Election 2025: What To Watch

When it comes to Election Day 2025, Texas is far more low-key than other states. But that doesn’t mean these elections aren’t important. Here’s a roundup of some of the hottest, most bizarre and interesting races in the state taking place today:

Congressional District 18

Only Gov. Greg Abbott can announce when special elections take place. He took his time to announce the special election for Congressional District 18 in Harris County. The seat has been open since March, when former Congressman Sylvester Turner died. So, for nearly a year 825,000 residents have been without representation.

Now Houstonians are choosing from 16 candidates in a jungle primary, where candidates regardless of party are on the same ballot. It's considered to be a safely Democratic seat, however, polls show Democratic County Attorney Christian Menefee is the frontrunner and will likely face former City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards or State Representative Jolanda Jones in a runoff.

But redistricting has some voters confused. For this special election, voters are casting ballots in the current configuration, as they will in the runoff. But not all of them will vote in the same district in the March regular primary, should the new maps be deemed legal by the federal courts. 

Another thing to watch: Jones is a wildcard. She is a serious candidate, and has held multiple offices and pulled off multiple upset victories. But she would have to resign her seat to run in the March primary. She has until December 8 to decide.

Senate District 9

Tarrant County’s Senate District 9 was until recently represented by Kelly Hancock, who vacated the seat to fulfill his dream job as acting comptroller. Running to replace him in the special election are Republicans John Huffman, former mayor of Southlake, Leigh Wambsganss, chief communications officer of the conservative Christian cell phone company Patriot Mobile, also of Southlake, and Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a union leader in Fort Worth.

Huffman is backed by Republican super donor and casino magnate Mariam Adelson and some other prominent Republicans. Wambsganss has support from President Trump, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and a who’s who of the New Right in the county and state. Adelson wants the state to legalize gambling; Patrick doesn’t. That’s the difference between the two at this point.

But Democrats have been winning in special elections across the country, where some heavily Republican seats have flipped by double digits. That has Democrat Taylor Rehmet confident. But for Democrats, it may be Rehmet’s margins, not necessarily a win, that should be noted.

Both Republicans say they will run again in the March primary and vote for each other regardless of who wins the special election. And they will face Rehmet or another Democrat in the fall.

The 17 Amendments

The Texas Constitution keeps growing, and in many cases that’s a mixed bag. That’s because the legislature allows citizen participation by voting on obscure amendments that frequently change language (raising the judicial retirement age, for example), create new funding streams or, as is the case this year, enshrining parental rights.

Other amendments are more serious, such as creating a dementia prevention and research institute, and a fund addressing the state’s future water needs. Then there are the amendments on the ballot which include a ban on stock transactions thanks to lobbying by the new Texas Stock Exchange, a ban on an inheritance tax, and a reminder that only citizens can vote.

They’re not guaranteed to pass. Since 2024, 530 amendments have been adopted and 181 have been defeated, according to the Legislative Reference Library. And there’s no guarantee all 17 on the ballot today will pass either. The water amendment, one of Abbott’s top priorities, and the dementia research fund, a priority of Patrick’s, are getting pushback from grassroots conservatives.

Opponents argue they are fine policy and well-intentioned but bypass the appropriations process and instead hamstring future lawmakers. Nonetheless the opportunity to vote in Texas is still at least a nice hat tip to democracy.

Cy-Fair ISD

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Houston is the third largest school district in Texas governed by a conservative majority. Since clinching a 6-1 conservative majority two years ago, the school board has banned books, edited textbook chapters, and promoted Bible-based electives.

Now, following wins in other suburban school boards, a school board slate is running with the hopes of stepping back from culture war items. The three challenger candidates are Kendra Camarena, Lesley Guilmart, and Cleveland Lane Jr.

Hood County Incorporation

Residents in an unincorporated part of Hood County in North Texas are apparently sick of cryptocurrency. A bitcoin facility, which opened in 2022, is a sprawling center of 60,000 computers that constantly hum. Residents asked the company running it to do something, and they did by installing a soundproofing wall and upgraded some of the computers.

But according to residents it’s still too loud. Even sympathetic county commissioners’ hands were tied because only the state and cities can enact such ordinances.

So, the residents decided to form a city. If approved, they will live in Mitchell Bend, which would allow them to create a noise ordinance to control the sound. MARA Holdings, which runs the facility, filed a lawsuit to prevent the election but a judge denied their motion. Residents will now decide their next steps.