2008 Texas Senate election

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2008 Texas Senate election
Flag of Texas.svg
  2006 November 4, 2008 2010  

16 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate
16 seats needed for a majority
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
 
Party Republican Democratic Libertarian
Seats before20110
Seats won19120
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 1Increase2.svg 1Steady2.svg
Popular vote1,608,9101,203,432185,537
Percentage53.67%40.14%6.19%
SwingDecrease2.svg 8.31%Increase2.svg 10.62%Decrease2.svg 2.31%

TxSen2008Results1.svg
Senate results by district
     Republican hold     Democratic hold
     Democratic gain
     No election

The 2008 Texas Senate elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Texas voters elected state senators in 16 State Senate districts. The winners of this election served in the 81st Texas Legislature. The elected senators served four-year terms in the Texas Senate.

Contents

Background

Following the 2006 elections, the Republicans maintained effective control of the Senate with nineteen members to the Democrats' twelve, a gain of one from the previous elections. To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to gain four seats.

Results

Democrats gained one seat with the election of Wendy Davis in District 10. [1]

Statewide

Summary of the November 4, 2008 Texas Senate election results
Texas State Senate 2012.svg
PartyCandidatesVotesSeats
No. %BeforeUpWonAfter+/–
Republican 111,608,91053.67%209819Decrease2.svg1
Democratic 101,203,43240.14%116712Increase2.svg1
Libertarian 12185,5376.19%0000Steady2.svg
Total2,997,879100.00%3131Steady2.svg
Popular vote
Republican
53.67%
Democratic
40.14%
Libertarian
6.19%
Senate seats won
Republican
53.33%
Democratic
46.67%

Close races

DistrictWinnerMargin
District 10 Democratic (flip)2.40%

Results by district

Race results: [2]

DistrictDemocraticRepublicanLibertarianTotalResult
Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%
District 4--203,367100.00%--203,367100.00%Republican hold
District 672,96070.01%27,75126.63%3,4963.35%104,207100.00%Democratic hold
District 9100,50943.33%125,44354.08%5,9912.58%231,943100.00%Republican hold
District 10147,83249.92%140,73747.52%7,5912.56%296,160100.00%Democratic gain
District 11113,56741.18%155,77256.49%6,4192.33%275,758100.00%Republican hold
District 1689,34641.06%122,43956.27%5,8252.86%217,610100.00%Republican hold
District 20124,45681.40%--28,42918.60%152,885100.00%Democratic hold
District 21129,80268.22%55,48029.16%4,9802.62%190,262100.00%Democratic hold
District 23176,45192.40%--14,5037.60%190,954100.00%Democratic hold
District 24--197,12585.47%33,51814.53%230,643100.00%Republican hold
District 26136,91381.44%--31,19418.56%168,107100.00%Democratic hold
District 27111,596100.00%----111,596100.00%Democratic hold
District 28--179,05988.17%24,02211.83%203,081100.00%Republican hold
District 30--221,470100.00%--221,470100.00%Republican hold
District 31--180,26790.21%19,5699.79%199,836100.00%Republican hold
Total1,203,43240.14%1,608,91053.67%185,5376.19%2,997,879100.00%

There were two new members of the Senate.

DistrictOutgoing senatorPartyReason
10 Kim Brimer RepublicanDefeated in general election
17 Kyle Janek RepublicanResigned June 2, 2008

Notable races

District 10: The Democratic Party ran City Councilwoman Wendy Davis against Republican and Sunset Advisory Commission chairperson Kim Brimer. The district had been Republican-leaning, having been won by George W. Bush in 2004 and by Governor Rick Perry in 2002 and 2006. Davis won that race with 49.91% of the vote. In 2014, she was the Democratic nominee for governor to succeed Perry.

District 11: The Democrats ran former Galveston city council member Joseph Jaworski against Republican candidate Mike Jackson. The district encompasses the southeast Houston suburbs and part of Galveston County that has consistently voted for Republicans including George W. Bush in 2004, Governor Perry in 2002 and 2006, and U.S. Senator John Cornyn in 2002. Mike Jackson won that race with 56.48% of the vote.

District 17: The Incumbent Republican Kyle Janek announced he would be resigning from the State Senate effective June 2, 2008 to spend more time with his family, who had moved to Austin. A special election was called and was held concurrently with the general election. 4 Republicans and 2 Democrats ran for the unexpired term, most notably, the Republican Party's Joan Huffman, and Democratic former U.S. Representative Christopher Bell, the party's 2006 nominee for governor. Huffman and Bell advanced to a runoff, [3] held December 16, 2008. Huffman won that race with 56% of the vote. [4]

Texas's 17th state senate district special election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Christopher Bell 85,725 38.39%
Republican Joan Huffman 58,359 26.14%
Democratic Stephanie E. Simmons30,83913.81%
Republican Austen Furse22,58810.12%
Republican Ken Sherman16,7287.49%
Republican Grant Harpold9,0564.06%
Total votes223,295 100.00%
Texas's 17th state senate district special election runoff
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Joan Huffman 24,497 56.09%
Democratic Christopher Bell 19,17643.91%
Total votes43,673 100.00%
Republican hold

District 21: Democratic candidate Judith Zaffirini prevailed in her historically Democratic state Senate seat, which includes Laredo. The seat was held from 1967 to 1973 by her mentor, Wayne Connally, a younger brother of John Connally. Republicans fielded former Webb County administrative judge Louis Henry Bruni (born 1949), who switched parties in December 2007 to run against Zaffirini. The district voted for George W. Bush in 2004 and Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2006 but for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell in 2006.

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References

  1. "Wendy Davis narrowly defeats Mark Shelton in state Senate District 10". Dallas News. November 7, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. "Race Summary Report 2008 General Election". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  3. "Race Summary Report Special Election State Senate District 17". elections.sos.state.tx.us. November 4, 2008. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  4. "Special Runoff Election State Senate District 17". elections.sos.state.tx.us. December 16, 2008. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2021.