Texas Legislature election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Texas Legislature election was held on Tuesday, 7 November 2006, in the U.S.
state of Texas
. The Texas Legislature election was conducted as a part of the Texas general election, 2006
, which also included the Texas United States Senate election, 2006, the Texas United States House elections, 2006
, and the Texas gubernatorial election, 2006
.
Successful candidates will serve in the Eightieth Texas Legislature
, scheduled to convene 9 January 2007 at the capitol in Austin
.
were contested to some extent. In the District 3
race, Robert Nichols
won his Republican
primary
and was unopposed in the fall election.
Five Senators chose to not run or were defeated in their local primary.
District 2
District 3
Race uncontested after Nichols’ win in the Republican primary.
District 5
District 7
District 8
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 17
District 18
District 19
Incumbent Frank Madla was ousted by Uresti in contentious Democratic primary race. Madla was the only incumbent senator to lose a primary race in 2006.
District 22
District 25
District 29
This was considered by some to be an extremely important Texas Senate election race. Thought to potentially add to the competitiveness of this Senate race was District 29's historically low-voter turnout and Republican "Dee" Margo's close connections to President George W. Bush
via First Lady Laura Bush
's close friendship to "Dee" Margo's spouse, El Pasoan Adair Margo. As it turned out, Shapleigh won reelection in a race that was not that close.
, 117 of the 150 seats were contested in the November 2006 election. Thirty-two races were uncontested after the primary elections on 7 March 2006, while the remaining two were determined in the primary runoffs on 11 April 2006. One previously uncontested race came back into play with the withdrawal of the incumbent, thus allowing a new nomination process by both major parties.
There will be at least 21 new members of the House of Representatives. Two Democratic and five Republican incumbents were defeated in the primaries. These current representatives will not be back:
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District 48
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The Texas Legislature election was conducted as a part of the Texas general election, 2006
Texas general election, 2006
The 2006 Texas General Election was held on Tuesday, 7 November 2006, in the U.S. state of Texas. Voters statewide elected the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of the General Land Office, Commissioner of Agriculture, and one Railroad...
, which also included the Texas United States Senate election, 2006, the Texas United States House elections, 2006
Texas United States House elections, 2006
The 2006 midterm elections were held on November 7, 2006. All 32 House seats in the United States Congress from Texas were up for election.-Overview:...
, and the Texas gubernatorial election, 2006
Texas gubernatorial election, 2006
The 2006 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006 to select the next governor of the state of Texas, who is serving a four year term that began on January 16, 2007. The Republican and Democratic Parties chose their candidates by primaries and convention. Primaries were held on...
.
Successful candidates will serve in the Eightieth Texas Legislature
Eightieth Texas Legislature
The Eightieth Texas Legislature met in regular session beginning 9 January 2007. All members of the House of Representatives and 16 members of the Senate were up for election on 7 November 2006 in the Texas Legislature election....
, scheduled to convene 9 January 2007 at the capitol in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Texas Senate
Fifteen of the sixteen elections for the Texas SenateTexas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
were contested to some extent. In the District 3
Texas Senate, District 3
District 3 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves all of Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby and Tyler counties, and portions of Montgomery and Smith counties in the U.S. state of Texas...
race, Robert Nichols
Robert Nichols (Texas politician)
Robert Nichols is the Republican senator for the 3rd District in the Texas Senate.-Early years:Robert Nichols graduated from Lamar University with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1968...
won his Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
and was unopposed in the fall election.
Five Senators chose to not run or were defeated in their local primary.
| District | Outgoing Senator | Party | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Texas Senate, District 3 District 3 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves all of Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby and Tyler counties, and portions of Montgomery and Smith counties in the U.S. state of Texas... |
Todd Staples Todd Staples Douglas Todd Staples is the current Republican Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture. Prior to his election in 2006 as Agriculture Commissioner, he had been a member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature and formerly served on the city council in Palestine, Texas.Staples was... |
Republican | Ran for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture |
| 7 Texas Senate, District 7 District 7 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves a portion of Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 7 is Dan Patrick.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:-1994:... |
Jon Lindsay Jon Lindsay Jon Stephen Lindsay is a former Republican member of the Texas Senate, having represented the 7th District from 1997 to 2007.He was succeeded in 2007 by fellow Republian Dan Patrick.-2002:-2000:-1996:... |
Republican | Did not run |
| 14 Texas Senate, District 14 District 14 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves a portion of Travis county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 14 is Kirk Watson.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:-1994:... |
Gonzalo Barrientos Gonzalo Barrientos Gonzalo Barrientos, Jr. is a former Democratic member of the Texas Senate representing the 14th District from 1985 to 2007. He was also a member of the Texas House of Representatives from Austin from 1975 to 1985.-2002:-2000:... |
Democrat | Did not run |
| 18 Texas Senate, District 18 District 18 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, Waller, Washington and Wharton counties and a western portion of Fort Bend... |
Kenneth L. Armbrister | Democrat | Did not run |
| 19 Texas Senate, District 19 District 19 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Bandera, Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Edwards, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Loving, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Real, Reeves, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler counties, and portions... |
Frank L. Madla Frank L. Madla Frank Lloyd Madla, Jr. , was for thirty-three years a Democratic member of both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate from south San Antonio... |
Democrat | Defeated in primary |
Senate race summary
District 1Texas Senate, District 1
District 1 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves all of Bowie, Camp, Cass, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Panola, Red River, Rusk, Titus, Upshur and Wood counties and a portion of Smith county in the U.S. state of Texas...
District 2
Texas Senate, District 2
District 2 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves all of Delta, Fannin, Hopkins, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains, Rockwall and Van Zandt counties, and portions of Dallas and Smith counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 2 is Robert F...
District 3
Texas Senate, District 3
District 3 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves all of Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby and Tyler counties, and portions of Montgomery and Smith counties in the U.S. state of Texas...
Race uncontested after Nichols’ win in the Republican primary.
District 5
Texas Senate, District 5
District 5 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves Brazos, Burleson, Freestone, Grimes, Houston, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Trinity, Walker and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas...
District 7
Texas Senate, District 7
District 7 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves a portion of Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 7 is Dan Patrick.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:-1994:...
District 8
Texas Senate, District 8
District 8 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Collin and Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 8 is Florence Shapiro.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:...
District 12
Texas Senate, District 12
District 12 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 12 is Jane Nelson.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:...
District 13
Texas Senate, District 13
District 13 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Fort Bend and Harris counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 13 is Rodney Ellis.-2006:-2002:-1998:-1994:...
District 14
Texas Senate, District 14
District 14 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves a portion of Travis county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 14 is Kirk Watson.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:-1994:...
District 15
Texas Senate, District 15
District 15 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves a portion of Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 15 is John Whitmire.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:...
District 17
Texas Senate, District 17
District 17 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Senator Kyle Janek announced his resignation on May 29, 2008. Governor Rick Perry called for a special...
District 18
Texas Senate, District 18
District 18 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, Waller, Washington and Wharton counties and a western portion of Fort Bend...
District 19
Texas Senate, District 19
District 19 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Bandera, Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Edwards, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Loving, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Real, Reeves, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler counties, and portions...
Incumbent Frank Madla was ousted by Uresti in contentious Democratic primary race. Madla was the only incumbent senator to lose a primary race in 2006.
District 22
Texas Senate, District 22
District 22 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves Bosque, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Hill, Hood, Johnson, McLennan, Navarro and Somervell counties in the U.S. state of Texas...
District 25
Texas Senate, District 25
District 25 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Comal, Guadalupe, Hays and Kendall counties, and portions of Bexar and Travis counties in the U.S. state of Texas...
District 29
Texas Senate, District 29
District 29 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves a portion of El Paso county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 29 is Eliot Shapleigh.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:...
This was considered by some to be an extremely important Texas Senate election race. Thought to potentially add to the competitiveness of this Senate race was District 29's historically low-voter turnout and Republican "Dee" Margo's close connections to President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
via First Lady Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
's close friendship to "Dee" Margo's spouse, El Pasoan Adair Margo. As it turned out, Shapleigh won reelection in a race that was not that close.
House of Representatives
In the Texas House of RepresentativesTexas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
, 117 of the 150 seats were contested in the November 2006 election. Thirty-two races were uncontested after the primary elections on 7 March 2006, while the remaining two were determined in the primary runoffs on 11 April 2006. One previously uncontested race came back into play with the withdrawal of the incumbent, thus allowing a new nomination process by both major parties.
There will be at least 21 new members of the House of Representatives. Two Democratic and five Republican incumbents were defeated in the primaries. These current representatives will not be back:
| District | Representative | Party | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Roy Blake, Jr. | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 16 | Ruben Hope, Jr. | Republican | Did not run |
| 28 | Glenn Hegar Glenn Hegar Glenn Allen Hegar, Jr. is a Republican member of the Texas Senate representing the 18th District. Hegar formerly represented the 28th District in the Texas House. Senator Hegar, the youngest member of the Texas Senate, is a sixth generation Texan who farms on land that has been in his family since... |
Republican | Elected to Texas Senate, District 18 Texas Senate, District 18 District 18 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, Waller, Washington and Wharton counties and a western portion of Fort Bend... |
| 29 | Glenda Dawson | Republican | Deceased. Dawson's name remained on the ballot |
| 33 | Vilma Luna | Democrat | Withdrew from race after nomination |
| 38 | Jim Solis | Democrat | Did not run |
| 47 | Terry Keel Terry Keel Terrence McCauley "Terry" Keel , is a founding partner of the Keel & Nassour law firm in Austin, and he served as the Parliamentarian of the Texas House of Representatives from May 25, 2007 until January 13, 2009. He was appointed by Speaker Tom Craddick of Midland... |
Republican | Unsuccessful run for Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Texas Court of Criminal Appeals The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for all criminal matters in the State of Texas, United States. The Court, which is based in the Supreme Court Building in Downtown Austin, is composed of a Presiding Judge and eight judges.... , Place 8 |
| 54 | Suzanna Gratia Hupp | Republican | Did not run |
| 63 Texas House of Representatives, District 63 District 63 is a district of the Texas House of Representatives that serves a portion of Denton County. The current representative for District 63 is Republican Tan Parker, who was elected in 2006.-District description:... |
Mary Denny | Republican | Did not run |
| 71 | Bob Hunter | Republican | Did not run |
| 72 | Scott Campbell | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 73 | Carter Casteel | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 85 | Pete Laney Pete Laney James E. "Pete" Laney is a U.S. Democratic Party politician from West Texas. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for 34 years from Hale Center . Laney served as Speaker for ten years from 1993 to 2003, a record matching that set by his predecessor, fellow Democrat Gibson D... |
Democrat | Did not run |
| 91 | Bob E. Griggs | Republican | Did not run |
| 94 | Kent Grusendorf Kent Grusendorf Darryl Kent Grusendorf is a businessman and investor from Austin, Texas, who served as a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 94 from 1987 to 2007, while he resided in Arlington in Tarrant County. He was unseated in the 2006 party primary.-Background:Grusendorf was... |
Republican | Lost in primary |
| 101 | Elvira Reyna | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 110 | Jesse W. Jones | Democrat | Lost in primary |
| 118 | Charlie Uresti Carlos Uresti Carlos Ismael "Charlie" Uresti is a prominent San Antonio attorney practicing throughout the State of Texas in the areas of Family Law, Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation, Personal Injury and Wrongful Death. As a Democrat, he is a member of the Texas State Senate representing Senate District 19... |
Democrat | Elected to Texas Senate, District 19 Texas Senate, District 19 District 19 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Bandera, Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Edwards, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Loving, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Real, Reeves, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler counties, and portions... |
| 126 | Peggy Hamric | Republican | Unsuccessful bid for Texas Senate, District 7 Texas Senate, District 7 District 7 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves a portion of Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 7 is Dan Patrick.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:-1994:... |
| 133 | Joe Nixon | Republican | Unsuccessful bid for Texas Senate, District 7 Texas Senate, District 7 District 7 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves a portion of Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 7 is Dan Patrick.-2006:-2002:-2000:-1996:-1994:... |
| 146 | Al Edwards Al Edwards Albert "Al" Edwards is a former member of the Texas Legislature representing District 146. As a senior member of the State Legislature, Al Edwards served on three of the most influential Committees... |
Democrat | Lost in primary |
House race summary, Districts 1–25
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House race summary, Districts 26–50
District 33- Incumbent Vilma Luna was unopposed in Democratic primary and was to be unopposed in the fall, but she withdrew from the race, allowing the Democratic Party a new nomination process and giving the Republican Party the chance to make its own nomination.
District 48
- Ben Bentzin, unopposed in the Republican primary, withdrew from the race for House District 48 on August 21, 2006. Under the Texas Election Code, when a party nominee withdraws from a contested race, the party does not have the option to replace the candidate unless the candidate has been declared ineligible.
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House race summary, Districts 51–75
House race summary, Districts 76–100
House race summary, Districts 101–125
House race summary, Districts 126–150
See also
- United States midterm elections, 2006
- United States congressional elections, 2006
- United States Senate elections, 2006United States Senate elections, 2006Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. Senators are elected for six-year terms, with one third of the Senate seats up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2006 runs...
- United States House elections, 2006United States House elections, 2006- House of Representatives prior to the election :As of November 7, 2006, the U.S. House of the 109th Congress was composed of 229 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 1 Independent . There were also four vacancies...
- United States gubernatorial elections, 2006United States gubernatorial elections, 2006The U.S. 2006 gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2006 in 36 states, with 22 of the seats held by Republicans and 14 by Democrats....