2014 Texas elections
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elections were held in Texas on November 4, 2014. All of Texas's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, and all of Texas's thirty-six seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on March 4, 2014. Primary runoffs, required if no candidate wins a majority of the vote, were held on May 27, 2014. Elections were also held for the Texas legislature and proposition 1, seeking funds for Texas highways (which passed).
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November 4, 2014
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A combination of retirements, incumbents seeking other offices and a primary defeat means that after the election, for the first time since 1874, all of Texas's executive offices were held by new officeholders.
The Tea Party made large gains in the 2014 elections, with Tea Party-backed candidates being elected into offices such as lieutenant governor and attorney general, among other offices.[1][2][3]
Governor
Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry, who has served in the office since December 21, 2000, when George W. Bush resigned ahead of being sworn in as President of the United States, has announced that he will not run for a fourth full term as governor. This will be the first open election for governor since 1990, when Ann Richards was elected.
Greg Abbott won the Republican primary, Wendy Davis won the Democratic primary. Kathie Glass won the Libertarian Party of Texas nomination in convention. They and a Green candidate will contest the general election.
Abbott won the general election, defeating Davis by twenty points.
Lieutenant governor
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst ran for an unprecedented fourth term, but was defeated in the Republican primary by his more conservative opponent, state senator Dan Patrick. Patrick would go on to win the general election in a landslide over Leticia Van de Putte. Patrick was sworn in on January 20, 2015.
Attorney General
Incumbent Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott was eligible to seek re-election to a fourth term, but instead decided to run for governor. Republican state senator Ken Paxton defeated Democratic attorney Sam Houston with 58.81% of the vote.
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Incumbent Republican Comptroller Susan Combs retired and did not seek a third term in office.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Glenn Hegar, state senator[4]
- Harvey Hilderbran, state representative[5]
- Debra Medina, activist and candidate for governor in 2010[6]
- Raul Torres, former state representative[7]
Declined
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Glenn Hegar |
Harvey Hilderbran |
Debra Medina |
Raul Torres |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoT/Texas Tribune[9] | February 7–17, 2014 | 461 | ±4.56% | 24% | 26% | 39% | 11% | — | — |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[10] | October 18–27, 2013 | 519 | ±5.02% | 4% | 2% | 14% | 5% | — | 75% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Hegar | 612,269 | 49.99 | |
| Republican | Harvey Hilderbran | 318,899 | 26.04 | |
| Republican | Debra Medina | 236,531 | 19.31 | |
| Republican | Raul Torres | 56,937 | 4.64 | |
| Total votes | 1,224,636 | 100 | ||
A runoff was to be held, but with Hegar only narrowly below the 50% threshold and with several thousand provisional and overseas ballots to be counted, Hildebran withdrew on March 7, 2014, and endorsed Hegar.[12] When the final results were released, Hegar had come only 50 votes short of winning the primary outright.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Mike Collier, businessman and accountant[13]
Libertarian nomination
Candidates
Declared
- Ben Sanders[14]
Green nomination
Candidates
Declared
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Glenn Hegar (R) |
Mike Collier (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoT/Texas Tribune[15] | October 10–19, 2014 | 866 | ± 3.6% | 49% | 34% | 17%[16] | — |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[17] | May 30–June 8, 2014 | 1,200 | ± 2.83% | 32% | 25% | 7%[18] | 37% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Hegar | 2,692,803 | 58.36 | |
| Democratic | Mike Collier | 1,739,308 | 37.69 | |
| Libertarian | Ben Sanders | 136,969 | 2.96 | |
| Green | Deb Shafto | 44,924 | 0.97 | |
| Majority | 953,495 | 20.67% | ||
| Total votes | 4,614,004 | 100 | ||
| Turnout | 32.89 | |||
| Republican hold | ||||
Commissioner of the General Land Office
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 County results Bush: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Cook: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Commissioner Jerry E. Patterson did not run for re-election to a fourth term. He instead ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- George P. Bush, attorney, U.S. Navy Reserve officer and son of former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush[20]
- David Watts, businessman, author, preacher and flight instructor[21]
Declined
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George P. Bush | 937,987 | 72.99 | |
| Republican | David Watts | 346,949 | 27.00 | |
| Total votes | 1,284,936 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
Libertarian nomination
Candidates
Declared
Withdrew
- Ed Tidwell, Lago Vista City Councilman[24]
Knight won the Libertarian nomination
Green nomination
Candidates
Declared
- Ulises Cabrera[14]
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
George P. Bush (R) |
John Cook (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoT/Texas Tribune[15] | October 10–19, 2014 | 866 | ± 3.6% | 50% | 32% | 17%[25] | — |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[17] | May 30–June 8, 2014 | 1,200 | ± 2.83% | 36% | 25% | 9%[26] | 30% |
| Public Policy Polling[27] | April 10–13, 2014 | 559 | ± 4.1% | 50% | 32% | — | 18% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George P. Bush | 2,821,359 | 60.68 | |
| Democratic | John Cook | 1,641,858 | 35.31 | |
| Libertarian | Justin Knight | 126,203 | 2.71 | |
| Green | Valerie Alessi | 59,992 | 1.29 | |
| Majority | 1,179,501 | 25.37% | ||
| Total votes | 4,649,412 | 100 | ||
| Turnout | 33.14 | |||
| Republican hold | ||||
Commissioner of Agriculture
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 County results Miller: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Hogan: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Commissioner Todd Staples did not run for re-election to a third term. He instead ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. On September 18, he announced that he would resign within the next two months, to become President of the Texas Oil and Gas Association.[28]
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- J. Allen Carnes, Mayor of Uvalde[29]
- Joe Cotten, candidate for Railroad Commission of Texas in 2012[30]
- Tommy Merritt, former state representative[31]
- Sid Miller, former state representative[32]
- Eric Opiela, attorney, rancher and former executive director of the Republican Party of Texas[33]
Withdrew
- Brandon Creighton, state representative (running for the state senate)[32]
Declined
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sid Miller | 411,560 | 34.56 | |
| Republican | Tommy Merritt | 249,440 | 20.94 | |
| Republican | Eric Opiela | 207,222 | 17.40 | |
| Republican | Joe Cotten | 174,348 | 14.64 | |
| Republican | J. Allen Carnes | 148,222 | 12.44 | |
| Total votes | 1,190,792 | 100 | ||
Runoff
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sid Miller | 362,573 | 53.08 | |
| Republican | Tommy Merritt | 320,434 | 46.92 | |
| Total votes | 683,007 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Hugh Fitzsimons, rancher and former member of the Winter Garden Water Conservation District[36]
- Kinky Friedman, singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist and Independent candidate for Governor in 2006[37]
- Jim Hogan, farmer and insurance agent[38]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Hogan | 190,090 | 38.74 | |
| Democratic | Kinky Friedman | 185,180 | 37.74 | |
| Democratic | Hugh Fitzsimons | 115,395 | 23.51 | |
| Total votes | 490,665 | 100 | ||
Runoff
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Hogan | 105,763 | 53.71 | |
| Democratic | Kinky Friedman | 91,154 | 46.29 | |
| Total votes | 196,917 | 100 | ||
Libertarian nomination
Candidates
Declared
Palmquist won the Libertarian nomination.
Green nomination
Candidates
Declared
- Kenneth Kendrick, food safety advocate and whistleblower[14]
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sid Miller (R) |
Jim Hogan (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoT/Texas Tribune[15] | October 10–19, 2014 | 866 | ± 3.6% | 47% | 35% | 18%[40] | — |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[17] | May 30–June 8, 2014 | 1,200 | ± 2.83% | 32% | 24% | 9%[41] | 34% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sid Miller | 2,693,466 | 58.58 | |
| Democratic | Jim Hogan | 1,694,059 | 36.84 | |
| Libertarian | David "Rocky" Palmquist | 132,299 | 2.87 | |
| Green | Kenneth Kendrick | 77,416 | 1.68 | |
| Majority | 999,407 | 21.74% | ||
| Total votes | 4,597,240 | 100 | ||
| Turnout | 32.77 | |||
| Republican hold | ||||
Railroad Commissioner
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 County results Christian: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Brown: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Tie: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Commissioner Barry Smitherman did not run for re-election to a full term. He instead ran unsuccessfully for attorney general.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Becky Berger, geologist and candidate for the Railroad Commission in 2012[42]
- Malachi Boyuls, attorney and venture capitalist[43]
- Wayne Christian, former state representative[44]
- Ryan Sitton, oil and gas engineer and candidate for the Texas House of Representatives in 2012[45]
Withdrew
- Stefani Carter, state representative (running for re-election)[46][14]
- Ray Keller, former state representative[47][14]
- Joe Pool Jr., candidate for Texas Supreme Court Justice Place 4 in 2012 and son of former U.S. Representative Joe R. Pool[45][14]
Declined
- Barry Smitherman, Chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas[48]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Wayne Christian | 503,634 | 42.68 | |
| Republican | Ryan Sitton | 360,125 | 30.52 | |
| Republican | Becky Berger | 198,672 | 16.83 | |
| Republican | Malachi Boyuls | 117,511 | 9.95 | |
| Total votes | 1,179,942 | 100 | ||
Runoff
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ryan Sitton | 398,652 | 57.25 | |
| Republican | Wayne Christian | 297,654 | 42.75 | |
| Total votes | 696,306 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Steve Brown, former chairman of the Fort Bend County Democratic Party[49]
- Dale Henry, perennial candidate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Steve Brown | 299,009 | 64.02 | |
| Democratic | Dale Henry | 168,036 | 35.97 | |
| Total votes | 467,045 | 100 | ||
Libertarian nomination
Candidates
Declared
Miller won the Libertarian nomination.
Green nomination
Candidates
Declared
- Martina Salinas[14]
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Ryan Sitton (R) |
Steve Brown (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoT/Texas Tribune[15] | October 10–19, 2014 | 866 | ± 3.6% | 48% | 34% | 19%[50] | — |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[17] | May 30–June 8, 2014 | 1,200 | ± 2.83% | 32% | 24% | 10%[51] | 33% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ryan Sitton | 2,679,537 | 58.27 | |
| Democratic | Steve Brown | 1,679,658 | 36.52 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Miller | 145,127 | 3.15 | |
| Green | Kenneth Kendrick | 93,988 | 2.04 | |
| Majority | 999,879 | 21.74% | ||
| Total votes | 4,598,310 | 100 | ||
| Turnout | 32.78 | |||
| Republican hold | ||||
Texas Legislature
Every seat in the Texas House of Representatives and about half of the seats in the Texas Senate were up for election.
Texas House of Representatives
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| Before 2014 elections | 95 | 55 | 150 | 0 |
| Voting share | 63% | 37% | ||
| After 2014 elections | 98 | 52 | 150 | 0 |
| Voting share | 65% | 35% | ||
Texas Senate
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| Before 2014 elections | 19 | 12 | 31 | 0 |
| Voting share | 61% | 39% | ||
| After 2014 elections | 20 | 11 | 31 | 0 |
| Voting share | 65% | 35% | ||
United States Senate
Incumbent Republican senator and Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn ran for re-election to a third term.[52] He won the Republican primary with 59% of the vote, easily turning back a primary challenge from U.S. Representative Steve Stockman and six others. The Democratic primary went to a runoff after businessman David Alameel took 47% of the vote and Worldwide LaRouche Youth Movement activist Kesha Rogers took 22% of the vote. Alameel won the runoff.
In the general election, Cornyn defeated Alameel 61.6%–34.4%.[53]
United States House of Representatives
All of Texas's thirty-six seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2014.