What Changed In Texas

Election Night in Texas was truly historic. Democrats won every statewide election for the first time in decades.

State Rep. James Talarico will be heading to Washington as a Democrat from Texas, the first since Lloyd Bentsen. At 37, he will be the youngest Senator serving. The blue wave in Texas didn’t stop there. Democrats now hold the following in Texas: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, and Democrat Jon Rosenthal will take his seat on a three-member Railroad Commission.

Texas Democrats also flipped the Texas House. At least 21 races have officially been called where a Democrat has defeated a Republican, and three are still too close to call. It’s the first time Democrats will control at least one chamber of the legislative body since 2002.

Democrats also flipped control of the Texas Board of Education, the very important 15-person governing body that oversees K-12 public education in the state. They also captured 4 seats on the Texas Supreme Court, including Chief Justice. Maggie Ellis is now the first LGBTQ+ person to serve statewide in Texas. The Texas Supreme Court has gone from being 9-0 Republican-controlled to 5-4.

Elsewhere in the judiciary, Democrats completely swept the 15th Court of Appeals, which was created just three years ago with justices appointed by Governor Abbott to oversee cases of the state itself. Just before Election Day, the froze a ruling from a lower court for Governor Abbott to release e-mails between himself and Elon Musk. Governor-Elect Hinojosa will also get to appoint two new members next year.

The statewide gains from Democrats stemmed from their major electoral victories in a slew of urban and suburban counties. In Tarrant County, Democrat Alisa Simmons defeated Republican incumbent Timothy O’Hare to become the County Judge. It’s the first time a Democrat has held the position since 1996. Also, in Tarrant (which is the third largest in the state), Democrat Tiffany Burks defeated Phil Sorrells in the District Attorney Race.

Democrats also won seats on the commissioner’s court in both Denton and Collin Counties. Democrat Dexter McCoy will also become the new County Judge in Fort Bend, the fastest growing county just outside Houston. And with three wins, Democrats will now control that commissioner’s court 5-3.

Texas Democrats also made one gain in their congressional delegation, overcoming a redistricting bill that was supposed to net Republicans five additional seats in the state. The aftershocks of the election wins were still dizzying for some in the following days. Speaking on a press call on Wednesday, Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said that the gains were made by fight and determination and spanned days, weeks, months and years. “These victories mark a decisive shift away from this culture of corruption that was created by Donald Trump and Greb Abbott and Ken Paxton, and towards policies that put everyday Texans first.”