Texas held its general election on November 5, 2024, deciding 165 legislative seats and the office of Railroad Commissioner. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- South Texas kept moving right and took the Legislature with it: Republicans flipped two open Democratic border seats to reach 88 of 150 in the House, and unseated the only Democratic senator in a competitive district to reach 20 of 31 in the Senate.
- The House gains gave Gov. Greg Abbott (R) more than enough votes, in his words, to pass the school voucher bill that had stalled in 2023. The enlarged, more conservative caucus also ended Speaker Dade Phelan's tenure: he withdrew in December, and in January the House elected Dustin Burrows (R) over the caucus-endorsed David Cook with Democratic votes. Former Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin (R) won House District 80, the seat Rep. Tracy King (D) retired from, and Denise Villalobos (R) beat Solomon Ortiz Jr. (D) for Corpus Christi's House District 34, open after Rep. Abel Herrero (D) retired. Democrats held the border seats they were most worried about, including Rep. Eddie Morales (D) in House District 74.
- The only competitive Senate seat went to the Republicans: Adam Hinojosa (R) defeated Sen. Morgan LaMantia (D) in Senate District 27 by about a point, two years after losing to her by 659 votes, and became the first Republican to represent a Rio Grande Valley Senate district since Reconstruction.
- Across the 165 legislative races, 1 incumbent was defeated and 59 seats drew a single candidate. Our tally lists 4 seats as changing parties, one more than the three real pickups. The extra one is Houston's House District 146, which stayed Democratic with Lauren Simmons (D): its outgoing member switched to the Republican Party after losing the May Democratic runoff, so on paper the seat changed hands twice.
Legislature
- House (150 seats): 64 D, 86 R before the election, 62 D, 87 R, 1 other or vacant after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (31 seats): 12 D, 19 R before the election, 12 D, 18 R, 1 other or vacant after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
| Race | Winner | Others | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Railroad Commissioner | Christi Craddick (R) 55.62% | Katherine Culbert (D) 38.99%, Eddie Espinoza (G) 2.75% |