2014 Texas gubernatorial election
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The 2014 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican governor Rick Perry, who had served since the resignation of then-Governor George W. Bush on December 21, 2000, declined to run for an unprecedented fourth full term, making this the first open election for governor of the state since 1990.
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November 4, 2014
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| Turnout | 33.7% (of registered voters) 25.0% (of voting age population)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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Davis: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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The election took place between nominees who were selected on March 4, 2014: Republican State Attorney General Greg Abbott and Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis. Also on the ballot were Libertarian Party candidate Kathie Glass[2] and Green Party candidate Brandon Parmer.[3] Abbott was projected to carry the election, and ultimately won handily with a 20.4 percentage point advantage.[4] As of 2022, this is the most recent gubernatorial election in which Bexar, Harris and Hays counties voted Republican and in which Frio, Jim Wells, and Val Verde counties voted Democratic. Exit polls showed Abbott winning Whites (72% to 25%), while Davis received majorities among African Americans (92% to 7%) and Hispanics (55% to 44%). Abbott won roughly half of Hispanic men, 54% of all women, and 62% of married women.[5]
Abbott took office on January 20, 2015, as the 48th governor of Texas.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Greg Abbott, attorney general of Texas[6]
- Lisa Fritsch, author and radio show host[7]
- Larry Kilgore, perennial candidate[8]
- Miriam Martinez, former Univision personality[9]
Withdrew
- Tom Pauken, former Texas Workforce Commissioner and former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas[10]
Declined
- David Dewhurst, lieutenant governor of Texas (ran for re-election and lost the party primary runoff)[11][12]
- Debra Medina, activist and candidate for governor of Texas in 2010 (running for Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts)[13][14]
- Rick Perry, incumbent governor of Texas[15]
Endorsements
Greg Abbott
Tom Pauken
Organizations
- Citizens for the Republic[18]
Individuals
- Mark Levin, talk radio host, lawyer, and author[19]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Greg Abbott |
Lisa Fritsch |
Larry Kilgore |
Miriam Martinez |
Tom Pauken |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoT/Texas Tribune[20] | February 7–17, 2014 | 461 | ± 4.56% | 90% | 4% | 1% | 5% | — | — | — |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[21] | October 18–27, 2013 | 519 | ± 5.02% | 50% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 2% | — | 42% |
| Texas Lyceum[22] | September 6–20, 2013 | 279 | ± 5.87% | 22% | — | 2% | 1% | 0% | — | 74% |
Hypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Rick Perry |
Greg Abbott |
Someone else | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 318 | ± ?% | 46% | 34% | — | 20% |
| 44% | — | 39% | 17% | ||||
| UoT/Texas Tribune[24] | May 31–June 9, 2013 | 492 | ± 5.27% | 45% | 19% | 11% | 25% |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[25] | February 15–24, 2013 | 549 | ± 4.18% | 49% | 17% | — | 31% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 47% | — | 41% | 13% |
| 41% | 38% | — | 20% | ||||
| Burnt Orange Report[27] | May 15–16, 2012 | 462 | ± 4.6% | 42% | 35% | 7% | 16% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Abbott | 1,224,014 | 91.48 | |
| Republican | Lisa Fritsch | 59,221 | 4.42 | |
| Republican | Miriam Martinez | 35,585 | 2.65 | |
| Republican | Larry Kilgore | 19,055 | 1.42 | |
| Total votes | 1,337,875 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Wendy Davis, state senator[29][30]
- Ray Madrigal, perennial candidate[31]
Declined
- Julian Castro, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former mayor of San Antonio[32]
- Kinky Friedman, singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist and independent candidate for governor in 2006 (candidate in May 27 runoff for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture)[33][34]
- Annise Parker, mayor of Houston[35]
- Mike Villarreal, state representative[36]
- Kirk Watson, state senator and former mayor of Austin[37]
- Bill White, former mayor of Houston and nominee for governor in 2010[38]
Endorsements
Wendy Davis
Politicians
- Julian Castro, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former mayor of San Antonio[39]
- Howard Dean, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, former governor of Vermont, candidate for president in 2004[40]
Organizations
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Wendy Davis |
Ray Madrigal |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoT/Texas Tribune[20] | February 7–17, 2014 | 263 | ± 6.04% | 87% | 13% | — | — |
Results
Davis—>90%
Davis—80–90%
Davis—70–80%
Davis—60–70%
Davis—50–60%
Tie
Madrigal—50–60%
Madrigal—60–70%
No vote
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wendy Davis | 432,595 | 78.08 | |
| Democratic | Ray Madrigal | 121,419 | 21.91 | |
| Total votes | 554,014 | 100 | ||
Libertarian nomination
Candidates
Declared
Withdrew
- Gene Chapman, candidate for president of the United States in 2008[47][48]
- R. Lee Wrights, vice chair of the Libertarian National Committee and candidate for president of the United States in 2012[49][50]
Results
Kathie Glass was nominated at the 2014 party convention.[2]
Green nomination
Candidates
Declared
- Brandon Parmer, candidate for Texas's 6th congressional district in 2012[51]
Independents
Candidates
Declared
- Sarah M. Pavitt, Army veteran and cousin of former SOCOM commander William H. McRaven; ran as a write-in candidate[52]
Declined
- Debra Medina, activist and Republican candidate for governor in 2010 (ran unsuccessfully for Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts)[53]
General election
Debates
The first of two confirmed gubernatorial debates between Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott took place at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance at 18:00 on Friday, September 19, co-hosted by KGBT-TV, The Monitor and KTLM-TV.[54] KGBT-TV posted the complete video online and can be viewed here.[55] The debate took place in Edinburg, Texas, and it gave both candidates an opportunity to appeal to the Hispanic community, a grouping seen by Reuters as an "increasingly important voting bloc in Texas."[56] The second debate took place on September 30 and was also posted online.
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[57] | Likely R | November 3, 2014 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[58] | Safe R | November 3, 2014 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[59] | Safe R | November 3, 2014 |
| Real Clear Politics[60] | Likely R | November 3, 2014 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Greg Abbott (R) |
Wendy Davis (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[61] | October 16–23, 2014 | 3,987 | ± 3% | 57% | 37% | 0% | 6% |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[62] | October 10–19, 2014 | 866 | ± 3.6% | 54% | 38% | 8%[63] | — |
| Survey Research Center[64] | September 22–October 16, 2014 | 781 | ± 3.5% | 47% | 32% | 2%[65] | 17% |
| Crosswind Communications[66] | October 9–12, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.33% | 52% | 31% | 0% | 16% |
| Rasmussen Reports[67] | October 1–2, 2014 | 840 | ± 3.5% | 51% | 40% | 3% | 7% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[68] | September 20–October 1, 2014 | 4,177 | ± 2% | 54% | 40% | 0% | 5% |
| Texas Lyceum[69] | September 11–25, 2014 | 666 | ± 3.8% | 49% | 40% | 4%[70] | 8% |
| Benenson*[71] | September 2–4, 2014 | 800 | ± 3.5% | 46% | 38% | — | 16% |
| WPA Opinion Research^[72] | September 3, 2014 | ? | ± ? | 53% | 35% | — | 12% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[73] | August 18–September 2, 2014 | 4,189 | ± 2% | 56% | 38% | 2% | 5% |
| Rasmussen Reports[74] | August 4–5, 2014 | 850 | ± 3.5% | 48% | 40% | 3% | 9% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[75] | July 5–24, 2014 | 4,320 | ± 3.7% | 54% | 37% | 1% | 9% |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[76] | May 30–June 8, 2014 | 1,200 | ± 2.83% | 44% | 32% | 7%[77] | 17% |
| Texas Tech University[78] | April 14–17, 2014 | 454 | ± 4.6% | 54% | 25% | 6% | 15% |
| Public Policy Polling[79] | April 10–13, 2014 | 559 | ± 4.1% | 51% | 37% | — | 13% |
| Emerson College[80] | March 7–12, 2014 | 494 | ± ? | 49% | 42% | — | 9% |
| Rasmussen Reports[81] | March 3–4, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 53% | 41% | 1% | 4% |
| UoT/Texas Tribune[20] | February 7–17, 2014 | 1,200 | ± 2.83% | 47% | 36% | — | 17% |
| Public Policy Polling[82] | November 1–4, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 50% | 35% | — | 15% |
| 47% | 37% | 9% | 8% | ||||
| UoT/Texas Tribune[21] | October 18–27, 2013 | 1,200 | ± 3.3% | 40% | 34% | — | 25% |
| 40% | 35% | 5%[83] | 20% | ||||
| Texas Lyceum[22] | September 6–20, 2013 | 798 | ± 3.47% | 29% | 21% | — | 50% |
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 48% | 40% | — | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 46% | 34% | — | 20% |
Hypothetical polling
With Castro
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Greg Abbott (R) |
Julian Castro (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 48% | 34% | — | 18% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 46% | 36% | — | 18% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Rick Perry (R) |
Julian Castro (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 50% | 43% | — | 8% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 47% | 42% | — | 11% |
With Davis
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Tom Pauken (R) |
Wendy Davis (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoT/Texas Tribune[21] | October 18–27, 2013 | 1,200 | ± 3.3% | 34% | 38% | — | 28% |
| 33% | 36% | 6% | 25% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Rick Perry (R) |
Wendy Davis (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 53% | 39% | — | 8% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 47% | 41% | — | 13% |
With Parker
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Greg Abbott (R) |
Annise Parker (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 50% | 31% | — | 20% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 47% | 35% | — | 18% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Rick Perry (R) |
Annise Parker (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 52% | 35% | — | 13% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 47% | 40% | — | 13% |
With White
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Greg Abbott (R) |
Bill White (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 48% | 36% | — | 16% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 46% | 39% | — | 15% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Rick Perry (R) |
Bill White (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[23] | June 28–July 1, 2013 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 50% | 40% | — | 10% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | January 24–27, 2013 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 44% | 47% | — | 9% |
- * Poll for the Wendy Davis campaign
- ^ Poll for the Greg Abbott campaign
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Abbott | 2,796,547 | 59.27% |  4.30 | |
| Democratic | Wendy Davis | 1,835,596 | 38.90% |  3.40 | |
| Libertarian | Kathie Glass | 66,543 | 1.41% | 0.78 | |
| Green | Brandon Parmer | 18,520 | 0.39% | 0.00 | |
| Independent | Sarah M. Pavitt (write-in) | 1,062 | 0.02% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 4,718,268 | 100.0% | |||
| Majority | 960,951 | 20.37% | 7.70 | ||
| Turnout | 4,718,268 | 38.38% | 5.41 | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Bexar (largest city: San Antonio)
- Culberson (largest municipality: Van Horn)
- Falls (largest city: Marlin)
- Foard (largest city: Crowell)
- Harris (largest community: Houston)
- Kleberg (largest municipality: Kingsville)
- La Salle (largest municipality: Cotulla)
- Reeves (largest municipality: Pecos)
- Trinity (largest city: Trinity)
By congressional district
Abbott won 25 of 36 congressional districts.[85][b]