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Texas gubernatorial election, 2014

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Texas Gubernatorial Election
Primary Date:
March 4, 2014
General Election Date:
November 4, 2014
November 4 Election Winner:
Greg AbbottRepublican Party
Incumbent prior to election:
Rick PerryRepublican Party
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TheTexas gubernatorial election took place onNovember 4, 2014. IncumbentRick Perry (R) was eligible for re-election in 2014 but announced on July 8, 2013, that he would not seek re-election.[1]

The race to replace Perry in the governor's mansion includedAttorney General Greg Abbott (R),state Sen. Wendy Davis,Libertarian Party candidateKathie Glass andGreen Party candidateBrandon Parmer. Abbottwon election to a four-year term in office. Supporters of Abbott and Davisspent more than $5 million on ads during a two-week period in September alone. Abbott held a steady lead in polls taken throughout the summer and fall, as detailed in thepolls section. Republicans had held the officesince 1995 and Rick Perry had won three elections in a row as shown in thepast elections section.

Aprimary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes anopen primary system. State law requires voters to sign the following pledge before voting in a primary: "I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year."[2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.

Candidates

Democratic PartyWendy Davis -State Senator[3]
Republican PartyGreg Abbott -Texas Attorney General[4][5][6]Green check mark transparent.png
Libertarian PartyKathie Glass - Houston lawyer and 2010 gubernatorial candidate[7][8]
Green PartyBrandon Parmer[9]

Lost primary or at convention

Democratic PartyReynaldo "Ray" Madrigal[10]
Republican PartySECEDE Kilgore - Conservative Activist and Telecommunications Worker[11]
Republican PartyMiriam Martinez - Media personality, former Texas House candidate.[12]
Republican PartyLisa Fritsch - Author and conservative radio host[13]
Libertarian PartyLee Wrights - Libertarian activist, writer and editor[14][8]
Libertarian PartyRobert J. Bell[15][8]
Libertarian PartyStar Locke[15][8]

Withdrew

Republican PartyTom Pauken - FormerTexas Workforce Commissioner and stateRepublican Party Chairman[16][17]
Libertarian PartyGene Chapman - Gandhian Minister, Anti-Tax Activist and '08 Presidential Candidate[18][19]
Libertarian PartyRobert Lynn Garett[15]

Declined to run

Republican PartyRick Perry -Incumbent[20]
IndependentDebra Medina - Tea Party activist[21]

Results

General election

Governor of Texas, 2014
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngGreg Abbott59.3%2,796,547
    DemocraticWendy Davis38.9%1,835,596
    LibertarianKathie Glass1.4%66,543
    GreenBrandon Parmer0.4%18,520
    Write-in Sarah Pavitt0%1,062
Total Votes4,718,268
Election results viaTexas Secretary of State

Primary election

Republican primary

Texas Gubernatorial Republican Primary, 2014
CandidateVote %Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngGreg Abbott91.5%1,224,014
Lisa Fritsch4.4%59,221
Miriam Martinez2.7%35,585
SECEDE Kilgore1.4%19,055
Total Votes1,337,875
Election results viaTexas Secretary of State.

Democratic primary

Texas Gubernatorial Democratic Primary, 2014
CandidateVote %Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngWendy Davis78.1%432,595
Reynaldo "Ray" Madrigal21.9%121,419
Total Votes554,014
Election results viaTexas Secretary of State.


Polls

General election

General election
All candidates

Governor of Texas
PollGreg Abbott (R)Wendy Davis (D)Brandon Parmer (G)Kathie Glass (L)UndecidedMargin of errorSample size
University of Texas/Texas Tribune
October 10-19, 2014		54%38%6%2%0%+/-3.33866
KHOU-TV/Houston Public Media
September 22-October 16, 2014		47%32%1.4%0.7%17%+/-3.5781
AVERAGES 50.5% 35% 3.7% 1.35% 8.5% +/-3.42 823.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Major-party candidates

Governor of Texas
PollGreg Abbott (R)Wendy Davis (D)Other/Don't Know/NAMargin of errorSample size
New York Times/CBS News/YouGov
October 16-23, 2014
57%37%6%+/-33,987
Rasmussen Reports
October 1-2, 2014
51%40%10%+/-3.5840
YouGov
August 18-September2, 2014
56%38%6%+/-24,189
Rasmussen Reports
August4-5, 2014
48%40%12%+/-3.5850
YouGov
July 5-24, 2014
54%37%9%+/-04,320
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll
May 30 - June 8, 2014
44%32%24%+/-2.831,200
Public Policy Polling
April 10-13, 2014
51%37%13%+/-4.1559
Emerson College Polling Society
March 7-12, 2014
49%42%9%+/-4.4404
Rasmussen Reports
March 3-4, 2014
53%41%5%+/-4.5500
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll
February 7-17, 2014
47%36%17%+/-3.281,200
Public Policy Polling
November 1-4, 2013
50%35%15%+/-4.4500
Texas Lyceum Poll
September 6-20, 2013
29%21%50%+/-3.47798
AVERAGES 49.08% 36.33% 14.67% +/-3.25 1,612.25
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Hypothetical match-ups

Governor of Texas
PollGreg Abbott (R)Wendy Davis (D)Kathie Glass (L)Don't Know/NAMargin of errorSample size
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll
October 18-27, 2013
40%35%5%20%+/-3.331,200
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
Governor of Texas
PollGreg Abbott (R)Wendy Davis (D)Debra Medina (I)Don't Know/NAMargin of errorSample size
Public Policy Polling
November 1-4, 2013
47%37%9%8%+/-4.4500
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.


Primary election

Governor of Texas - Republican Primary
PollGreg AbbottMiriam MartinezLisa FritschSECEDE KilgoreMargin of errorSample size
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll
February 7-17, 2014
88%5%5%2%+/-5.37543
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
Governor of Texas - Republican Primary
PollGreg AbbottLisa FritschTom PaukenMiriam MartinezLarry KilgoreDon't KnowMargin of errorSample size
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll
October 18-27, 2013
50%3%2%2%1%42%+/-5.021,200
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Democratic primary

Governor of Texas - Democratic Primary
PollWendy DavisRay MadrigalMargin of errorSample size
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll
February 7-17, 2014
85%15%+/-6.06381
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign media

General election

Greg Abbott

Greg Abbott ad: Wendy Davis: Unethical and Unfit for Texas
Greg Abbott ad: Wendy Davis: Just Like Obama
Greg Abbott ad: Who Wants to Be Texas Governor?

Wendy Davis

Wendy Davis ad: Justice

Primary election

Wendy Davis

Ad spending

The Wesleyan Media Project published a report on September 30, 2014, highlighting spending on gubernatorial races from September 12-25. This report found that Democratic and Republican groups spent a total of $46.84 million on TV ads in 15 states with gubernatorial elections. The following chart details the group's findings, including spending amounts and number of ads:[22]

Note: Abolded number indicates the highest total for this category. A number initalics is the lowest total for this category.

Spending on TV ads, September 12-25, 2014
StateTotal # of ads% Democratic-leaning ads% GOP-leaning adsTotal spending-Democratic leaning (in millions of $)Total spending-GOP leaning (in millions of $)
Colorado2,46083.116.91.350.39
Connecticut2,31261.738.31.480.89
Florida20,11138.561.54.076.64
Georgia4,62551.148.91.430.99
Illinois7,79363.536.54.173.5
Iowa2,13447.552.50.250.38
Kansas5,02445.754.30.851.17
Maine3,28142.357.70.460.32
Michigan6,76733.966.11.142.3
Minnesota1,97483.916.10.650.29
New York4,92661392.180.88
Pennsylvania3,26350.949.11.581.23
South Carolina2,88339.160.90.330.38
Texas10,33033.466.62.242.93
Wisconsin7,37463.336.71.361.01
TOTALS85,25748.251.823.5423.3

Past elections

2010

Governor of Texas, 2010
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngRick PerryIncumbent55%2,737,481
    DemocraticBill White42.3%2,106,395
    LibertarianKathie Glass2.2%109,211
    GreenDeb Shafto0.4%19,516
    Write-In Andy Barron0.1%7,267
Total Votes4,979,870
Election results viaTexas Secretary of State

2006

Governor of Texas, 2006
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngRick PerryIncumbent39%1,716,792
    Democratic Chris Bell29.8%1,310,337
    Libertarian James Werner0.6%26,749
    IndependentRichard "Kinky" Friedman12.4%547,674
    Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn18.1%796,851
    Write-In James "Patriot" Dillon0%713
Total Votes4,399,116
Election results viaTexas Secretary of State

2002

On November 5, 2002,Rick Perry won re-election to the office of Governor of Texas. He defeated Tony Sanchez, Jeff Daiell, Rahul Mahajan, Elaine Eure Henderson and Earl W. (Bill) O'Neil in the general election.

Governor of Texas, 2002
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngRick PerryIncumbent57.8%2,632,591
    Democratic Tony Sanchez40%1,819,798
    Libertarian Jeff Daiell1.5%66,720
    Green Rahul Mahajan0.7%32,187
    Write-In Elaine Eure Henderson0%1,715
    Write-In Earl W. (Bill) O'Neil0%976
Total Votes4,553,987
Election results viaTexas Secretary of State.

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[23] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[24]

Quick facts

  • According toPBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[25]
  • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia did not surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
  • The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis wereTexas (28.3 percent),Tennessee (28.6 percent), andIndiana (28.8 percent).
  • Maine (58.5 percent),Wisconsin (56.5 percent), andColorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
  • Twelve states increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[26]
Voter turnout rates, 2014
StateTotal votes counted% voter eligible populationTop statewide office up for electionSize of lead (Raw votes)Size of lead (%)
Alabama1,191,27433.2Governor320,31927.2
Alaska285,43154.4Governor4,0041.6
Arizona1,537,67134.1Governor143,95112.5
Arkansas852,64240.1Governor118,66414.0
California7,513,97230.8Governor1,065,74817.8
Colorado2,080,07154.5Governor50,3952.4
Connecticut1,096,50942.5Governor26,6032.5
Delaware234,03834.4Attorney General31,15513.6
District of Columbia177,17635.8Mayor27,93419.0
Florida6,026,80243.3Governor66,1271.1
Georgia2,596,94738.5Governor202,6858.0
Hawaii369,55436.5Governor45,32312.4
Idaho445,30739.6Governor65,85214.9
Illinois3,680,41740.9Governor171,9004.9
Indiana1,387,62228.8Secretary of State234,97817.8
Iowa1,142,28450.2Governor245,54821.8
Kansas887,02343.4Governor33,0523.9
Kentucky1,435,86844.0U.S. Senate222,09615.5
Louisiana1,472,03943.8U.S. Senate16,4011.1
Maine616,99658.5Governor29,8204.9
Maryland1,733,17741.5Governor88,6486.1
Massachusetts2,186,78944.6Governor40,3611.9
Michigan3,188,95643.2Governor129,5474.3
Minnesota1,992,61350.5Governor109,7765.6
Mississippi631,85828.9U.S. Senate141,23433.0
Missouri1,426,30331.8Auditor684,07453.6
Montana373,83147.3U.S. Senate65,26217.9
Nebraska552,11541.5Governor97,67818.7
Nevada547,34929.0Governor255,79346.7
New Hampshire495,56548.4Governor24,9245.2
New Jersey1,955,04232.5N/AN/AN/A
New Mexico512,80535.7Governor73,86814.6
New York3,930,31029.0Governor476,25213.4
North Carolina2,939,76741.2U.S. Senate48,5111.7
North Dakota255,12845.0U.S. House At-large seat42,21417.1
Ohio3,149,87636.2Governor933,23530.9
Oklahoma824,83129.8Governor122,06014.7
Oregon1,541,78253.5Governor59,0294.5
Pennsylvania3,495,86636.0Governor339,2619.8
Rhode Island329,21242.2Governor14,3464.5
South Carolina1,261,61135.2Governor179,08914.6
South Dakota282,29144.9Governor124,86545.1
Tennessee1,374,06528.6Governor642,21447.5
Texas4,727,20828.3Governor957,97320.4
Utah577,97330.2Attorney General173,81935.2
Vermont193,08738.8Governor2,0951.1
Virginia2,194,34636.6U.S. Senate16,7270.8
Washington2,123,90143.1N/AN/AN/A
West Virginia451,49831.2U.S. Senate124,66727.6
Wisconsin2,410,31456.5Governor137,6075.7
Wyoming168,39039.3Governor52,70333.6

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$51,708,295 during the election. This information was last updated on April 8, 2015.[27]

Campaign Contribution Totals
CandidateOfficeResultContributions
Greg AbbottRepublican PartyTexas GovernorWon$47,464,245
Wendy DavisDemocratic PartyTexas GovernorDefeated$4,034,013
Lisa FritschRepublican PartyTexas GovernorDefeated$128,063
Kathie GlassLibertarian PartyTexas GovernorDefeated$78,124
Larry KilgoreRepublican PartyTexas GovernorDefeated$3,850
Miriam MartinezDemocratic PartyTexas GovernorDefeated$0
Ray MadrigalDemocratic PartyTexas GovernorDefeated$0
Sarah PavittGrey.pngTexas GovernorDefeated$0
Brandon ParmerGreen PartyTexas GovernorDefeated$0
Grand Total Raised$51,708,295

Key deadlines

DeadlineEvent
December 9, 2013Filing deadline for candidates
March 4, 2014Primary election
May 27, 2014Primary run-off election
November 4, 2014General election
January 20, 2015Inauguration

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Texas + Governor + elections"

See also

External links

Additional reading

Footnotes

  1. ↑USA Today, "Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he won't run again," July 8, 2013
  2. ↑Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Tex. Election Code Ann. § 172.086," accessed December 23, 2025
  3. ↑Washington Post, "Wendy Davis announces run for Texas governor," October 3, 2013
  4. ↑Associated Press, "Dad: George P. Bush eyeing Texas land commissioner," November 14, 2012(dead link)
  5. ↑National Journal, "Report: Abbott to run for Texas governor," January 11, 2013
  6. ↑ Houston Chronicle, "AG Abbott formally kicks off gubernatorial bid," July 14, 2013
  7. ↑Statesman, "Year of the Women? Will Greg Abbott face Wendy Davis, Kathie Glass and Debra Medina in 2014?" October 1, 2013
  8. ↑8.08.18.28.3Independent Political Report, "Texas, Wisconsin Libertarian Conventions This Weekend," 4/11/2014
  9. ↑Green Party of Texas, "Press Release: 50 Candidates File to Run as Greens in Texas," December 10, 2013
  10. ↑Star-Telegram, "2014 campaign now off and running in Texas," November 9, 2013
  11. ↑My San Antonio, "Secession succeeds — as a talking point," November 24, 2012
  12. ↑Valley Morning Star, "Miriam Martinez says she’ll run for governor," January 22, 2013
  13. ↑Dallas Morning News, "Tea party activist jumps into GOP contest for governor in Texas," October 8, 2013
  14. ↑Examiner, "Lee Wrights announces for Libertarian governor in Grapevine," October 31, 2013
  15. ↑15.015.115.2Libertarian Party of Texas, " 2014 Texas statewide offices," accessed December 10, 2013
  16. ↑The Dallas Morning News, "Former Texas GOP Chairman Tom Pauken to run for governor," March 21, 2013
  17. ↑Dallas Morning News, "Tom Pauken withdraws from GOP governor’s race," December 5, 2013
  18. ↑Dalhart Texan, "Chapman for Governor," July 2013
  19. ↑Very Good Citizenship Today, "Chapman Withdraws from Texas Gubernatorial Race," January 10, 2014
  20. ↑NBC News, "Perry won't seek re-election as TX governor," July 8, 2013
  21. ↑Dallas Morning News, "Debra Media nixes governor run; files for comptroller," November 13, 2013
  22. ↑Wesleyan Media Project, "GOP Groups Keeping Senate Contests Close," September 30, 2014
  23. ↑United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
  24. ↑TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
  25. ↑PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
  26. ↑U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014
  27. ↑Follow the Money, "Overview of Texas 2014 elections," accessed accessed April 9, 2015
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