Rochelle Garza defeated Joe Jaworski in the May 24 Democratic Party primary runoff for Texas attorney general. As of 11:45 p.m. ET on May 24, Garza received 63% of the vote to Jaworski's 37%. In the March 1 primary, Garza received 43.0% of the vote and Jaworski received 19.7%. Both candidates advanced to a runoff because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote. Garza faced incumbent Ken Paxton in the November 8 general election.

Before the runoff, Texas Monthly's Michael Hardy compared the two Democratic participants, saying, "the two candidates are a study in contrasts. Garza is a 37-year-old Brownsville native and daughter of two public school teachers who, as an ACLU staff attorney, successfully sued the Trump administration on behalf of a seventeen-year-old ICE detainee seeking an abortion. Her run for attorney general is her first political race. Jaworski, 60, is a third-generation trial lawyer and the grandson of Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. He is a seasoned politician, having served three terms on the Galveston City Council and one term as mayor."^[1]

Garza originally announced she would run for Texas’ 34th Congressional District after Rep. Filemon Vela (D) announced he would not run for re-election in March 2021. After Texas enacted new congressional district maps in October 2021, Garza decided to run for attorney general instead. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, Garza said, “I don’t think running for office is an easy thing to do, period. I really feel the urgency to do something and I know that I have the experience, I have the temperament and I have the drive to do this and fight for Texans.”^[2]

Jaworski's campaign website listed several top priorities, including supporting the Affordable Care Act, expanding Medicaid, leading a statewide effort to legalize recreational marijuana, and supporting the decision-making authority of local governments.^[3] “Local decision-making authority is under attack in state government these days and I can personally say that local government is the best government. So I think as attorney general, Texans can rest assured whether they live in Republican jurisdiction, Democratic jurisdiction or any independent-type jurisdiction, that local government will be a focus of my attorney general opinion.”^[4]

Three other candidates ran in the Democratic primary: civil rights attorney Lee Merritt finished third with 19.4%, Mike Fields was fourth with 12.3%, and S. T-Bone Raynor finished fifth with 5.5%. Merritt endorsed Garza on March 10, 2022.^[5]

The attorney general is an executive office that serves as the chief legal advisor and chief law enforcement officer for the state government and is empowered to prosecute violations of state law, represent the state in legal disputes, and issue legal advice to state agencies and the legislature. In most states, the attorney general has a substantial influence on a state's approach to law enforcement. Heading into the election, the incumbent attorney general of Texas was Ken Paxton (R).

Rochelle Garza (D) and Joe Jaworski (D) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click on a candidate's name to view that candidate's responses.

Click here for coverage of the March 1, 2022, Democratic primary.

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas

Rochelle Garza defeated Joe Jaworski in the Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas on May 24, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Rochelle Garza	62.7	305,168
	Joe Jaworski	37.3	181,744

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 486,912
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas

Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski advanced to a runoff. They defeated Lee Merritt, Mike Fields, and S. T-Bone Raynor in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rochelle Garza	43.0	438,134
✔		Joe Jaworski	19.8	202,140
		Lee Merritt	19.4	198,108
		Mike Fields	12.3	125,373
	Submit photo	S. T-Bone Raynor	5.5	55,944

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,019,699
= 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.
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Candidate comparison

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 compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[6]

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Rochelle Garza

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Rochelle Garza is a civil rights attorney and 5th generation Texan from the Rio Grande Valley. She believes that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you live, everyone deserves a fair shot to get ahead. She has spent her legal career fighting for the civil rights of children, immigrants, and families. Rochelle even took on Donald Trump, Ken Paxton, and Brett Kavanaugh when they tried to prevent an immigrant teen, Jane Doe, from exercising her right to choose - and won. Rochelle has legal expertise in immigration, family, criminal and constitutional law. Her work has had broad impacts, like the “Garza Notice,” a notification requirement that teens in immigration detention have a constitutional right to access abortion care, and also meaningful individual impacts, like helping Trans clients acquire name and gender marker changes on their documentation to not only affirm who they are but to live a life of safety. As Attorney General, Rochelle will fight for Texas families. Rochelle graduated from the University of Houston Law Center and from Brown University with honors. She lives in Brownsville with her husband, Adam, and their dog, Ramses. They’re expecting their first child, a daughter, this year."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Voting Rights - I will use the power of the TX AG office to ensure that voting rights are protected in the courts if there are further attempts to make it harder for any Texan, especially people of color, to cast a ballot.

Reproductive Rights - Abortion care is health care, and health care is a human right. Reproductive choice is a moral imperative and an issue of racial, economic, and gender justice. I’m committed to restoring abortion access in Texas and defending the rights of women and pregnant people whenever they’re threatened.

Consumer protection - As Texas Attorney General, I will make consumer protection a top priority during my administration and investigate what went wrong with our power grid and ensure it never happens again.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of Texas in 2022.

Joe Jaworski

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Texans love fighters and that is exactly who Joe Jaworski is. Joe Jaworski is a third-generation Texas trial attorney and former mayor of Galveston, Texas. Joe’s term as mayor was defined by his unwavering support for and success in rebuilding Galveston’s storm-devastated public housing; a political choice that made a positive difference for thousands of Island residents but cost him a second term. His family legacy is one of integrity and ethics. Joe’s grandfather Watergate Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski had the guts to take on President Nixon and Nixon’s corrupt Administration by fighting for justice in our nation’s highest court. Leon Jaworski’s legacy after Watergate - a family value which Joe honors daily - is “no one is above the law.” This is why Joe is running for Texas Attorney General. In Texas, too many of our public officials think they are above the law. The tearing down of our institutions has led us to lose faith in our democracy. We need someone who can restore integrity to public service in Texas. Someone who chooses right over wrong. Someone who will use our legal system to fight for fairness and justice. That’s what Joe has done his entire career, as a lawyer and as a mayor. We need an Attorney General with the courage of Joe’s grandfather — the courage to stand up to the politically powerful. Joe is prepared to live up to that legacy."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Legalize adult-use Cannabis in Texas.

Enhance, not suppress, legal voting for all Texans.

Promote and support local officials' decision-making authority.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of Texas in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Rochelle Garza (D)

Voting Rights - I will use the power of the TX AG office to ensure that voting rights are protected in the courts if there are further attempts to make it harder for any Texan, especially people of color, to cast a ballot.

Reproductive Rights - Abortion care is health care, and health care is a human right. Reproductive choice is a moral imperative and an issue of racial, economic, and gender justice. I’m committed to restoring abortion access in Texas and defending the rights of women and pregnant people whenever they’re threatened.

Consumer protection - As Texas Attorney General, I will make consumer protection a top priority during my administration and investigate what went wrong with our power grid and ensure it never happens again.

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JoeJaworski.jpeg

Joe Jaworski (D)

Legalize adult-use Cannabis in Texas.

Enhance, not suppress, legal voting for all Texans.

Promote and support local officials' decision-making authority.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Rochelle Garza (D)

Health Care – Health care is a human right. We need to expand Medicaid in Texas and ensure we have healthy families and communities.

Worker’s Rights – Workers’ rights are civil rights. We need to protect workers from bad actors, including wage theft, status misclassification that wrongfully denies benefits, health and COVID-19 violations. Supporting unions, including workers’ ability to unionize, will be essential to a more just workplace for all Texans.

Funding Public Schools – We need to reverse the trend of disinvesting in our public schools and give our students and teachers the resources they need to be successful.

Legalizing Cannabis – I support legalizing the sale and use of recreational cannabis and ending the prejudicial prosecution of Black and brown Texans on criminal possession charges. We must also expunge the criminal records of anyone who was convicted on personal possession charges to bring more equity to our criminal justice system.

LGBTQ+ – While we have made progress in the fight for equality in Texas, a lot remains to be done. In the recent Texas legislative session, we saw Republicans introduce more anti-LGBTQ+ bills than any other state. We need to prioritize civil rights and that includes protecting equality.

Joe Jaworski (D)

Cannabis reform

Consumer protection Holding health insurers accountable to provide the benefits policy holders expect to receive

Promote, enhance, and not suppress, legal voting for all eligible Texans

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Joe Jaworski (D)

The Office of the Texas Attorney General affects every Texan. The office is very large, with over 4200 employees and physical branches all throughout Texas, and it is led by The Texas Attorney General, a Constitutional Statewide Executive officeholder. By design, the Texas Constitution puts restrictions on the Texas Governor, and when compared to the powers of other states' Governors, the office of Texas Governor is comparatively a weak office; the Texas Legislature is part time, but the Office of Texas Attorney General is full time and powerful. Accordingly, this office requires great professionalism and discretion. The Texas AG is popularly elected, but an effective Attorney General should act less like a politician, and more like a first class attorney and counselor. The Texas AG has the responsibility to defend the State in Court, and , importantly, he also has the power to initiate litigation, affect policy and effect change in the Courts. As the attorney for the State of Texas, the AG is the people's attorney, not the Governor's attorney, not even necessarily the Legislature's attorney. If there is a law that is passed that is unconstitutional or otherwise illegal, it is the Attorney General's job to declare it so. The OAG is responsible for enforcing child support orders, protecting the public's interest in Charitable Trusts and Foundations, reviewing public finance offerings, drafting legal opinions to resolve unsettled matters of law, resolving Public Information disputes and representing The State of Texas in all courts. Above all, the Texas Attorney General must conduct himself within reasonable norms of behavior, act professionally and politically in a way that is beyond reproach and not be indicted or under FBI investigation. Unfortunately, the incumbent fails all three of these standards.

The National Association of Attorneys General has described the office as being at the "intersection of law and public policy." What does that mean to you?

Joe Jaworski (D)

General John Hill used two key words to describe his duties as Texas Attorney General: "enforcer and protector." Speaking specifically about his office, as well as generally of his colleagues' offices, he said "we enforce laws in many areas, and if we do so consistently and evenhandedly, Attorneys General can protect the public and build respect for the law." The Office of Attorney General offers leadership in common area of legal representation - appearing in court, drafting attorney opinions, offering counselor guidance to state agencies - and the Attorney General as an individual is popularly elected and can lead - as a political thought leaders, as a partisan leader as a statesman. All of these are important components of leadership.

A state's attorney general has many responsibilities. Which of those do you personally consider the most important?

Joe Jaworski (D)

The greatest responsibility of the Texas Attorney General is to know when to sue and when not to sue. Specifically, it all comes down to priorities: If the AG is happy to accept large donations from insurance lobbyists, he might be less inclined to promote the consumer interests of all Texans when it comes to holding property and health care insurers to account. If the AG happily accepts generous donations from special interests he might be less inclined to hold polluters accountable. If he is a rank partisan, selfishly hell-bent on remaining in office, he'll probably sue to block any innovative local leader seeking to expand the legal vote. If he seeks a pardon to stay out of federal prison, he'll likely file a frivolous original proceeding in the United States Supreme Court to overturn the legal, popular vote. All of these examples are real. It is a great shame. It damages the notion of Texas exceptionalism. It is my honor to run to restore integrity to the Office of the Texas Attorney General.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Joe Jaworski (D)

I look up to my grandfather Leon Jaworski. We were very close. I lived with him and his wife Jeanette - my grandmother - during my freshman year of college in Houston, Texas. Before that my grandparents were always a part of all family occasions, holidays and special celebrations. Leon was born in Texas in 1904, two years after his father Reverend Joseph Jaworski and his mother Marie (born and raised in Austria) emigrated from Germany. Reverend Jaworski was a Texas country preacher, who had studied for the Jesuit Priesthood in Poland (he ultimately chose to worship as a Lutheran and embrace a Protestant faith), and he raised Leon and his siblings in a strict environment that required excellence in education and adherence to a strict moral code. I admire my grandfather Leon because he alway put service before self. When WWII broke out my grandfather was too old for the draft, but he enlisted as a JAG officer and ultimately prosecuted dozens of war criminals responsible for murder and torture at Death Camps Auschwitz, Dachau, Hadamar and other locations. Later, Leon served as a special prosecutor for Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy when Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett refused to integrate University of Mississippi. Leon Jaworski held Governor Barnett to account and student James Meredith was admitted. My grandfather again answered his Nation's call when he served as Watergate Special Prosecutor after the Saturday Night Massacre. The lesson of Watergate - when my grandfather took the Nixon Administration to the U.S. Supreme Court - was "No Man is above the Law, not even the President." I visited Leon and Jeanette in Washington, D.C. for a full week in March 1974 (I was twelve and on Spring Break from school), during the height of the Watergate affair, and I witnessed my grandfather's courage daily, and we also enjoyed being together as a family. Like Leon Jaworski, I respect the Rule of Law. Texas deserves an ethical Attorney General who puts integrity first.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Joe Jaworski (D)

Transparency and honesty; authenticity; and true curiousness. Positive leadership requires all of these, and it is even more important to know when to listen and open-mindedly consider opposing views and when to vehemently oppose dangerous thought. For example, in the voting realm: I am eager to understand claims of voter fraud and offer a solution on how to combat voter fraud - given the documented instances we see, but I am opposed to and will righteously fight any effort that claims this fraud is rampant and widespread and is a reason to suppress the public vote. I know the best way to dilute what little fraud exists is to increase legal voting.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Joe Jaworski (D)

I posses a positive, optimistic attitude in all things. I work until the job is done, even if i fail to achieve the objective at first - i persist. I am curious, and i want to hear all sides before determining the path forward. i possess great empathy, and I sincerely wish to help improve the human condition. I am not greedy; i am generous with my resources and time. I am not paranoid, nor do i look to political office to validate my life. I believe in government; i am a fan of good government and good leaders. I am loyal to my wife of 31 years, and I am very proud of my children. I honor my family legacy, The Jaworski name means everything to me, and I will never disgrace it. I will never embarrass Texas.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Joe Jaworski (D)

The core responsibilities of the Texas Attorney General are as follows: Be a skilled trial attorney and mediator of conflict; be a positive, encouraging leader; be a mentor to young leaders; recruit skilled attorneys of all backgrounds and race; and conduct oneself professionally and personally in a way that is above reproach. This is not meant to be a career or a "forever" job: while one serves as Attorney General one must be a positive leader who serves by example.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Joe Jaworski (D)

I would like to serve as Texas Attorney General for no more than two terms - eight years. I'd like to be remembered as General Jaworski, the Texas AG who focused on enhancing the legal vote, helped Texans achieve certainty in health care outcomes by holding health insurers to account, and hired a highly competent, skilled and diverse leadership council, setting the future standard for all Texas Attorneys General.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Rochelle Garza (D)

The Man by Taylor Swift

Joe Jaworski (D)

Shiny Happy People by REM

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Joe Jaworski (D)

When I was Mayor of Galveston I was elected without a runoff in a five way race. Victory was sweet. The victory lap was empowering. In office, I had to make some rightful, but largely unpopular choices. One was supporting the rebuild of Galveston Public Housing (all of which had been destroyed by 2008's Hurricane Ike). I boldly appointed a progressive Housing Authority Commission, and as Mayor I often commenting publicly on its work. We courageously pursued the rebuild in the form of mixed income housing, a decision which was the right thing to do, and it cost me my re-election. It was unpopular in some quarters because mixed income triples the number of units (and some saw that as too much, even if all income levels would be represented). I was harassed and threatened by many, and supported by others. There is an HBO show (based on a book of the same name) called "Show Me a Hero" which documents a similar experience from the 1980s in Yonkers, NY. Ultimately, as my housing team proceeded with our plans, I became aware of the likelihood of re-election defeat, and was even offered a "way out" - by abandoning the rebuild, the opposition promised to desist, but I chose to proceed with the rebuild and endure the consequences. I was sorely tested in that experience. I struggled because I was ridiculed by some community members, some who were racists and some who simply had an economic incentive to defeat the rebuild. I made it to a runoff, and was defeated by the challenger who ran on the slogan "HUD out of Galveston." Ultimately, in the face of great federal and legal pressure, my successor relented and grudgingly supported the rebuild. Then, after three years of federal litigation brought by the anti-housing coalition, the opponents were defeated, and groundbreaking and ribbon cutting followed. Now, there are two beautiful neighborhoods - The Cedars at Carver Park and The Villas on The Strand. A third neighborhood is underway. The struggle was hard, but worthwhile.

Campaign advertisements

Rochelle Garza

November 1, 2021

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YouTube

Joe Jaworski

December 31, 2021

August 13, 2021

October 6, 2021

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Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Election spending

Campaign finance

The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. View each candidates’ loan totals, if any, by clicking “View More” in the table below and learn more about this data here.

State profile

Demographic data for Texas
	Texas	U.S.
Total population:	27,429,639	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	261,232	3,531,905
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.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Texas

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

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Texas, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.^[7]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Texas had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Texas coverage on Ballotpedia

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

	2026 → ← 2018
Texas Attorney General
	Democratic primary; Democratic primary runoff; Republican primary; Republican primary runoff; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: December 13, 2021
	Primary: March 1, 2022; Primary runoff: May 24, 2022; General: November 8, 2022; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Ken Paxton (Republican)
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Voting in Texas
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2022; Impact of term limits in 2022; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Texas; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Comptroller; State Board of Education (15 seats); Agriculture Commissioner; Public Lands Commissioner; Railroad Commissioner

See also: Presidential voting trends in Texas and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Texas, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Texas' 1st	Open	Republican	R+26
Texas' 2nd	Daniel Crenshaw	Republican	R+15
Texas' 3rd	Open	Republican	R+11
Texas' 4th	Pat Fallon	Republican	R+16
Texas' 5th	Lance Gooden	Republican	R+14
Texas' 6th	Jake Ellzey	Republican	R+15
Texas' 7th	Lizzie Pannill Fletcher	Democratic	D+13
Texas' 8th	Open	Republican	R+16
Texas' 9th	Al Green	Democratic	D+26
Texas' 10th	Michael McCaul	Republican	R+13
Texas' 11th	August Pfluger	Republican	R+23
Texas' 12th	Kay Granger	Republican	R+12
Texas' 13th	Ronny Jackson	Republican	R+26
Texas' 14th	Randy Weber	Republican	R+17
Texas' 15th	Open	Democratic	R+1
Texas' 16th	Veronica Escobar	Democratic	D+17
Texas' 17th	Pete Sessions	Republican	R+14
Texas' 18th	Sheila Jackson Lee	Democratic	D+23
Texas' 19th	Jodey Arrington	Republican	R+26
Texas' 20th	Joaquin Castro	Democratic	D+15
Texas' 21st	Chip Roy	Republican	R+13
Texas' 22nd	Troy Nehls	Republican	R+11
Texas' 23rd	Tony Gonzales	Republican	R+5
Texas' 24th	Beth Van Duyne	Republican	R+10
Texas' 25th	Roger Williams	Republican	R+19
Texas' 26th	Michael Burgess	Republican	R+13
Texas' 27th	Michael Cloud	Republican	R+13
Texas' 28th	Henry Cuellar	Democratic	D+3
Texas' 29th	Sylvia Garcia	Democratic	D+18
Texas' 30th	Open	Democratic	D+27
Texas' 31st	John Carter	Republican	R+14
Texas' 32nd	Colin Allred	Democratic	D+14
Texas' 33rd	Marc Veasey	Democratic	D+24
Texas' 34th	Mayra Flores / Vicente Gonzalez Jr.	Republican	D+9
Texas' 35th	Open	Democratic	D+21
Texas' 36th	Brian Babin	Republican	R+18
Texas' 37th	Lloyd Doggett	Democratic	D+24
Texas' 38th	New Seat	N/A	R+12

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Texas^[8]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Texas' 1st	26.5%	72.4%
Texas' 2nd	37.9%	60.7%
Texas' 3rd	42.0%	56.4%
Texas' 4th	36.4%	62.4%
Texas' 5th	38.2%	60.6%
Texas' 6th	37.4%	61.3%
Texas' 7th	64.2%	34.5%
Texas' 8th	35.8%	63.0%
Texas' 9th	76.2%	22.8%
Texas' 10th	39.8%	58.6%
Texas' 11th	29.1%	69.5%
Texas' 12th	40.1%	58.3%
Texas' 13th	26.5%	72.0%
Texas' 14th	35.0%	63.6%
Texas' 15th	48.1%	51.0%
Texas' 16th	67.0%	31.5%
Texas' 17th	38.0%	60.5%
Texas' 18th	73.6%	25.1%
Texas' 19th	26.2%	72.4%
Texas' 20th	65.8%	32.7%
Texas' 21st	39.4%	59.1%
Texas' 22nd	41.3%	57.4%
Texas' 23rd	45.8%	52.9%
Texas' 24th	43.0%	55.4%
Texas' 25th	33.8%	64.9%
Texas' 26th	40.0%	58.6%
Texas' 27th	38.1%	60.6%
Texas' 28th	52.9%	45.9%
Texas' 29th	67.8%	31.0%
Texas' 30th	77.8%	21.0%
Texas' 31st	39.0%	59.2%
Texas' 32nd	65.7%	32.7%
Texas' 33rd	74.2%	24.4%
Texas' 34th	57.3%	41.8%
Texas' 35th	71.7%	26.5%
Texas' 36th	33.6%	65.2%
Texas' 37th	75.5%	22.7%
Texas' 38th	40.2%	58.4%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 45.5% of Texans lived in one of the state's 18 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 40.1% lived in one of 223 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Texas was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Texas following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Texas county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	18	45.5%
Solid Republican	223	40.1%
New Democratic	3	10.2%
Trending Democratic	1	2.8%
Trending Republican	1	0.9%
New Republican	7	0.6%
Battleground Republican	1	<0.1%
Total voted Democratic	22	58.5%
Total voted Republican	232	41.5%

Historical voting trends

Texas presidential election results (1900-2020)

16 Democratic wins
15 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Texas

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Texas.

U.S. Senate election results in Texas
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	53.5%	43.9%
2018	50.9%	48.3%
2014	61.6%	34.4%
2012	56.5%	40.7%
2008	54.8%	42.8%
Average	55.5	42.0

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Texas

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Texas.

Gubernatorial election results in Texas
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	55.8%	42.5%
2014	59.3%	38.9%
2010	55.0%	42.3%
2006	39.0%	29.8%
2002	57.8%	40.0%
Average	53.4	38.7

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Texas' congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Texas, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	12	12
Republican	2	24	26
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	36	38

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Texas' top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Texas, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Greg Abbott
Lieutenant Governor	Dan Patrick
Secretary of State	John Scott
Attorney General	Ken Paxton

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Texas State Legislature as of November 2022.

Texas State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	13
	Republican Party	18
	Vacancies	0
Total		31

Texas House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	65
	Republican Party	83
	Vacancies	2
Total		150

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Texas was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Texas Party Control: 1992-2022
Three years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty 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
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
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
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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Texas and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Texas
	Texas	United States
Population	25,145,561	308,745,538
Land area (sq mi)	261,266	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	74%	72.5%
Black/African American	12.1%	12.7%
Asian	4.8%	5.5%
Native American	0.5%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%
Other (single race)	5.8%	4.9%
Multiple	2.7%	3.3%
Hispanic/Latino	39.3%	18%
Education
High school graduation rate	83.7%	88%
College graduation rate	29.9%	32.1%
Income
Median household income	$61,874	$62,843
Persons below poverty level	14.7%	13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**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.

2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

↑ TexasMonthly, "Democratic Voters Aren’t Behaving as if They Think Ken Paxton Is Vulnerable," March 21, 2022
↑ The Texas Tribune, “Former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza decides to run for attorney general after redistricting upends congressional campaign,” November 3, 2021
↑ ‘’Jaworski for Attorney General’’, “Priorities,” accessed February 1, 2022
↑ Spectrum News 1, "Democratic attorney general candidate Joe Jaworski says local experience sets him apart," January 4, 2022
↑ The Texas Tribune, "Democrat Lee Merritt suspends campaign for attorney general nine days after election day, clearing path for runoff," March 10, 2022
↑ 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.
↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

[1] TexasMonthly, "Democratic Voters Aren’t Behaving as if They Think Ken Paxton Is Vulnerable," March 21, 2022

[2] The Texas Tribune, “Former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza decides to run for attorney general after redistricting upends congressional campaign,” November 3, 2021

[3] ‘’Jaworski for Attorney General’’, “Priorities,” accessed February 1, 2022

[4] Spectrum News 1, "Democratic attorney general candidate Joe Jaworski says local experience sets him apart," January 4, 2022

[5] The Texas Tribune, "Democrat Lee Merritt suspends campaign for attorney general nine days after election day, clearing path for runoff," March 10, 2022

[6] 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.

[7] The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.

[8] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

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Texas Attorney General election, 2022 (May 24 Democratic primary runoff)

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