2022 Texas Senate election

The 2022 Texas Senate elections were held on November 8, 2022.

2022 Texas Senate election

← 2020 November 8, 2022 2024 →

All of the 31 seats in the Texas Senate
16 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Larry Taylor Carol Alvarado
Party Republican Democratic
Leader's seat 11thFriendswood 6thHouston
Last election 18 seats, 53.28% 13 seats, 44.59%
Seats before 18 13
Seats won 19 12
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 1
Popular vote 2,948,643 2,287,700
Percentage 54.06% 41.94%
Swing Increase 0.78% Decrease 2.65%

     Democratic hold
     Republican hold      Republican gain
Republican:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      ≥90%
Democratic:      50–60%      60–70%      80–90%      ≥90%

Under the provisions of the Constitution of Texas, all 31 senate districts across the state of Texas were up for re-election, as the election was the first after the decennial United States Census. Numerous other federal, state, and local elections were also held on this date. The winners of this election served in the 88th Texas Legislature, with seats apportioned among the 2020 United States census. Republicans had held a majority in the Texas Senate since January 14, 1997, as a result of the 1996 elections.

Retirements

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As of April 2022, six state senators, including four Republicans and two Democrats, decided to retire, one of whom sought another office.

Republicans

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Democrats

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Predictions

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Redistricting greatly reduced the number of competitive seats in the state, making it almost certain that the chamber would remain in Republican hands.

Statewide

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Source Ranking As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[7] Safe R May 19, 2022
CNalysis Safe R Nov. 7, 2022

Competitive districts

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District Incumbent 2020 Pres.[8] CNalysis[9] Result
19th Roland Gutierrez 55.81% D Likely D 55.39% D
27th Eddie Lucio Jr. (retiring) 51.75% D Lean R (flip) 50.19% D

Results summary

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Summary of the November 8, 2022 Texas Senate election results
 
Party Candidates Votes Seats
No. % Before Won After +/–
Republican 27 2,948,643 54.06 18 19 19   1
Democratic 22 2,287,700 41.94 13 12 12   1
Libertarian 6 217,910 4.00 0 0 0  
Total 5,454,253 100.00 31 31 31  
Source:
Popular vote
Republican
54.06%
Democratic
41.94%
Libertarian
4.00%
Senate seats won
Republican
61.29%
Democratic
38.71%

Close races

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District Winner Margin
District 27 Democratic 0.38%

By district

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District Incumbent Candidates[a]
Member Party First
elected
Status
1 Bryan Hughes Republican 2016 Incumbent running
2 Bob Hall Republican 2014 Incumbent running
  •  Y Bob Hall (Republican) 61.9%[11]
  • Prince Giadolor (Democratic) 38.1%[12]
3 Robert Nichols Republican 2006 Incumbent running
  •  Y Robert Nichols (Republican) 77.4%[13]
  • Steve Russell (Democratic) 21.2%
  • Desarae Lindsey (Libertarian) 1.4%[14]
4 Brandon Creighton Republican 2014 (special) Incumbent running
5 Charles Schwertner Republican 2012 Incumbent running
6 Carol Alvarado Democratic 2018 (special) Incumbent running
7 Paul Bettencourt Republican 2014 Incumbent running
8 Angela Paxton Republican 2018 Incumbent running
  •  Y Angela Paxton (Republican) 57.7%
  • Jonathan Cocks (Democratic) 39.5%
  • Edward Kless (Libertarian) 2.9%
9 Kelly Hancock Republican 2012 Incumbent running
  •  Y Kelly Hancock (Republican) 60.0%
  • Gwenn Burud (Democratic) 40.0%
10 Beverly Powell Democratic 2018 Incumbent retiring[5]
Republican gain.
11 Larry Taylor Republican 2012 Incumbent retiring[1]
12 Jane Nelson Republican 1992 Incumbent retiring[2]
  •  Y Tan Parker (Republican) 61.4%[18]
  • Francine Ly (Democratic) 38.6%
13 Borris Miles Democratic 2016 Incumbent running
14 Sarah Eckhardt Democratic 2020 (special) Incumbent running
  •  Y Sarah Eckhardt (Democratic) 82.2%
  • Steven E. Haskett (Libertarian) 17.8%
15 John Whitmire Democratic 1982 Incumbent running
16 Nathan Johnson Democratic 2018 Incumbent running
  •  Y Nathan Johnson (Democratic) 61.9%
  • Brandon Copeland (Republican) 38.1%
17 Joan Huffman Republican 2008 (special) Incumbent running
  •  Y Joan Huffman (Republican) 65.3%
  • Titus Benton (Democratic) 34.7%
18 Lois Kolkhorst Republican 2014 Incumbent running
19 Roland Gutierrez Democratic 2020 Incumbent running
20 Juan Hinojosa Democratic 2002 Incumbent running
21 Judith Zaffirini Democratic 1986 Incumbent running
  •  Y Judith Zaffirini (Democratic) 61.6%[22]
  • Julie Dahlberg (Republican) 35.9%
  • Arthur DiBianca (Libertarian) 2.5%
22 Brian Birdwell Republican 2010 (special) Incumbent running
23 Royce West Democratic 1992 Incumbent running
24 Dawn Buckingham Republican 2016 Incumbent retiring to run for Texas Land Commissioner[3]
  •  Y Pete Flores (Republican) 64.3%[24]
  • Kathy Jones-Hospod (Democratic) 35.7%
25 Donna Campbell Republican 2012 Incumbent running
  •  Y Donna Campbell (Republican) 62.8%
  • Robert Walsh (Democratic) 37.2%
26 Jose Menendez Democratic 2015 (special) Incumbent running
  •  Y Jose Menendez (Democratic) 66.5%
  • Ashton Murray (Republican) 33.5%
27 Eddie Lucio Jr. Democratic 1990 Incumbent retiring[25]
  •  Y Morgan Lamantia (Democratic) 50.2%[26]
  • Adam Hinojosa (Republican) 49.8%
28 Charles Perry Republican 2014 (special) Incumbent running
29 Cesar Blanco Democratic 2020 Incumbent running
  •  Y Cesar Blanco (Democratic) 64.1%[28]
  • Derek Zubeldia (Republican) 35.9%
30 Drew Springer Republican 2020 (special) Incumbent running
31 Kel Seliger Republican 2004 Incumbent retiring[4]

District 27

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2022 Texas's 27th senate district election
 
← 2020
2024 →
     
Nominee Morgan LaMantia Adam Hinojosa
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 88,037 87,378
Percentage 50.19% 49.81%

 
County results
LaMantia:      50–60%      60–70%
Hinojosa:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Texas Senator before election

Eddie Lucio Jr.
Democratic Party

Elected Texas Senator

Morgan LaMantia
Democratic Party

Incumbent Democrat Eddie Lucio Jr., often considered the most conservative Democrat in the Texas Senate, announced he would not run for re-election in November 2021.[31][32] Lucio was the only Democrat to vote in favor of Texas' abortion laws and school voucher legislation, but all three Democrats running to replace him were pro-choice. He endorsed Morgan LaMantia despite her views on abortion, considering her to be the most moderate of the three, and she won the primary in a runoff.[33] She faced Republican Adam Hinojosa in the general election, who campaigned as part of a Republican effort to capitalize on Donald Trump's strong performance in the Rio Grande Valley in the 2020 election to flip multiple legislative and congressional seats in the region.[34]

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[b]
Margin
of error
Morgan
LaMantia (D)
Adam
Hinojosa (R)
Undecided
Ragnar Research Partners (R)[35][A] August 23–25, 2022 400 (LV) ± 4.9% 38% 43% 19%
Hypothetical polling

Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[b]
Margin
of error
Generic
Democrat
Generic
Republican
Undecided
Ragnar Research Partners (R)[35][A] August 23–25, 2022 400 (LV) ± 4.9% 46% 41% 12%

LaMantia won the election by an extremely narrow margin, a result which was not confirmed until after a December recount.[36][37]

Texas's 27th Senate District, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Morgan LaMantia 88,037 50.19%
Republican Adam Hinojosa 87,378 49.81%
Total votes 175,415 100.00%
Democratic hold

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Declared candidates may seek election from other district, subject to redistricting. Some districts may have no incumbents, while some other may have multiple incumbents due to redistricting.
  2. ^ a b Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear

Notes

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Partisan clients

  1. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by Hinojosa's campaign

References

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  1. ^ a b c Svitek, Patrick (November 30, 2021). "Longtime state Sen. Larry Taylor, best known for his work on education issues, says he won't run for reelection". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Garrett, Robert (July 5, 2021). "Veteran Denton County GOP lawmaker Jane Nelson will not seek 11th term in Texas Senate". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Lindell, Chuck (June 7, 2021). "State Sen. Dawn Buckingham to run for Texas land commissioner". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Barragán, James (October 20, 2021). "Texas state Sen. Kel Seliger, a Republican willing to buck his party leadership, will not seek reelection". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Barragán, James (April 6, 2022). ""Unwinnable race": State Sen. Beverly Powell of Burleson ends reelection bid, citing redrawn political map". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Bova, Gus (November 16, 2021). "The Texas Senate's Most Conservative Democrat Is Retiring". Texas Observer. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Jacobson, Louis (May 19, 2022). "The Battle for State Legislatures". Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  8. ^ "2022-2023 Election Data". cnalysis. February 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "22 TX Forecast". projects.cnalysis.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  10. ^ Gary Bass (November 12, 2021). "State Sen. Bryan Hughes announces plans to seek re-election". KLTV. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Hall announces campaign for re-election". Herald Banner. September 20, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  12. ^ "Giadolor announces run for state senate". Herald Banner. September 20, 2021.
  13. ^ "Nichols announces campaign for re-election". Palestine Herald-Press. June 25, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "Candidate Desarae Lindsey Files for Texas Senate Dist. 3". Liberty Vindicator. December 10, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  15. ^ Ontiveros, Brooke (June 10, 2021). "'Unfinished business remains': Brandon Creighton aims at re-election for Texas Senate District 4". Community Impact.
  16. ^ Hannah Zedaker (June 7, 2021). "Paul Bettencourt to seek re-election for Texas Senate District 7". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  17. ^ Patrick Svitek (September 27, 2021). "GOP state Rep. Phil King announces he'll run for new Republican-friendly Senate seat held by Democrat Beverly Powell". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  18. ^ Morris, Allie (July 7, 2021). "GOP Rep. Tan Parker to seek Senate seat being vacated by North Texas lawmaker Jane Nelson". The Dallas Morning News.
  19. ^ McGuinness, Dylan; Scherer, Jasper (November 19, 2021). "State Sen. John Whitmire announces he will run for mayor of Houston in 2023". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  20. ^ Cat DeLaura (December 9, 2021). "Democrat Josh Tutt announces his intention to run against Kolkhorst". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  21. ^ "Hinojosa announces reelection bid for state senate". MyRGV.com. June 9, 2021.
  22. ^ "Zaffirini files for reelection to Texas senate". MyRGV.com. November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  23. ^ Roland Richter (June 18, 2021). "State Senator Bryan Birdwell announces running for re-election". KWKT-TV. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  24. ^ Jackie Wang (September 21, 2021). "Former state Sen. Pete Flores says he's running for proposed Senate District 24". San Antonio Report.
  25. ^ Svitek, Patrick (November 4, 2021). "Eddie Lucio Jr. to retire after three decades in Texas Senate". www.texastribune.com. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  26. ^ "LaMantia Enters Democratic Primary For Eddie Lucio's State Senate Seat". KURV. November 18, 2021.
  27. ^ "Texas Senator Charles Perry announces re-election". KCBD. September 29, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  28. ^ Anthony Jackson (October 29, 2021). "Texas state Sen. César Blanco of El Paso announces reelection campaign". El Paso Times. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  29. ^ "SEN. DREW SPRINGER ANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR THE TEXAS SENATE". Olney Enterprise. October 14, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  30. ^ Stewart Doreen (August 13, 2021). "Midland's Kevin Sparks to run for state senate". Midland Reporter-Telegram.
  31. ^ Svitek, Patrick (November 4, 2021). "Democrat Eddie Lucio Jr., known for voting with Republicans on key issues, to retire after three decades in Texas Senate". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  32. ^ Davila, Gaige (November 5, 2021). "Progressives hope Texas State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr.'s retirement signals new era". TPR. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  33. ^ Svitek, Patrick (May 25, 2022). "Moderate Democrats win two key South Texas runoffs, while another is too close to call". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  34. ^ Svitek, Patrick (October 23, 2022). "Donald Trump energizes South Texas voters ahead of early voting as Republicans predict red "tsunami"". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Ragnar Research Partners (R)
  36. ^ Clark, Steve (November 9, 2022). "LaMantia edges out Hinojosa: District 27 state Senate race was a squeaker". MyRGV.com. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  37. ^ Yañez, Alejandra (December 14, 2022). "LaMantia remains winner after recount for Senate District 27". KVEO-TV. Retrieved February 13, 2024.