2022 Texas Senate election

2022 Texas Senate election

November 8, 2022

All of the 31 seats in the Texas Senate
16 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Larry Taylor
(retired)
Carol Alvarado
Party Republican Democratic
Leader since January 12, 2021 January 8, 2020
Leader's seat 11thFriendswood 6thHouston
Last election 8 seats, 53.28% 8 seats, 44.59%
Seats before 18 13
Seats won 19 12
Seat change 1 1
Popular vote 2,948,643 2,287,700
Percentage 54.06% 41.94%
Swing 0.78% 2.65%


     Democratic hold
     Republican hold      Republican gain

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

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

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

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

Republicans

Democrats

Predictions

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

Statewide

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

Competitive districts

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

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

District Winner Margin
District 27 Democratic 0.38%

Detailed results

District 1

Incumbent Republican Bryan Hughes won re-election unopposed.

District 1 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bryan Hughes (incumbent) 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Republican hold

District 2

Incumbent Republican Bob Hall won re-election.

District 2 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Hall (incumbent) 172,713 61.90%
Democratic Prince Giadolor 106,309 38.10%
Total votes 279,022 100.00%
Republican hold

District 3

Incumbent Republican Robert Nichols won re-election.

District 3 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Robert Nichols (incumbent) 213,288 77.41%
Democratic Steve Russell 58,285 21.16%
Libertarian Desarae Lindsey 3,941 1.43%
Total votes 275,514 100.00%
Republican hold

District 4

Incumbent Republican Brandon Creighton won re-election.

District 4 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brandon Creighton (incumbent) 202,341 69.94%
Democratic Misty Bishop 86,946 30.06%
Total votes 289,287 100.00%
Republican hold

District 5

Incumbent Republican Charles Schwertner won re-election.

District 5 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charles Schwertner (incumbent) 192,146 71.57%
Libertarian Misty Bishop 76,317 28.43%
Total votes 268,463 100.00%
Republican hold

District 6

Incumbent Democrat Carol Alvarado won re-election unopposed.

District 6 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Carol Alvarado (incumbent) 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 7

Incumbent Republican Paul Bettencourt won re-election unopposed.

District 7 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Bettencourt (incumbent) 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Republican hold

District 8

Incumbent Republican Angela Paxton won re-election.

District 8 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Angela Paxton (incumbent) 187,754 57.69%
Democratic Jonathan Cocks 128,399 39.45%
Libertarian Edward Kless 9,293 2.86%
Total votes 325,446 100.00%
Republican hold

District 9

District 9 election

November 8, 2022
 
Candidate Kelly Hancock Gwenn Burud
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 166,864 111,019
Percentage 60.05% 39.95%

Precinct results
Hancock:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Burud:     50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      50%      No votes

Senator before election

Kelly Hancock
Republican

Elected Senator

Kelly Hancock
Republican

Incumbent Republican Kelly Hancock won re-election.

District 9 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kelly Hancock (incumbent) 166,864 60.05%
Democratic Gwenn Burud 111,019 39.95%
Total votes 277,883 100.00%
Republican hold

District 10

Incumbent Democrat Beverly Powell retired after her district was considerably changed during the 2021 redistricting to make it more Republican-leaning, calling the new district "unwinnable." State Representative Phil King ran for the newly-drawn seat, and because Powell withdrew after the primary, King entered the general election unopposed, guaranteeing Republicans would flip the seat.[5][10]

District 10 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Phil King 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Republican gain from Democratic

District 11

Incumbent Republican Larry Taylor retired. State Representative Mayes Middleton ran to replace him unopposed in the general election.[11]

District 11 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mayes Middleton 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Republican hold

District 12

Incumbent Republican Jane Nelson, who first won her seat in 1992, retired.[2] State Representative Tan Parker ran to replace her.[12]

District 12 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tan Parker 213,018 61.44%
Democratic Francine Ly 133,679 38.56%
Total votes 346,697 100.00%
Republican hold

District 13

Incumbent Democrat Borris Miles won re-election unopposed.

District 13 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Borris Miles (incumbent) 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 14

Incumbent Democrat Sarah Eckhardt won re-election.

District 14 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sarah Eckhardt (incumbent) 265,094 82.23%
Libertarian Steven Haskett 57,305 17.77%
Total votes 322,399 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 15

Incumbent Democrat John Whitmire won re-election but had also announced his bid for mayor of Houston in the 2023 election.[13]

District 15 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Whitmire (incumbent) 159,125 65.33%
Republican George Brian Vachris 84,437 34.67%
Total votes 243,562 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 16

Incumbent Democrat Nathan Johnson won re-election.

District 16 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nathan Johnson (incumbent) 118,663 61.95%
Republican Brandon Copeland 72,885 38.05%
Total votes 191,548 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 17

Incumbent Republican Joan Huffman won re-election.

District 17 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joan Huffman 179,653 65.33%
Democratic Titus Benton 95,320 34.67%
Total votes 274,973 100.00%
Republican hold

District 18

Incumbent Republican Lois Kolkhorst won re-election.

District 18 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lois Kolkhorst 186,367 66.17%
Democratic Josh Tutt 95,287 33.83%
Total votes 281,654 100.00%
Republican hold

District 19

Incumbent Democrat Roland Gutierrez won re-election.

District 19 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Roland Gutierrez (incumbent) 117,491 55.39%
Republican Robert Garza 94,613 44.61%
Total votes 212,104 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 20

Incumbent Democrat Juan Hinojosa won re-election.

District 20 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Juan Hinojosa (incumbent) 102,280 59.18%
Republican Westley Wright 70,536 40.82%
Total votes 172,816 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 21

Incumbent Democrat Judith Zaffirini won re-election.

District 21 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Judith Zaffirini (incumbent) 129,832 61.56%
Republican Julie Dahlberg 75,799 35.94%
Libertarian Arthur DiBianca 5,282 2.50%
Total votes 210,913 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 22

Incumbent Republican Brian Birdwell won re-election.

District 22 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brian Birdwell 190,988 74.26%
Libertarian Jeremy Schroppel 66,204 25.74%
Total votes 257,192 100.00%
Republican hold

District 23

Incumbent Democrat Royce West won re-election unopposed.

District 23 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Royce West (incumbent) 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 24

Incumbent Republican Dawn Buckingham retired to run for Texas Land Commissioner.[3] Pete Flores, who had previously represented the 19th district in the Senate, ran to replace her.[14]

District 24 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Pete Flores 187,598 64.32%
Democratic Kathy Jones-Hospod 104,063 35.68%
Total votes 291,661 100.00%
Republican hold

District 25

Incumbent Republican Donna Campbell won re-election.

District 25 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donna Campbell 243,966 62.83%
Democratic Robert Walsh 144,350 37.17%
Total votes 388,316 100.00%
Republican hold

District 26

Incumbent Democrat Jose Menendez won re-election.

District 26 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jose Menendez (incumbent) 140,799 66.55%
Republican Ashton Murray 70,773 33.45%
Total votes 211,572 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 27

District 27 election

 
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.[15][16] 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.[17] 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.[18]

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Morgan
LaMantia (D)
Adam
Hinojosa (R)
Undecided
Ragnar Research Partners (R)[19][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[a]
Margin
of error
Generic
Democrat
Generic
Republican
Undecided
Ragnar Research Partners (R)[19][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.[20][21]

District 27 general election
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

District 28

Incumbent Republican Charles Perry won re-election unopposed.

District 28 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charles Perry (incumbent) 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Republican hold

District 29

Incumbent Democrat Cesar Blanco won re-election.

District 29 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cesar Blanco (incumbent) 111,638 64.09%
Republican Derek Zubeldia 62,544 35.91%
Total votes 174,182 100.00%
Democratic hold

District 30

Incumbent Republican Drew Springer won re-election unopposed

District 30 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Drew Springer (incumbent) 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Republican hold

District 31

Incumbent Republican Kel Seliger, who often bucked party leadership on hardline issues such as school vouchers, putting him at odds with lieutenant governor Dan Patrick, drew several primary challengers. Foremost among them was Kevin Sparks, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, U.S. senator Ted Cruz, as well as lieutenant governor Dan Patrick. He quickly became the seat's frontrunner after Seliger announced he would not run for re-election.[22][23] Sparks won the Republican primary outright, avoiding a runoff, and faced no Democratic opponent in the general election.[24]

District 31 general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kevin Sparks 100.00%
Total votes 100.00%
Republican hold

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear

Notes

Partisan clients

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

References

  1. ^ 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. ^ 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. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Taylor2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Jackie Wang (September 21, 2021). "Former state Sen. Pete Flores says he's running for proposed Senate District 24". San Antonio Report.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Davila, Gaige (November 5, 2021). "Progressives hope Texas State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr.'s retirement signals new era". TPR. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ a b Ragnar Research Partners (R)
  20. ^ Clark, Steve (November 9, 2022). "LaMantia edges out Hinojosa: District 27 state Senate race was a squeaker". MyRGV.com. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Yañez, Alejandra (December 14, 2022). "LaMantia remains winner after recount for Senate District 27". KVEO-TV. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  22. ^ Johnson, Brad (January 31, 2022). "Oilman Kevin Sparks Emerges as Clear Frontrunner to Succeed Sen. Seliger in West Texas Seat". The Texan. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Barragán, James (October 20, 2021). "Texas state Sen. Kel Seliger of Amarillo won't seek reelection". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  24. ^ Doreen, Stewart (March 4, 2022). "With Sparks victory, Midland got its regional representative". Midland Reporter-Telegram. Retrieved May 16, 2022.