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Texas state legislative special elections, 2020

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In 2020, two special elections and three special election runoffs were called to fill vacant seats in theTexas State Legislature.Click here to read more about the special elections.

Senate special elections called:

House special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in Texas

See also:How vacancies are filled in state legislatures


If there is a vacancy in theTexas State Legislature, thegovernor must call a special election to fill the vacant seat.[1] A governor's proclamation to hold a special election must be delivered to county judges in the legislative district no later than 36 days before the scheduled election.[2]

Thesecretary of state can declare a candidate duly elected in a special election if there is no opposition.[3]

DocumentIcon.jpgSee sources:Texas Elec. Code § 203.001 et. seq.


About the legislature

TheTexas State Senate is theupper chamber of theTexas State Legislature. There are 31 members. Each member represented an average of811,147 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[4] After the 2000 Census, each member represented672,640.[5]

TheTexas House of Representatives is thelower chamber of theTexas State Legislature. There are 150 members. Each member represented an average of167,637 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[6] After the 2000 Census, each member represented139,012.[7] The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2018 general election. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, seehere (Senate) andhere (House).

Texas State Senate
PartyAs of November 6, 2018After November 7, 2018
    Democratic Party1012
    Republican Party2119
Total3131
Texas House of Representatives
PartyAs of November 6, 2018After November 7, 2018
    Democratic Party5567
    Republican Party9383
    Vacancy20
Total150150

Special elections

Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:

January 28, 2020

Texas House of Representatives District 28 
See also:Texas state legislative special elections, 2019

A special election forTexas House of RepresentativesDistrict 28 was called for November 5, 2019. A general election runoff was scheduled for January 28, 2020.[8] The candidate filing deadline was September 4, 2019.[9]

The seat became vacant after Rep.John Zerwas (R) resigned, effective September 30, 2019, to take a position with the University of Texas System.[10]

General runoff election

Special general runoff election for Texas House of Representatives District 28

Gary Gates defeatedElizabeth Markowitz in the special general runoff election for Texas House of Representatives District 28 on January 28, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gary Gates
Gary Gates (R)
 
58.1
 
17,484
Image of Elizabeth Markowitz
Elizabeth Markowitz (D) Candidate Connection
 
41.9
 
12,629

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 30,113
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

General election

Special general election for Texas House of Representatives District 28

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Texas House of Representatives District 28 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Elizabeth Markowitz
Elizabeth Markowitz (D) Candidate Connection
 
39.1
 
11,356
✔
Image of Gary Gates
Gary Gates (R)
 
28.5
 
8,275
Image of Tricia Krenek
Tricia Krenek (R)
 
18.1
 
5,272
Image of Anna Allred
Anna Allred (R)
 
9.3
 
2,705
Image of Gary Hale
Gary Hale (R) Candidate Connection
 
2.4
 
712
Sarah Laningham (R)
 
1.7
 
503
Clinton Purnell (R)
 
0.9
 
256

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 29,079
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Texas House of Representatives District 100 
See also:Texas state legislative special elections, 2019

A special election forDistrict 100 of theTexas House of Representatives was called for November 5, 2019. A general election runoff was scheduled for January 28, 2020.[11] The filing deadline for candidates running in this election was September 4, 2019.[12]

The seat became vacant afterEric Johnson (D) was elected to serve asmayor of Dallas.

General runoff election

Special general runoff election for Texas House of Representatives District 100

Lorraine Birabil defeatedJames Armstrong III in the special general runoff election for Texas House of Representatives District 100 on January 28, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Lorraine Birabil
Lorraine Birabil (D)
 
66.2
 
1,647
James Armstrong III (D)
 
33.8
 
840

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,487
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

General election

Special general election for Texas House of Representatives District 100

Lorraine Birabil andJames Armstrong III advanced to a runoff. They defeatedDaniel Davis Clayton,Sandra Crenshaw, andPaul Stafford (Unofficially withdrew) in the special general election for Texas House of Representatives District 100 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Lorraine Birabil
Lorraine Birabil (D)
 
33.2
 
2,279
✔James Armstrong III (D)
 
20.8
 
1,425
Image of Daniel Davis Clayton
Daniel Davis Clayton (D)
 
20.7
 
1,420
Image of Sandra Crenshaw
Sandra Crenshaw (D)
 
19.0
 
1,303
Image of Paul Stafford
Paul Stafford (D) (Unofficially withdrew)
 
6.4
 
437

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,864
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Texas House of Representatives District 148 
See also:Texas state legislative special elections, 2019

A special election forDistrict 148 of theTexas House of Representatives was called for November 5, 2019. A general election runoff was scheduled for January 28, 2020.[13] The candidate filing deadline was September 4, 2019.[14]

The seat became vacant after Rep.Jessica Farrar (D) resigned her seat on September 30, 2019.[15]

General runoff election

Special general runoff election for Texas House of Representatives District 148

Anna Eastman defeatedLuis LaRotta in the special general runoff election for Texas House of Representatives District 148 on January 28, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Anna Eastman
Anna Eastman (D)
 
65.4
 
4,544
Image of Luis LaRotta
Luis LaRotta (R)
 
34.6
 
2,399

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,943
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

General election

Special general election for Texas House of Representatives District 148

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Texas House of Representatives District 148 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Anna Eastman
Anna Eastman (D)
 
20.3
 
4,212
✔
Image of Luis LaRotta
Luis LaRotta (R)
 
15.8
 
3,282
Adrian P. Garcia (D)
 
12.1
 
2,496
Image of Ryan McConnico
Ryan McConnico (R)
 
10.8
 
2,228
Image of Michele Leal
Michele Leal (D) Candidate Connection
 
9.1
 
1,885
Image of Penny Morales Shaw
Penny Morales Shaw (D)
 
8.0
 
1,652
Image of Chris Watt
Chris Watt (D)
 
6.2
 
1,284
Image of Chris Carmona
Chris Carmona (Independent)
 
4.4
 
910
Image of Kendra Yarbrough Camarena
Kendra Yarbrough Camarena (D) Candidate Connection
 
3.9
 
818
Image of Rob Block
Rob Block (D)
 
3.3
 
679
Anna Nunez (D)
 
1.9
 
388
Image of Carol Denson
Carol Denson (D) Candidate Connection
 
1.6
 
334
Image of Alva Trevino
Alva Trevino (D)
 
1.5
 
317
Image of Mia Mundy
Mia Mundy (D) Candidate Connection
 
0.7
 
136
Terah Isaacson (D)
 
0.4
 
90

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 20,711
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

July 14, 2020

Texas State Senate District 14 
See also:Texas state legislative special elections, 2020

A special election forDistrict 14 of theTexas State Senate was called for July 14, 2020. The candidate filing deadline was May 13, 2020.[16]

The seat became vacant after the resignation ofKirk Watson (D) on April 30, 2020. Watson resigned from the state Senate to become the dean of the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs.[17]

General election

Special general election for Texas State Senate District 14

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Texas State Senate District 14 on July 14, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Sarah Eckhardt
Sarah Eckhardt (D)
 
49.7
 
60,531
Image of Eddie Rodriguez
Eddie Rodriguez (D)
 
33.9
 
41,202
Image of Donald Zimmerman
Donald Zimmerman (R)
 
12.9
 
15,753
Waller Thomas Burns II (R)
 
1.2
 
1,464
Image of Jeff Ridgeway
Jeff Ridgeway (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
1.2
 
1,410
Image of Pat Dixon
Pat Dixon (L) Candidate Connection
 
1.1
 
1,323

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 121,683
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

September 29, 2020

Texas State Senate District 30 
See also:Texas state legislative special elections, 2020 andTexas State Senate District 30 special election, 2020

Aspecial election forTexas State SenateDistrict 30 was called for September 29, 2020. A general election runoff took place on December 19, 2020.[18] The candidate filing deadline was August 28, 2020.[19]

The seat became vacant after the resignation ofPat Fallon (R). Fallon submitted his letter of resignation on August 22, 2020, with an effective date of resignation on January 4, 2021.[20] On August 8, 2020, localRepublican Party county and precinct chairs voted for Fallon to replace incumbent candidateJohn Ratcliffe on thegeneral election ballot after Ratcliffe withdrew from the race, following his confirmation as director of national intelligence.[21]

General runoff election

Special general runoff election for Texas State Senate District 30

Drew Springer defeatedShelley Luther in the special general runoff election for Texas State Senate District 30 on December 19, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Drew Springer
Drew Springer (R)
 
56.5
 
32,761
Image of Shelley Luther
Shelley Luther (R)
 
43.5
 
25,235

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 57,996
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

General election

Special general election for Texas State Senate District 30

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Texas State Senate District 30 on September 29, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Shelley Luther
Shelley Luther (R)
 
32.0
 
22,242
✔
Image of Drew Springer
Drew Springer (R)
 
31.9
 
22,127
Jacob Minter (D)
 
21.4
 
14,825
Christopher Watts (R)
 
6.2
 
4,321
Image of Craig Carter
Craig Carter (R) Candidate Connection
 
5.0
 
3,448
Image of Andy Hopper
Andy Hopper (R) Candidate Connection
 
3.5
 
2,456

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 69,419
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Historical data

There were 723 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2019. Texas held 31 special elections during the same time period; about three per year on average. The largest number of special elections in Texas took place in2019 when six special elections were held.

The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year.

Special elections throughout the country

See also:State legislative special elections, 2020

In 2020, 55state legislative special elections were held in 26 states. Four special elections were canceled inNew York due to the coronavirus pandemic. Between 2011 and 2019, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2020 special elections

In 2020, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:

  • 23 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 5 due to a resignation related to criminal charges[22]
  • 18 due to retirement
  • 13 due to the death of the incumbent

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:

The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2020. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2019, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of four seats across the country. Between 2018 and 2019, Democrats had a net gain of six seats.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2020)
PartyAs of Special ElectionAfter Special Election
    Democratic Party2127
    Republican Party3832
    Independent00
Total 59 59

Flipped seats

In 2020, eight seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.

Seats flipped from D to R

Seats flipped from R to D


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021(Statute 3.003 (3))
  2. ↑Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021(Statute 3.003 (3)(b)-(c))
  3. ↑Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021(Statute 2.055)
  4. ↑U.S. Census Bureau, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," accessed May 15, 2014
  5. ↑U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population: 2000," April 2, 2001
  6. ↑U.S. Census Bureau, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," accessed May 15, 2014
  7. ↑U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population: 2000," April 2, 2001
  8. ↑Office of the Texas Governor, "Governor Abbott Sets Date For Special Runoff Elections In Texas," November 16, 2019
  9. ↑Texas Governor Greg Abbott', "Proclamation by the Governor of the State of Texas," August 13, 2019
  10. ↑The Texas Tribune, "State Rep. John Zerwas to join UT System as executive vice chancellor," August 1, 2019
  11. ↑Office of the Texas Governor, "Governor Abbott Sets Date For Special Runoff Elections In Texas," November 16, 2019
  12. ↑Governor Greg Abbott, "HD 100 special election," accessed June 5, 2019
  13. ↑Office of the Texas Governor, "Governor Abbott Sets Date For Special Runoff Elections In Texas," November 16, 2019
  14. ↑Houston Chronicle, "Gov. Abbott sets special election for Houston seat in Texas House," August 19, 2019
  15. ↑Houston Chronicle, "Houston Democrat Jessica Farrar to retire from Legislature," August 16, 2019
  16. ↑Office of the Texas Governor, "Governor Abbott Issues Proclamation Postponing Special Election For Texas Senate District 14," March 17, 2020
  17. ↑The Texas Tribune, "State Sen. Kirk Watson to retire from Texas Senate," February 18, 2020
  18. ↑Office of Governor Greg Abbott, "Governor Abbott Sets Date For Special Runoff Election In Senate District 30," October 10, 2020
  19. ↑Office of Governor Greg Abbott, "Governor Abbott Sets Emergency Special Election For Texas Senate District 30," August 23, 2020
  20. ↑The Eagle, "Gov. Greg Abbott sets Sept. 29 special election to replace state Sen. Pat Fallon," August 23, 2020
  21. ↑The Texas Tribune, "Texas State Sen. Pat Fallon wins GOP nomination to replace John Ratcliffe on November ballot, becoming Ratcliffe's likely successor," August 8, 2020
  22. ↑Arkansas State Rep.Mickey Gates (R) was expelled by a vote of the House membership.
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