Texas State Senate District 18
| Texas State Senate District 18 | ||
| Current incumbent | Lois Kolkhorst  | |
| Population | 809,726 | |
| Race | 50.6% White, 42.2% Black/Hispanic, 7.2% Other[1] | |
| Ethnicity | 69.9% Not Hispanic, 30.1% Hispanic | |
| Voting age | 72.6% age 18 and over | |
Texas' eighteenth state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Lois Kolkhorst.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 809,726 civilians reside within Texas' eighteenth state senate district.[2] Texas state senators represent an average of 811,147 residents.[3] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 672,640 residents.[4]
About the office
Members of the Texas State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Texas legislators assume office at the beginning of the legislative session, which starts at noon on the second Tuesday in January in the year after the election.[5][6]
One-half of the Senate membership is elected every two years in even-numbered years, with the exception that all 31 Senate seats are up for election for the first legislature following the decennial census in order to reflect the newly redrawn districts. After the initial election, the Senate is divided by lot into two classes, with one class having a re-election after two years and the other having a re-election after four years.[7]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Texas State Senate, a candidate must be:[8]
- A U.S. citizen
- A qualified elector
- 26 years old before the general election
- A five-year resident of Texas before the general election
- A district resident for one year prior to the general election
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[9] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $7,200/year | $221/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Texas State Legislature, the governor must call a special election to fill the vacant seat.[10] A governor's proclamation to hold a special election must be delivered to county judges in the legislative district no later than 36 days before the scheduled election.[11]
The secretary of state can declare a candidate duly elected in a special election if there is no opposition.[12]
See sources: Texas Elec. Code § 203.001 et. seq.
Elections
2020
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2020
Elections for the office of Texas State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 3, 2020, and a primary runoff was scheduled for July 14, 2020. The filing deadline was December 9, 2019.
2016
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Texas State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.[13]
Incumbent Lois Kolkhorst defeated Kathie Stone in the Texas State Senate District 18 general election.[14]
| Texas State Senate, District 18 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Lois Kolkhorst Incumbent |
85.78% | 229,051 | |
| Libertarian | Kathie Stone | 14.22% | 37,965 | |
| Total Votes | 267,016 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Lois Kolkhorst ran unopposed in the Texas State Senate District 18 Republican Primary.[15][16]
| Texas State Senate, District 18 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Lois Kolkhorst Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Lois W. Kolkhorst (R) defeated Cindy Drabek (D), Christian E. Hawkins (D), Gary Gates (R) and Charles Gregory (R) off in the special election on December 6, 2014.[17][18]
The seat was vacant following Glenn Hegar's (R) election as Texas Comptroller on November 4, 2014.[19]
A special election for the position of Texas State Senate District 18 was called for December 6, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was November 19, 2014.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lois W. Kolkhorst |
55.8% | 21,961 | |
| Republican | Gary Gates | 34.2% | 13,439 | |
| Democratic | Cindy Drabek | 4.8% | 1,893 | |
| Democratic | Christian E. Hawkins | 3.3% | 1,280 | |
| Republican | Charles Gregory | 2% | 779 | |
| Total Votes | 39,352 | |||
2012
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Texas State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 29, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Glenn Hegar (R) was unchallenged in the general election. Hegar was unopposed in the Republican primary election.[20] In 2012, Hegar raised $690,972 in campaign contributions.[21]
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2012, candidates for Texas State Senate District 18 raised a total of $4,621,135. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $330,081 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, Texas State Senate District 18 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2012 | $690,972 | 1 | $690,972 | |
| 2010 | $916,515 | 2 | $458,258 | |
| 2008 | $523,618 | 1 | $523,618 | |
| 2006 | $1,276,254 | 5 | $255,251 | |
| 2004 | $634,140 | 1 | $634,140 | |
| 2002 | $579,636 | 4 | $144,909 | |
| Total | $4,621,135 | 14 | $330,081 | |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ For more information on the parameters the U.S. Census Bureau use, please see our Race and Ethnicity on the United States Census page.
- ↑ Texas Legislative Council, "Senate District 18 - Plans172," accessed September 27, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "2010 Census Interactive Population Search," accessed February 14, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population: 2000," April 2, 2001
- ↑ Texas Government Code, "Title 3., Subtitle A., Sec. 301.001," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ Texas Constitution, "Article 3. Legislative Department, Section 4," accessed November 4, 2021
- ↑ Texas State Legislature, "Texas Constitution," accessed December 18, 2013(Referenced Article 3, Section 3)
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Qualifications for All Public Offices," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021 (Statute 3.003 (3))
- ↑ Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021 (Statute 3.003 (3)(b)-(c))
- ↑ Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021 (Statute 2.055)
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed November 21, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Special election results," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 statesman.com, "As Hegar resigns, Dec. 6 special election set for Senate District 18," November 14, 2014
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, "State of Texas 2012 General Election," November 6, 2012
- ↑ followthemoney.org, "State of Texas 2012 Senate Candidates," accessed November 27, 2013
