Wikipedia

2002 Texas House of Representatives election

The 2002 Texas House of Representatives elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Texas voters elected state representatives in all 150 State House of Representatives districts. The winners of this election served in the 78th Texas Legislature, with seats apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. State representatives serve for two-year terms. Republicans gained control of the House with 88 seats to the Democrats' 62, giving them a governmental trifecta for the first time since Reconstruction.[1][2]

2002 Texas House of Representatives election
← 2000 November 5, 2002 2004 →
All 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives
76 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Tom Craddick Pete Laney
Party Republican Democratic
Leader since January 9, 1973 January 12, 1993
Leader's seat 82nd 85th
Last election 72 78
Seats won 88 62
Seat change Increase 16 Decrease 16
Popular vote 2,338,133 1,553,606
Percentage 58.98% 39.19%
Swing Increase 2.28% Decrease 1.84%
     Republican hold      Republican gain
     Democratic hold      Democratic gain

Republican:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      ≥90%

Democratic:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      ≥90%
Speaker before election

Pete Laney
Democratic

Elected Speaker

Tom Craddick
Republican

Background

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Democrats had held control of the Texas House of Representatives since Reconstruction despite Republicans winning the governorship in 1994 and the Texas Senate in 1996.[3][4] In the 2000 elections, Democrats had heavily emphasized the need to maintain control of the chamber to combat a potential Republican gerrymander after the next census. Their heavy investments in key races allowed them to maintain control of the chamber despite governor George W. Bush's victory in the state in the concurrent presidential election.[5][6]

Redistricting

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Following the release of the 2000 census results, the divided Texas Legislature attempted to undergo its decennial redistricting responsibility, but it failed.[7] Many Republicans in the legislature had felt no pressure to redistrict their own lines as control would fall to the Legislative Redistricting Board, which was controlled by Republicans, if they failed to do so. The districts that the board drew were seen as highly favorable to Republicans.[8] Challenges by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Department of Justice altered the board's state House districts, while keeping the state Senate map intact.[9] The Board had attempted to draw Democratic Speaker Pete Laney out of his west Texas district, but this had the ripple effect of reducing the Hispanic population in district 74 along the Texas–Mexico border. The Board agreed to revert this change, allowing the map to pass preclearance.[10]

House districts follow the "county line rule," effectively granting individual counties delegations of state house seats based on their population.[11] The census found that Texas had a population of 20,851,820 in 2000,[12] giving each district an "ideal population" of 139,006 people. In 1990, the "ideal population for a district" was 113,006 people. Counties with at least this number of people must fully contain at least one state house district. Counties with sufficient population for two or more districts must be divided into that number of districts. Should a county have sufficient population for one or more district plus a fraction of another, one district from another county may extend into it to represent the remaining population. District delegations for counties with at least one district changed as follows following the 2000 Census:[13]

County 1990 pop. Seats Partial 2000 pop.[12] Seats Partial +/– W +/– P
Bell County 191,073 1 Yes 238,000 1 Yes    
Bexar County 1,185,394 11 No 1,393,035 10 No  1  
Brazoria County 191,707 1 Yes 241,805 1 Yes    
Brazos County 121,862 1 Yes 152,436 1 Yes    
Cameron County 260,120 2 Yes 334,884 2 Yes    
Collin County 264,036 2 Yes 491,272 3 Yes  1  
Dallas County 1,852,691 16 No 2,216,808 16 No    
Denton County 273,644 2 Yes 433,065 3 No  1  
Ector County 118,934 1 Yes 121,124 0 Yes  1  
El Paso County 591,610 5 No 679,568 5 No    
Fort Bend County 225,421 2 No 354,286 2 Yes    
Galveston County 217,396 2 No 250,178 1 Yes  1  
Harris County 2,818,101 25 No 3,401,139 25 No    
Hidalgo County 383,545 3 Yes 569,099 4 No  1  
Jefferson County 239,389 2 Yes 251,968 1 Yes  1  
Lubbock County 222,636 2 No 242,644 1 Yes  1  
McLennan County 189,123 1 Yes 213,525 1 Yes    
Montgomery County 182,201 1 Yes 293,779 2 Yes  1  
Nueces County 291,145 2 Yes 313,512 2 Yes    
Smith County 151,309 1 Yes 174,861 1 Yes    
Tarrant County 1,170,103 10 No 1,449,290 10 No    
Taylor County 119,655 1 Yes 126,606 0 Yes  1  
Travis County 576,407 5 No 811,776 6 No  1  
Webb County 133,239 1 Yes 193,124 1 Yes    
Wichita County 122,378 1 Yes 131,695 0 Yes  1  
Williamson County 139,551 1 Yes 250,466 1 Yes    

As a result of these changes, the following districts drastically moved:

  1. District 20 moved from East Texas to Williamson County.
  2. District 46 moved from Hays County to Travis County.
  3. District 70 moved from West Texas to Collin County.
  4. District 80 moved from the Permian Basin to South Texas.
  5. District 89 moved from Tarrant County to Collin County.
  6. District 99 moved from Dallas County to Tarrant County.
  7. District 115 moved from Bexar County to Dallas County.

Campaign

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Seeking a more favorable redistricting plan to boost his political standing, U.S. House majority leader Tom DeLay organized the Texans for a Republican Majority PAC (TRMPAC) with the express purpose of ensuring the election of Tom Craddick as Speaker of the Texas House.[14] This not only involved electing a Republican majority, but also electing enough Republicans such that not enough could defect to continue to support Democrat Pete Laney's speakership.[15] TRMPAC intervened in several Republican primaries to support candidates it saw as more conservative and more supportive of Craddick. This led to the defeat of multiple moderate Republicans as well as the victory of conservative incumbents against more moderate challengers.[16] TRMPAC raised over $1 million during the 2002 cycle from a variety of corporate sources. About half of this money was laundered from corporate treasuries.[17] Later, these actions would lead to the indictment of DeLay and several TRMPAC officials.

The Democratic Party sought to maintain its control of the House by building a strong, diverse statewide ticket, including Tony Sanchez for governor and Ron Kirk for U.S. Senator. They saw the election as an opportunity to reverse the state's Republican trend without the popular George W. Bush on the ballot.[18]

Results

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Republicans flipped twenty one Democratic-held seats, while Democrats flipped five Republican-held seats.[19] Several of these flips came through reapportionment and the movement of districts across the state. With a net gain of sixteen seats, Republicans gained control of the House, giving them a governmental trifecta for the first time since Reconstruction.[1][2]

Statewide

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Summary of the November 5, 2002 Texas House of Representatives election results
 
Party Candidates Votes % Seats +/–
Republican Party 114 2,338,133 58.98% 88  16
Democratic Party 103 1,553,606 39.19% 62  16
Libertarian Party 32 58,791 1.48% 0 –
Green Party 7 11,079 0.78% 0 –
Independent 1 2,385 0.06% 0 –
Write-in 1 79 0.00% 0 –
Total 3,964,073 100.00% 150 –
Popular vote
Republican
 
 58.98%
Democratic
 
 39.19%
Libertarian
 
 1.48%
Libertarian
 
 0.28%
Independent
 
 0.06%
House seats won
Republican
 
 58.67%
Democratic
 
 41.33%

Close races

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  1. District 45, 0.88% (gain)
  2. District 56, 2.88% (gain)
  3. District 35, 4.66%
  4. District 5, 4.74% (gain)
  5. District 18, 6.10%
  6. District 134, 6.16%
  7. District 32, 6.72%
  8. District 48, 7.00% (gain)
  9. District 34, 7.58%
  10. District 137, 9.50%
  11. District 32, 9.76%

Results by district

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District Democratic Republican Others Total Result
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
District 1 20,627 62.05% 12,615 37.95% - - 33,242 100.00% Democratic hold
District 2 13,384 41.49% 18,872 58.51% - - 32,256 100.00% Republican gain
District 3 21,153 100.00% - - - - 21,153 100.00% Democratic hold
District 4 15,058 40.29% 22,313 59.71% - - 37,371 100.00% Republican hold
District 5 18,451 47.63% 20,286 52.37% - - 38,737 100.00% Republican gain
District 6 - - 27,729 100.00% - - 27,729 100.00% Republican hold
District 7 - - 26,265 100.00% - - 26,265 100.00% Republican hold
District 8 14,126 44.79% 17,411 55.21% - - 31,537 100.00% Republican gain
District 9 14,651 45.12% 17,823 54.88% - - 32,474 100.00% Republican hold
District 10 - - 28,072 100.00% - - 28,072 100.00% Republican hold
District 11 21,161 100.00% - - - - 21,161 100.00% Democratic hold
District 12 20,053 61.15% 12,740 38.85% - - 32,793 100.00% Democratic hold
District 13 - - 24,161 100.00% - - 24,161 100.00% Republican hold
District 14 - - 20,951 87.86% 2,894 12.14% 23,845 100.00% Republican hold
District 15 - - 33,108 91.01% 3,270 8.99% 36,378 100.00% Republican hold
District 16 - - 24,514 100.00% - - 24,514 100.00% Republican hold
District 17 21,630 56.38% 16,022 41.76% 715 1.86% 38,367 100.00% Democratic hold
District 18 14,705 53.05% 13,013 46.95% - - 27,718 100.00% Democratic hold
District 19 12,846 44.58% 15,971 55.42% - - 28,817 100.00% Republican gain
District 20 - - 34,736 100.00% - - 34,736 100.00% Republican gain
District 21 23,108 69.73% 10,032 30.27% - - 33,140 100.00% Democratic hold
District 22 20,218 100.00% - - - - 20,218 100.00% Democratic hold
District 23 23,267 100.00% - - - - 23,267 100.00% Democratic hold
District 24 14,746 41.63% 20,673 58.37% - - 35,419 100.00% Republican gain
District 25 8,592 30.97% 19,148 69.03% - - 27,740 100.00% Republican hold
District 26 - - 26,994 100.00% - - 26,994 100.00% Republican hold
District 27 20,200 62.67% 12,034 37.33% - - 32,234 100.00% Democratic hold
District 28 - - 25,225 100.00% - - 25,225 100.00% Republican gain
District 29 13,897 42.60% 18,728 57.40% - - 32,625 100.00% Republican gain
District 30 - - 24,205 100.00% - - 24,205 100.00% Republican hold
District 31 16,665 100.00% - - - - 16,665 100.00% Democratic hold
District 32 16,548 46.64% 18,930 53.36% - - 35,478 100.00% Republican hold
District 33 18,930 66.48% 9,545 33.52% - - 28,475 100.00% Democratic hold
District 34 15,379 53.79% 13,211 46.21% - - 28,590 100.00% Democratic hold
District 35 17,040 52.33% 15,522 47.67% - - 32,562 100.00% Democratic hold
District 36 13,606 100.00% - - - - 13,606 100.00% Democratic hold
District 37 11,454 100.00% - - - - 11,454 100.00% Democratic hold
District 38 12,922 68.00% 6,082 32.00% - - 19,004 100.00% Democratic hold
District 39 11,498 100.00% - - - - 11,498 100.00% Democratic hold
District 40 10,869 100.00% - - - - 10,869 100.00% Democratic hold
District 41 10,700 100.00% - - - - 10,700 100.00% Democratic hold
District 42 26,961 100.00% - - - - 26,961 100.00% Democratic hold
District 43 14,940 61.59% 9,319 38.41% - - 24,259 100.00% Democratic hold
District 44 - - 25,532 100.00% - - 25,532 100.00% Republican gain
District 45 18,633 48.82% 18,298 47.94% 1,239 3.25% 38,170 100.00% Democratic gain
District 46 19,253 88.29% - - 2,553 11.71% 21,806 100.00% Democratic gain
District 47 15,524 32.69% 30,001 63.18% 1,963 4.13% 47,488 100.00% Republican hold
District 48 21,928 45.38% 25,309 52.38% 1,084 2.24% 48,321 100.00% Republican gain
District 49 27,384 70.72% 9,095 23.49% 2,242 5.79% 38,721 100.00% Democratic hold
District 50 16,029 41.17% 21,699 55.74% 1,203 3.09% 38,931 100.00% Republican gain
District 51 14,389 82.27% - - 3,101 17.73% 17,490 100.00% Democratic hold
District 52 10,979 31.60% 22,433 64.56% 1,336 3.84% 34,748 100.00% Republican hold
District 53 - - 31,675 90.50% 3,325 9.50% 35,000 100.00% Republican hold
District 54 - - 18,812 100.00% - - 18,812 100.00% Republican hold
District 55 - - 23,280 100.00% - - 23,280 100.00% Republican hold
District 56 20,104 51.44% 18,979 48.56% - - 39,083 100.00% Democratic gain
District 57 17,358 60.20% 11,478 39.80% - - 28,836 100.00% Democratic hold
District 58 10,285 31.83% 22,023 68.17% - - 32,308 100.00% Republican hold
District 59 12,337 43.25% 16,186 56.75% - - 28,523 100.00% Republican hold
District 60 - - 28,762 91.34% 2,726 8.66% 31,488 100.00% Republican hold
District 61 11,475 31.01% 25,528 68.99% - - 37,003 100.00% Republican hold
District 62 12,217 35.40% 22,295 64.60% - - 34,512 100.00% Republican hold
District 63 - - 33,951 100.00% - - 33,951 100.00% Republican hold
District 64 - - 23,272 86.87% 3,518 13.13% 26,790 100.00% Republican hold
District 65 - - 22,263 88.18% 2,983 11.82% 25,246 100.00% Republican hold
District 66 7,485 20.03% 29,000 77.62% 877 2.35% 37,362 100.00% Republican hold
District 67 8,485 30.18% 19,626 69.82% - - 28,111 100.00% Republican hold
District 68 12,659 34.77% 23,750 65.23% - - 36,409 100.00% Republican hold
District 69 20,252 100.00% - - - - 20,252 100.00% Democratic hold
District 70 7,074 19.82% 28,012 78.50% 600 1.68% 35,686 100.00% Republican gain
District 71 - - 26,784 91.04% 2,636 8.96% 29,420 100.00% Republican hold
District 72 9,521 30.38% 21,433 68.40% 383 1.22% 31,337 100.00% Republican gain
District 73 9,305 20.85% 35,314 79.15% - - 44,619 100.00% Republican gain
District 74 21,326 71.05% 8,688 28.95% - - 30,014 100.00% Democratic hold
District 75 13,267 99.41% - - 79 0.59% 13,346 100.00% Democratic hold
District 76 17,387 100.00% - - - - 17,387 100.00% Democratic hold
District 77 13,914 100.00% - - - - 13,914 100.00% Democratic hold
District 78 - - 18,598 100.00% - - 18,598 100.00% Republican hold
District 79 14,170 100.00% - - - - 14,170 100.00% Democratic hold
District 80 14,302 55.80% 11,327 44.20% - - 25,629 100.00% Democratic gain
District 81 - - 21,583 100.00% - - 21,583 100.00% Republican hold
District 82 - - 28,968 100.00% - - 28,968 100.00% Republican hold
District 83 - - 31,551 91.10% 3,083 8.90% 34,634 100.00% Republican hold
District 84 8,547 31.31% 18,088 66.27% 661 2.42% 27,296 100.00% Republican hold
District 85 21,121 64.63% 11,559 35.37% - - 32,680 100.00% Democratic hold
District 86 - - 32,387 100.00% - - 32,387 100.00% Republican hold
District 87 8,872 34.18% 17,086 65.82% - - 25,958 100.00% Republican hold
District 88 - - 27,880 100.00% - - 27,880 100.00% Republican hold
District 89 8,245 22.27% 28,776 77.73% - - 37,021 100.00% Republican hold
District 90 11,731 72.23% 4,511 27.77% - - 16,242 100.00% Democratic hold
District 91 - - 21,227 84.41% 3,921 15.59% 25,148 100.00% Republican hold
District 92 - - 25,248 88.51% 3,278 11.49% 28,526 100.00% Republican hold
District 93 10,033 43.39% 13,089 56.61% - - 23,122 100.00% Republican hold
District 94 - - 28,892 100.00% - - 28,892 100.00% Republican hold
District 95 25,188 100.00% - - - - 25,188 100.00% Democratic hold
District 96 14,589 39.99% 21,896 60.01% - - 36,485 100.00% Republican hold
District 97 14,291 32.58% 29,579 67.42% - - 43,870 100.00% Republican hold
District 98 - - 37,366 100.00% - - 37,366 100.00% Republican hold
District 99 10,012 29.44% 23,427 68.89% 566 1.66% 34,005 100.00% Republican hold
District 100 16,679 95.16% - - 849 4.84% 17,528 100.00% Democratic hold
District 101 - - 16,947 100.00% - - 16,947 100.00% Republican hold
District 102 - - 19,136 100.00% - - 19,136 100.00% Republican hold
District 103 9,006 68.75% 3,828 29.22% 266 2.03% 13,100 100.00% Democratic hold
District 104 10,023 73.99% 3,523 26.01% - - 13,546 100.00% Democratic hold
District 105 - - 13,461 75.85% 4,287 24.15% 17,748 100.00% Republican gain
District 106 - - 13,851 100.00% - - 13,851 100.00% Republican hold
District 107 14,786 41.59% 20,764 58.41% - - 35,550 100.00% Republican gain
District 108 10,862 33.55% 21,514 66.45% - - 32,376 100.00% Republican hold
District 109 26,747 74.50% 9,155 25.50% - - 35,902 100.00% Democratic hold
District 110 19,511 100.00% - - - - 19,511 100.00% Democratic hold
District 111 25,721 100.00% - - - - 25,721 100.00% Democratic hold
District 112 10,053 29.05% 24,548 70.95% - - 34,601 100.00% Republican hold
District 113 - - 18,065 100.00% - - 18,065 100.00% Republican hold
District 114 - - 24,503 100.00% - - 24,503 100.00% Republican hold
District 115 9,588 28.70% 23,823 71.30% - - 33,411 100.00% Republican gain
District 116 15,174 100.00% - - - - 15,174 100.00% Democratic hold
District 117 8,138 41.02% 11,703 58.98% - - 19,841 100.00% Republican gain
District 118 14,416 100.00% - - - - 14,416 100.00% Democratic hold
District 119 15,451 100.00% - - - - 15,451 100.00% Democratic hold
District 120 15,280 100.00% - - - - 15,280 100.00% Democratic hold
District 121 - - 30,720 89.93% 3,441 10.07% 34,161 100.00% Republican hold
District 122 - - 39,048 88.45% 5,100 11.55% 44,148 100.00% Republican hold
District 123 14,461 63.09% 8,088 35.28% 373 1.63% 22,922 100.00% Democratic gain
District 124 14,970 100.00% - - - - 14,970 100.00% Democratic hold
District 125 15,391 60.28% 10,143 39.72% - - 25,534 100.00% Democratic hold
District 126 - - 24,197 100.00% - - 24,197 100.00% Republican hold
District 127 - - 28,214 100.00% - - 28,214 100.00% Republican hold
District 128 - - 16,421 100.00% - - 16,421 100.00% Republican gain
District 129 - - 26,664 100.00% - - 26,664 100.00% Republican hold
District 130 - - 29,652 100.00% - - 29,652 100.00% Republican hold
District 131 18,572 100.00% - - - - 18,572 100.00% Democratic hold
District 132 - - 21,079 90.45% 2,225 9.55% 23,304 100.00% Republican gain
District 133 8,128 34.86% 15,189 65.14% - - 23,317 100.00% Republican hold
District 134 21,645 46.39% 24,520 52.55% 492 1.05% 46,657 100.00% Republican hold
District 135 7,280 29.76% 17,186 70.24% - - 24,466 100.00% Republican hold
District 136 - - 31,763 100.00% - - 31,763 100.00% Republican hold
District 137 6,292 54.75% 5,200 45.25% - - 11,492 100.00% Democratic hold
District 138 10,026 40.58% 14,682 59.42% - - 24,708 100.00% Republican gain
District 139 18,559 100.00% - - - - 18,559 100.00% Democratic hold
District 140 8,503 73.63% 3,045 26.37% - - 11,548 100.00% Democratic hold
District 141 16,478 100.00% - - - - 16,478 100.00% Democratic hold
District 142 20,574 100.00% - - - - 20,574 100.00% Democratic hold
District 143 10,175 91.77% - - 913 8.23% 11,088 100.00% Democratic hold
District 144 - - 15,417 87.51% 2,201 12.49% 17,618 100.00% Republican hold
District 145 11,087 100.00% - - - - 11,087 100.00% Democratic hold
District 146 24,558 92.64% - - 1,951 7.36% 26,509 100.00% Democratic hold
District 147 21,253 100.00% - - - - 21,253 100.00% Democratic hold
District 148 14,633 100.00% - - - - 14,633 100.00% Democratic hold
District 149 10,530 44.48% 13,144 55.52% - - 23,674 100.00% Republican hold
District 150 - - 26,174 100.00% - - 26,174 100.00% Republican hold
Total 1,553,606 39.19% 2,338,133 58.98% 72,334 1.82% 3,964,073 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ a b Halbfinger, David M.; Yardley, Jim (November 7, 2002). "THE 2002 ELECTIONS: THE SOUTH; Vote Solidifies Shift of South To the G.O.P." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Barta, Carolyn; Alvarez, Elizabeth Cruce (2004). "Republicans Take Total Control of State Government". Texas Almanac, 2004-2005. Dallas, Texas: The Dallas Morning News. pp. 395–396.
  3. ^ Barboza, David (November 29, 1996). "Republicans Strike Deep In the Heart Of Texas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "Rep. Stockman loses in Texas Congress runoff GOP claims majority in one house of state legislature, 1st since 1872". Baltimore Sun. December 12, 1996. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  5. ^ "National Parties Spend For Texas Redistricting Advantage". Congress Daily AM. The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC. September 28, 2000. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Gale Academic OneFile.
  6. ^ Ramsey, Ross (November 13, 2000). "A Truly Fantastic Week for Political Junkies". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  7. ^ "Texas Legislature Deadlocked Over Redistricting Plan". Congress Daily AM. The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC. May 22, 2001. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Gale Academic OneFile.
  8. ^ Bickerstaff, Steve (2007). Lines in the Sand: Congressional Redistricting in Texas and the Downfall of Tom Delay. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-292-71474-8.
  9. ^ "MALDEF scores victory in Texas House plan". La Prensa. December 2, 2001. pp. 1A. ProQuest 368603106. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  10. ^ Bickerstaff, Steve (2020). Heath, C. Robert (ed.). Gerrymandering Texas. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-68283-073-4.
  11. ^ "Legal Requirements". redistricting.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "County Intercensal Tables: 2000-2010". Census.gov. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "History". redistricting.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  14. ^ Bickerstaff 2007, p. 47
  15. ^ Bickerstaff 2007, p. 48
  16. ^ Bickerstaff 2007, pp. 48–56
  17. ^ Bickerstaff 2007, pp. 56–83
  18. ^ Bickerstaff 2007, pp. 111–112
  19. ^ "2002 General Election". elections.sos.state.tx.us. November 5, 2002. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
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