Today is Election Day with polls opening at 7 a.m. and closing tonight at 7 p.m (anyone in line at 7 p.m. can cast their vote). It is expected the statewide results will be solidified earlier this evening while some local races may take longer to develop. Some competitive races identified by various insiders include CD 23 between Democratic Incumbent Pete Gallego and GOP challenger Will Hurd; SD 10 between Konni Burton (R) and Libby Willis (D); and HD 23 between Wayne Faircloth (R) and Susan Criss (D).
The makeup of the 84th Legislature has already begun to take shape with anticipation that the results from the elections today will firm up some final details.
We know the membership of the Texas Senate will include at least seven freshmen. Two senators were defeated in primaries and another five either retired or ran for higher office. Two more freshmen could be added to that number if Sen. Glenn Hegar wins his race for Comptroller and if Sen. Leticia Van de Putte wins her race for Lieutenant Governor. Senate membership will also include five second-term senators and two third-term senators. The number of freshmen could also increase based on the outcomes of the six races in which incumbents are facing major-party challengers.
The Senate body will also include three members of the 83rd Legislature House of Representatives. Rep. Van Taylor ran unopposed for Sen. Ken Paxton’s seat, Rep. Charles Perry won a special election to fill Sen. Robert Duncan’s seat, and Rep. Brandon Creighton won the special election to fill Sen. Tommy Williams' seat. If Hegar and Van de Putte win their respective races, special elections will be called to fill those vacant seats.
The current partisan makeup of the Senate is 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Sources expect that this number will increase for Republicans with one seat switching over.
The membership of the Texas House will include at least 23 freshmen. Nine House members were defeated in primaries and another 14 either retired or ran for higher office. House membership will also include 40 second-term members and 17 third-term members. The number of freshmen in the House could also increase based on the outcomes of the 34 races in which incumbents are facing major-party challengers.
There could also be special elections in-store for the House of Representatives. Rep. Mike Villarreal is running for Mayor of San Antonio. If he wins a special election will be necessary. If Hegar or Van de Putte win their races for statewide office and special elections are called to fill those seats, members of the House could run necessitating additional special elections to fill their House seats if any of them were to be successful in their bids.
The current partisan makeup of the House is 95 Republicans and 55 Democrats. Sources believe Republicans could increase their lead in the House with one or two seats switching from Democrat to Republican.
