2010 Texas elections
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elections were held in Texas on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary elections were held on March 2, 2010.
 | |
November 2, 2010
| |
|
|
The Republican Party continued its dominance over Texas politics, maintaining control of all statewide offices and increasing its majorities in both chambers of the Texas Legislature. The GOP also picked up control of three additional seats in the United States House of Representatives.
Federal
United States House of Representatives
All 32 Texas seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2010.
State
Governor
Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry ran for re-election against Democratic challenger and former mayor of Houston Bill White and several third-party candidates, and won.
Lieutenant governor
Former Texas State Senate President, [1]Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst ran for re-election and won.
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 90–100%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
Attorney general
Incumbent Republican Greg Abbott ran for re-election as Texas Attorney General against Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky and Libertarian candidate Jon Roland, and won.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Incumbent Republican Commissioner Todd Staples successfully ran for re-election to a second term.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Todd Staples, incumbent commissioner of agriculture
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Staples (incumbent) | 1,110,353 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 1,110,353 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Hank Gilbert, cattle rancher, nominee for the same office in 2006[3]
- Kinky Friedman, musician, novelist, and candidate for governor in 2006[4]
- Gilbert: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 100%
Friedman: 50–60% 60–70%
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Hank Gilbert | 311,087 | 52.31% | |
| Democratic | Kinky Friedman | 283,614 | 47.69% | |
| Total votes | 594,701 | 100.0% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Staples (incumbent) | 2,953,775 | 60.82% | ||
| Democratic | Hank Gilbert | 1,738,456 | 35.80% | ||
| Libertarian | Rick Donaldson | 164,035 | 3.38% | ||
| Total votes | 4,856,266 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 90–100%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
Comptroller of Public Accounts
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 90–100%
Land Commissioner
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 90–100%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Railroad Commissioner
| |||||||||||||||||
November 4, 2008
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Incumbent commissioner Victor G. Carrillo lost the Republican primary to David J. Porter,[2] who defeated Democratic candidate Jeff Weems in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David J. Porter | 2,880,765 | 59.41 | ||
| Democratic | Jeff Weems | 1,757,183 | 36.24 | ||
| Libertarian | Roger Gary | 138,978 | 2.87 | ||
| Green | Art Browning | 72,291 | 1.49 | ||
| Total votes | 4,849,217 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Legislative elections
Texas House of Representatives
All 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives were up for election in 2010. The GOP captured 99 seats (a record), including 22 that were held by Democrats after the 2008 Texas House of Representatives election. This left the Democrats with 51 seats. Edmund Kuempel, the incumbent GOP candidate for District 44 seat, subsequently died; the seat was filled by special election on December 14 and won by his son, John, also a Republican. Also on December 14, two Democrats (Allan Ritter and Aaron Peña) announced they were switching parties and joining the Republicans, thus giving the GOP 101 seats, and a 2/3 majority in the House, giving them considerable leverage.[7][8] Under Texas law, any bill which passes with 2/3 of both legislative chambers can become effective immediately upon the governor's signature (otherwise a bill does not become effective until September 1, the start of Texas' fiscal year). This also meant that the Democrats could not quorum bust, or deprive the House of the 2/3 of members required for operation.[9]
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| Beginning of the 81st legislature | 76 | 74 | 150 | 0 |
| Before 2010 elections | 77 | 72 | 149 | 1 |
| Voting share | 51% | 48% | ||
| After 2010 elections | 99 | 51 | 150 | 0 |
| Beginning of the 82nd legislature | 101 | 49 | 150 | 0 |
| Voting share | 67% | 33% | ||
Texas Senate
Approximately half of the 31 seats of the Texas Senate were up for election in 2010.
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| Before 2010 elections | 19 | 12 | 31 | 0 |
| Voting share | 61% | 39% | ||
| After 2010 elections | 19 | 12 | 31 | 0 |
| Voting share | 61% | 39% | ||
Judicial positions
Multiple judicial positions were up for election in 2010, including three justices on the Texas Supreme Court.
Candidates for Dallas County Court Criminal Court No. 8 were:
- Deandra Grant (Republican)[10]
- Tina Yoo (Democrat; currently known as Tina Yoo Clinton)[11]
Ballot measures
There are no statewide ballot measures in Texas in 2010.
Local
Many elections for county and city offices were also held on November 2, 2010.