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Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014
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March 4, 2014 |
November 4, 2014 |
Dan Patrick  |
David Dewhurst |
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Governor • Lt. Governor • Attorney General Down Ballot Comptroller, Land Commissioner, Commissioner of Agriculture, Railroad Commissioner |
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The Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent David Dewhurst (R) was first elected in 2002 and sought re-election in 2014, but lost in a Republican primary runoff with state Sen. Dan Patrick.[1] Patrick faced Democratic candidate Leticia Van de Putte, Libertarian Party candidate Robert Butler and Green Party candidate Chandrakantha Courtney in the general election. Patrick won election to a four-year term.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. State law requires voters to sign the following pledge before voting in a primary: "I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year."[2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Candidates
General election
Dan Patrick - State Senator, District 7[3]
Leticia Van de Putte - State Senator[4][5]
Robert Butler[6]
Chandrakantha Courtney[7]
Lost in primary
David Dewhurst - Incumbent[1]
Jerry Patterson - Texas Land Commissioner[8]
Todd Staples - Texas Agriculture Commissioner[1]
Withdrawn
Brandon de Hoyos - Journalist[9][6]
Ed Kless - Businessman[9][10]
Declined
Susan Combs - Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts[11]
Maria Luisa Alvarado - Retired Air Force Master Sergeant, 2006 candidate for Lt. Gov.[12]
Results
General election
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Dan Patrick |
58.1% | 2,724,493 | |
| Democrat | Leticia Van de Putte | 38.7% | 1,813,974 | |
| Libertarian | Robert Butler | 2.6% | 119,833 | |
| Green | Chandrakantha Courtney | 0.6% | 27,719 | |
| Total Votes | 4,686,019 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Runoff
| Texas Lieutenant Gubernatorial Republican Runoff, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Dan Patrick |
65% | 489,586 | ||
| David Dewhurst Incumbent | 35% | 263,194 | ||
| Total Votes | 752,780 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
Primary election
Republican primary
| Texas Lieutenant Gubernatorial Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Dan Patrick |
41.4% | 552,692 | ||
| David Dewhurst Incumbent |
28.3% | 377,856 | ||
| Todd Staples | 17.8% | 236,949 | ||
| Jerry Patterson | 12.5% | 166,399 | ||
| Total Votes | 1,333,896 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
Democratic primary
- Uncontested
Race background
Primary defeat for Dewhurst
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst was the only incumbent running for re-election in 2014 while a number of other Republicans vied for his office, including two incumbents in other statewide executive offices.
In the primary, Dewhurst came second to State Senator Dan Patrick. After the primary on March 4, Republican lobbyists encouraged the three second-place candidates involved in runoffs to drop out of their respective races and decide the Republican nominations early. Incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Texas Representative Dan Branch, second-place finishers for lieutenant governor and attorney general respectively, refused to do so and said that they would continue campaigning. The second-place Republican running for comptroller, however, dropped out, reducing the number of Republican runoffs to two.[13]
In the runoff on May 27, Patrick defeated Dewhurst again, securing the Republican nomination. This result meant that there were no incumbent state executives who won re-election in the 2014 elections.
Money in the race
2013
For the reporting period ending June 30, 2013, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples had $3 million in his campaign fund. Sen. Dan Patrick had $2.1 million, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst had $1.73 million.[14] Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson had $1.3 million cash-on-hand, raising $417,000 in the last two weeks of June 2014.[15]
Polls
General election
All candidates
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Dan Patrick (R) | Leticia Van de Putte (D) | Chandrakantha Courtney (G) | Robert Butler (L) | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| University of Texas/Texas Tribune October 10-19, 2014 | 52% | 35% | 4% | 9% | +/-3.33 | 866 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Major party candidates
| Texas Lieutenant Governor - Patrick and Van de Putte | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Dan Patrick (R) | Leticia Van de Putte (D) | Not sure | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling April 10-13, 2014 | 51% | 35% | 14% | +/-4.1 | 559 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Primary election
Republican primary
| Lt. Governor of Texas - Republican Primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | David Dewhurst | Dan Patrick | Jerry Patterson | Todd Staples | Don't Know | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||
| University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll October 18-27, 2013 | 26% | 13% | 10% | 5% | 46% | +/-5.02 | 1,200 | ||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lt. Governor of Texas - Republican Primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | David Dewhurst | Dan Patrick | Jerry Patterson | Todd Staples | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll February 7-17, 2014 | 38% | 31% | 14% | 16% | +/-5.37 | 543 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Hypothetical match-ups
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | David Dewhurst (R) | Leticia Van de Putte (D) | Don't Know/NA | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling April 10-13, 2014 | 50% | 32% | 17% | +/-4.1 | 559 | ||||||||||||||
| University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll February 7-17, 2014 | 44% | 32% | 24% | +/-3.28 | 1,200 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling November 1-4, 2013 | 46% | 37% | 17% | +/-4.4 | 500 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 46.67% | 33.67% | 19.33% | +/-3.93 | 753 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign advertisements
Primary
Dan Patrick
David Dewhurst
Past elections
2010
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | David Dewhurst Incumbent |
61.8% | 3,049,109 | |
| Democratic | Linda Chavez-Thompson | 34.8% | 1,719,202 | |
| Libertarian | Scott Jameson | 2.5% | 122,142 | |
| Green | Herb Gonzales, Jr. | 0.9% | 44,903 | |
| Total Votes | 4,935,356 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
2006
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | David Dewhurst Incumbent |
58.2% | 2,513,530 | |
| Democratic | Maria Luisa Alvarado | 37.4% | 1,617,490 | |
| Libertarian | Judy Baker | 4.4% | 188,206 | |
| Total Votes | 4,319,226 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
2002
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | David Dewhurst |
51.8% | 2,341,875 | |
| Democratic | John Sharp | 46% | 2,082,281 | |
| Libertarian | Mark David Gessner | 1.2% | 54,885 | |
| Green | Nathalie Paravicini | 1% | 44,386 | |
| Total Votes | 4,523,427 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign finance
Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $42,931,645 during the election. This information was last updated on April 8, 2015.[16]
| Campaign Contribution Totals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| Dan Patrick |
Texas Lieutenant Governor |  |
$18,276,608 | |
| David Dewhurst |
Texas Lieutenant Governor |  |
$10,737,099 | |
| Leticia Van de Putte |
Texas Lieutenant Governor | |
$7,995,650 | |
| Todd Staples |
Texas Lieutenant Governor | |
$3,041,725 | |
| Jerry Patterson |
Texas Lieutenant Governor | |
$2,877,115 | |
| Robert Butler |
Texas Lieutenant Governor | |
$3,448 | |
| Chandrakantha Courtney |
Texas Lieutenant Governor | |
$0 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $42,931,645 | |||
Key deadlines
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 9, 2013 | Filing deadline for candidates |
| March 4, 2014 | Primary election |
| May 27, 2014 | Primary run-off election |
| November 4, 2014 | General election |
| January 20, 2015 | Inauguration |
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Texas + Lieutenant + Governor + elections"
See also
- Lieutenant Governor of Texas
- Texas state executive official elections, 2014
- State executive official elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Texas Tribune, "Dewhurst plans to run for re-election," August 28, 2012
- ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Tex. Election Code Ann. § 172.086," accessed September 16, 2025
- ↑ Associated Press, "Dad: George P. Bush eyeing Texas land commissioner," November 14, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ Burnt Orange Report, "Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D) Considering Run for Lieutenant Governor," September 10, 2013
- ↑ My San Antonio, "Van de Putte joins 2014 race for lieutenant governor," November 23, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Independent Political Report, "Texas, Wisconsin Libertarian Conventions This Weekend," 4/11/2014
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Press Release: 50 Candidates File to Run as Greens in Texas," December 10, 2013
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance:Statement of Intention," accessed November 27, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Texas Tribune, "Libertarian Kathie Glass Announces Bid for Governor," October 2, 2013
- ↑ Elect Ed Kless, "Upon Further Review...," January 10, 2014
- ↑ Reporternews.com, "Comptroller Combs will not run for any statewide office in 2014," May 29, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ PR.com, "Maria Luisa Alvarado Expected to Announce Her Candidacy for Lt. Governor Monday," October 27, 2013
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Lobbyist: Efforts Afoot to Get Candidates to Drop Out," March 10, 2014
- ↑ The Statesman, "Staples tops money race for lieutenant governor," July 15, 2013
- ↑ WFAA, "Campaign finance reports show cash on hand for Davis, Patterson," July 15, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of Texas 2014 elections," accessed April 9, 2015
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