2008 Texas Senate election
November 4, 2008
16 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate
16 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Party Republican Democratic Libertarian
Seats before 20 11 0
Seats won 19 12 0
Seat change Decrease 1 Increase 1 Steady
Popular vote 1,608,910 1,203,432 185,537
Percentage 53.67% 40.14% 6.19%
Swing Decrease 8.31% Increase 10.62% Decrease 2.31%
Senate results by district
     Republican hold      Democratic hold
     Democratic gain
     No election

The 2008 Texas Senate elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Texas voters elected state senators in 16 State Senate districts. The winners of this election served in the 81st Texas Legislature. The elected senators served four-year terms in the Texas Senate.

Background

Following the 2006 elections, the Republicans maintained effective control of the Senate with nineteen members to the Democrats' twelve, a gain of one from the previous elections. To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to gain four seats.

Results

Democrats gained one seat with the election of Wendy Davis in District 10.[1]

Statewide

Summary of the November 4, 2008 Texas Senate election results
Party Candidates Votes Seats
No.  % Before Up Won After +/–
Republican 11 1,608,910 53.67% 20 9 8 19 Decrease1
Democratic 10 1,203,432 40.14% 11 6 7 12 Increase1
Libertarian 12 185,537 6.19% 0 0 0 0 Steady
Total 2,997,879 100.00% 31 31 Steady
Popular vote
Republican
 
 53.67%
Democratic
 
 40.14%
Libertarian
 
 6.19%
Senate seats won
Republican
 
 53.33%
Democratic
 
 46.67%

Close races

District Winner Margin
District 10 Democratic (flip) 2.40%

Results by district

Race results:[2]

District Democratic Republican Libertarian Total Result
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
District 4 - - 203,367 100.00% - - 203,367 100.00% Republican hold
District 6 72,960 70.01% 27,751 26.63% 3,496 3.35% 104,207 100.00% Democratic hold
District 9 100,509 43.33% 125,443 54.08% 5,991 2.58% 231,943 100.00% Republican hold
District 10 147,832 49.92% 140,737 47.52% 7,591 2.56% 296,160 100.00% Democratic gain
District 11 113,567 41.18% 155,772 56.49% 6,419 2.33% 275,758 100.00% Republican hold
District 16 89,346 41.06% 122,439 56.27% 5,825 2.86% 217,610 100.00% Republican hold
District 20 124,456 81.40% - - 28,429 18.60% 152,885 100.00% Democratic hold
District 21 129,802 68.22% 55,480 29.16% 4,980 2.62% 190,262 100.00% Democratic hold
District 23 176,451 92.40% - - 14,503 7.60% 190,954 100.00% Democratic hold
District 24 - - 197,125 85.47% 33,518 14.53% 230,643 100.00% Republican hold
District 26 136,913 81.44% - - 31,194 18.56% 168,107 100.00% Democratic hold
District 27 111,596 100.00% - - - - 111,596 100.00% Democratic hold
District 28 - - 179,059 88.17% 24,022 11.83% 203,081 100.00% Republican hold
District 30 - - 221,470 100.00% - - 221,470 100.00% Republican hold
District 31 - - 180,267 90.21% 19,569 9.79% 199,836 100.00% Republican hold
Total 1,203,432 40.14% 1,608,910 53.67% 185,537 6.19% 2,997,879 100.00%

There were two new members of the Senate.

DistrictOutgoing senatorPartyReason
10 Kim Brimer Republican Defeated in general election
17 Kyle Janek Republican Resigned June 2, 2008

Notable races

District 10: The Democratic Party ran City Councilwoman Wendy Davis against Republican and Sunset Advisory Commission chairperson Kim Brimer. The district had been Republican-leaning, having been won by George W. Bush in 2004 and by Governor Rick Perry in 2002 and 2006. Davis won that race with 49.91% of the vote. In 2014, she was the Democratic nominee for governor to succeed Perry.

District 11: The Democrats ran former Galveston city council member Joseph Jaworski against Republican candidate Mike Jackson. The district encompasses the southeast Houston suburbs and part of Galveston County that has consistently voted for Republicans including George W. Bush in 2004, Governor Perry in 2002 and 2006, and U.S. Senator John Cornyn in 2002. Mike Jackson won that race with 56.48% of the vote.

District 17: The Incumbent Republican Kyle Janek announced he would be resigning from the State Senate effective June 2, 2008 to spend more time with his family, who had moved to Austin. A special election was called and was held concurrently with the general election. 4 Republicans and 2 Democrats ran for the unexpired term, most notably, the Republican Party's Joan Huffman, and Democratic former U.S. Representative Christopher Bell, the party's 2006 nominee for governor. Huffman and Bell advanced to a runoff,[3] held December 16, 2008. Huffman won that race with 56% of the vote.[4]

Texas's 17th state senate district special election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Christopher Bell 85,725 38.39%
Republican Joan Huffman 58,359 26.14%
Democratic Stephanie E. Simmons 30,839 13.81%
Republican Austen Furse 22,588 10.12%
Republican Ken Sherman 16,728 7.49%
Republican Grant Harpold 9,056 4.06%
Total votes 223,295 100.00%
Texas's 17th state senate district special election runoff
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joan Huffman 24,497 56.09%
Democratic Christopher Bell 19,176 43.91%
Total votes 43,673 100.00%
Republican hold

District 21: Democratic candidate Judith Zaffirini prevailed in her historically Democratic state Senate seat, which includes Laredo. The seat was held from 1967 to 1973 by her mentor, Wayne Connally, a younger brother of John Connally. Republicans fielded former Webb County administrative judge Louis Henry Bruni (born 1949), who switched parties in December 2007 to run against Zaffirini. The district voted for George W. Bush in 2004 and Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2006 but for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell in 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "Wendy Davis narrowly defeats Mark Shelton in state Senate District 10". Dallas News. November 7, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Race Summary Report 2008 General Election". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Race Summary Report Special Election State Senate District 17". elections.sos.state.tx.us. November 4, 2008. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Special Runoff Election State Senate District 17". elections.sos.state.tx.us. December 16, 2008. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
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