jr.
2. Matt Schaefer
3. Chris Paddie
4. Travis Clardy
5. Kyle Kacal
6. Marsha Farney
7. Greg Bonnen
8. Rick Miller (Texas)
9. Ed Thompson (Texas)
10. Scott Turner
11. Trent Ashby
12. J.D. Sheffield
13. Jeff Leach
14. Drew Springer
15. Ron Simmons
16. James Frank
17. Scott Sanford
18. Phil Stephenson
19. Ken King
20. Stephanie Klick
21. Matt Krause
22. Jonathan Stickland
23. Craig Goldman
24. Giovanni Capriglione
25. Pat Fallon
26. Bennett Ratliff
27. Tony Dale
28. Jason Villalba

Open Seat Winners

The following lists candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

1. Oscar Longoria
2. Terry Canales
3. Poncho Nevarez
4. Mary Gonzalez
5. Nicole Collier
6. Chris Turner (Texas)
7. Toni Rose
8. Justin Rodriguez
9. Gene Wu
10. Mary Ann Perez

Republican

1. Rick Miller (Texas)
2. Ed Thompson (Texas)
3. Scott Turner
4. Ron Simmons
5. Jeff Leach
6. Drew Springer
7. Scott Sanford
8. James Frank
9. Phil Stephenson
10. Stephanie Klick
11. Jonathan Stickland
12. Craig Goldman
13. Pat Fallon
14. Bennett Ratliff
15. Tony Dale
16. Kyle Kacal
17. Marsha Farney
18. Greg Bonnen
19. Cecil Bell Jr.
20. Jason Villalba

Candidates who won election

The following lists all candidates elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2012:

Democratic

1. Joe Deshotel
2. Craig Eiland
3. Ron Reynolds
4. Abel Herrero
5. Oscar Longoria
6. Sergio Munoz Jr.
7. Rene Oliveira
8. Richard Raymond
9. Armando Martinez (Texas)
10. Terry Canales
11. Robert Guerra
12. Mark Strama
13. Donna Howard
14. Eddie Rodriguez
15. Mary Gonzalez
16. Poncho Nevarez
17. Naomi Gonzalez
18. Joe Pickett
19. Tracy King
20. Lon Burnam
21. Nicole Collier
22. Rafael Anchia
23. Chris Turner (Texas)
24. Helen Giddings
25. Toni Rose
26. Yvonne Davis
27. Trey Martinez Fischer
28. Joe Farias
29. Roland Gutierrez
30. Philip Cortez
31. Ruth Jones McClendon
32. Justin Rodriguez
33. Michael Villarreal (Texas House of Representatives)
34. José Menéndez
35. Alma Allen
36. Sylvester Turner
37. Armando Walle
38. Harold Dutton Jr.
39. Gene Wu
40. Senfronia Thompson
41. Ana Hernandez (Texas)
42. Carol Alvarado
43. Borris Miles
44. Jessica Farrar
45. Hubert Vo
46. Marisa Marquez
47. Mary Ann Perez
48. Elliott Naishtat
49. Joseph Moody
50. Eddie Lucio III
51. Dawnna Dukes
52. Roberto Alonzo
53. Garnet Coleman
54. Eric Johnson (Texas)

Republican

1. George Lavender
2. Cecil Bell Jr.
3. Bryan Hughes
4. Matt Schaefer
5. Dennis Bonnen
6. David Simpson (Texas)
7. Byron Cook
8. Chris Paddie
9. Jim Pitts
10. Travis Clardy
11. Kyle Kacal
12. Lois Kolkhorst
13. John Raney
14. Brandon Creighton
15. Tim Kleinschmidt
16. John Otto
17. James White (Texas representative)
18. Marsha Farney
19. Allan Ritter
20. Greg Bonnen
21. Rick Miller (Texas)
22. John Zerwas
23. Geanie Morrison
24. Ryan Guillen
25. Ed Thompson (Texas)
26. Todd Hunter
27. Scott Turner
28. J.M. Lozano
29. John Kuempel
30. Paul Workman
31. Larry Gonzales
32. Charles Anderson (Texas)
33. Jimmie Don Aycock
34. Ralph Sheffield
35. Larry Phillips (Texas)
36. Trent Ashby
37. Rob Orr
38. J.D. Sheffield
39. Jim Keffer
40. Phil King (Texas)
41. Tan Parker
42. Van Taylor
43. Jeff Leach
44. Drew Springer
45. Ron Simmons
46. James Frank
47. Scott Sanford
48. Susan King
49. Drew Darby
50. Doug Miller (Texas)
51. Tryon Lewis
52. Tom Craddick
53. Charles Perry
54. John Frullo
55. Phil Stephenson
56. John Smithee
57. Four Price
58. Ken King
59. Jodie Laubenberg
60. Stephanie Klick
61. Diane Patrick
62. Matt Krause
63. Bill Zedler
64. Jonathan Stickland
65. Craig Goldman
66. Giovanni Capriglione
67. Stefani Carter
68. Linda Harper-Brown
69. Pat Fallon
70. Angie Chen Button
71. Dan Branch
72. Bennett Ratliff
73. Joe Straus
74. Lyle Larson
75. Patricia Harless
76. Wayne Smith (Texas)
77. Allen Fletcher
78. Dan Huberty
79. William Callegari
80. Tony Dale
81. Jim Murphy (Texas)
82. Sarah Davis (Texas)
83. Gary Elkins
84. Dwayne Bohac
85. Debbie Riddle
86. John Davis (Texas)
87. Charlie Geren
88. Myra Crownover
89. Steve Toth
90. Dan Flynn
91. Jason Villalba
92. Cindy Burkett
93. Lance Gooden
94. Jason Isaac
95. Kenneth Sheets
96. Harvey Hilderbran

Competitiveness

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates did not face major party competition:

Democratic

1. Rene Oliveira
2. Terry Canales
3. Richard Raymond
4. Mark Strama
5. Eddie Rodriguez
6. Naomi Gonzalez
7. Marisa Marquez
8. Joe Pickett
9. Tracy King
10. Lon Burnam
11. Rafael Anchia
12. Helen Giddings
13. Yvonne Davis
14. Joe Deshotel
15. Mary Gonzalez
16. Chris Turner (Texas)
17. Toni Rose
18. Oscar Longoria
19. Sergio Munoz Jr.
20. Jessica Farrar
21. Trey Martinez Fischer
22. Ruth Jones McClendon
23. Michael Villarreal (Texas House of Representatives)
24. José Menéndez
25. Armando Walle
26. Harold Dutton Jr.
27. Carol Alvarado
28. Elliott Naishtat
29. Dawnna Dukes
30. Roberto Alonzo
31. Eric Johnson (Texas)

Republican

1. John Zerwas
2. Todd Hunter
3. Cecil Bell Jr.
4. Bryan Hughes
5. Matt Schaefer
6. Chris Paddie
7. Ralph Sheffield
8. Dan Branch
9. Dennis Bonnen
10. John Kuempel
11. Larry Gonzales
12. Charles Anderson (Texas)
13. Rob Orr
14. Jim Keffer
15. Phil King (Texas)
16. Tan Parker
17. Van Taylor
18. Jeff Leach
19. Drew Springer
20. Susan King
21. Drew Darby
22. Doug Miller (Texas)
23. Tryon Lewis
24. Tom Craddick
25. Charles Perry
26. John Frullo
27. John Smithee
28. Jodie Laubenberg
29. Diane Patrick
30. Bill Zedler
31. Angie Chen Button
32. Jim Pitts
33. David Simpson (Texas)
34. John Otto
35. James Frank
36. Scott Sanford
37. Brandon Creighton
38. Marsha Farney
39. Trent Ashby
40. Ken King
41. Giovanni Capriglione
42. Pat Fallon
43. Allan Ritter
44. James White (Texas representative)
45. Lois Kolkhorst
46. Travis Clardy
47. Jonathan Stickland
48. Stephanie Klick
49. George Lavender
50. Scott Turner
51. Lyle Larson
52. Patricia Harless
53. Wayne Smith (Texas)
54. John Davis (Texas)
55. Allen Fletcher
56. Steve Toth
57. Dan Flynn
58. Cindy Burkett
59. Lance Gooden
60. Harvey Hilderbran

Ballot Access

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2012:

1. Mike Hennefer
2. Joshua Baker
3. Tim Eason
4. Richard Johnson (2012 Texas legislative candidate)
5. John Henry Petter, IV
6. Michael Carrasco
7. Neill Snider
8. Nancy Mishou
9. Lillian Simmons
10. Richard Brown (Texas)
11. Rex Black
12. Rod Wingo
13. Jim Duke (Texas)
14. Andy Fernandez (Texas)
15. Robb Rourke
16. Nick Tanner
17. Joe Edgar
18. Kent Phillips (Austin, Texas)
19. Arthur DiBianca
20. Bruce Hermann
21. Ian Kull
22. Sean Fatzinger
23. Bruce Beckman
24. David Eyerly
25. Max Koch, III
26. Michael Goolsby
27. Dan Hawkins (Texas)
28. Rodney Caston
29. Carl Nulsen
30. Jarrett Rab Woods
31. Dexter Jackson
32. Alfred Montestruc
33. Phil Kurtz
34. Gerald LaFleur
35. Matthew Whittington
36. Lee Coughran
37. Charles Parkes, III
38. Gregory Fox
39. Chuck Robinson
40. Herb Gonzales, Jr.
41. Timothy Giddens
42. Deb Shafto
43. Angela Sarlay
44. Henry Cooper
45. Alfred Molison Jr.
46. Leann Lamb-Vines
47. Yvonne Valdez
48. Saul Arechar
49. Sterling Russell
50. John McIntyre (Texas)
51. Preston Poulter
52. Patricia Carlson
53. Arthur Thomas IV

National Partisan Trends

2012 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

National Partisan Trends

The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results.

Incumbents who were defeated in the general election

In the 44 states with elections, there were 4,534 incumbents who ran in the general election. The following is a breakdown of incumbents defeated in the 2012 general election:

Incumbents defeated in 2012 legislative general election
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	21	49	70
Republican	37	182	219
Third Party	2	3	5
TOTALS	60	234	294

Total new legislators elected

In total, 1,707 (28.4%) new legislators were elected in 2012. Of these 1,707, 849 (50.0%) were Republicans and 854 (50.0%) were Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of new legislators.

New Legislators after the 2012 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	165	684	849
Republican	202	652	854
Independent	0	4	4
TOTALS	367	1,340	1,707

Winners of Open Seats

Open seats contests made up 705 (11.7%) of the 6,015 seats in 2012. Of these 705 open seats, Republicans won 401 (56.9%) while Democrats won 304 (43.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggested that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.

Open Seat Winners in 2012 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	82	220	302
Republican	105	296	401
Third Party	0	0	0
TOTALS	187	516	703

Impact on legislative majorities

See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures

Partisan Balance of Chambers with 2012 Elections
	Pre-election				Post-election
Legislative chamber
State senates	17	24	1	1	18	24	0	1
State houses	15	27	1	0	19	24	0	0
Totals:	32	51	2	1	37	48	0	1

Partisan Balance of All 99 Chambers Before and After 2012 Elections
	Pre-election				Post-election
Legislative chamber
State senates	19	28	2	1	20	28	1	1
State houses	17	31	1	0	21	28	0	0
Totals:	36	59	3	1	41	56	1	1