2006 Texas general election
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The 2006 Texas General Election was held on Tuesday, 7 November 2006, in the U.S. state of Texas. Voters statewide elected the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of the General Land Office, Commissioner of Agriculture, and one Railroad Commissioner. Statewide judicial offices up for election were the chief justice and four justices of the Texas Supreme Court, and the presiding judge and two judges of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
The Texas United States Senate election, 2006 and the Texas United States House elections, 2006 were conducted as part of the Texas General Election.
Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held 7 March 2006. In races without a majority, the runoff elections were held on 11 April 2006.
Libertarian candidates were selected at the Texas Libertarian Convention 10 June 2006 in Houston (the Libertarian Party does not use a primary system to select candidates).
Independent candidates had 60 days after the primaries are over (from 8 March, one day after the primary election, to 11 May 2006) to collect the necessary signatures to secure a place on the ballot. For statewide elections, state law proscribes the collection of one percent of voters casting ballots in the prior gubernatorial election (for 2006, this equates to 45,540 signatures) from registered voters that did not vote in either primary or any runoffs. If there was a primary runoff for the office an independent candidate is seeking, the petition process shrank to only 30 days, from 12 April (one day after the runoff elections) to 11 May 2006.[1]
United States Senator[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kay Bailey Hutchison (inc.) | 2,661,789 | 61.7 | -3.3 | |
| Democratic | Barbara Ann Radnofsky | 1,555,202 | 36.0 | +3.6 | |
| Libertarian | 97,672 | 2.3 | +1.1 | ||
| Majority | 1,106,587 | 25.7 | |||
| Turnout | 4,314,663 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Governor[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Perry (incumbent) | 1,716,803 | 39.03 | -18.78 | |
| Democratic | Chris Bell | 1,310,353 | 29.79 | -10.17 | |
| Independent | Carole Keeton Strayhorn | 797,577 | 18.13 | ||
| Independent | Richard "Kinky" Friedman | 546,869 | 12.43 | ||
| Libertarian | James Werner | 26,748 | 0.61 | -0.86 | |
| Write-in | James "Patriot" Dillon | 718 | 0.02 | ||
| Majority | 406,450 | 9.24 | |||
| Turnout | 4,399,068 | -3.40 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Lieutenant governor[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Dewhurst (inc.) | 2,513,530 | 58.19 | ||
| Democratic | 1,617,490 | 37.44 | |||
| Libertarian | Judy Baker | 188,206 | 4.35 | ||
| Majority | 896,040 | 20.75 | |||
| Turnout | 4,319,226 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Attorney general[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Abbott (inc.) | 2,556,063 | 59.51 | ||
| Democratic | David Van Os | 1,599,069 | 37.23 | ||
| Libertarian | 139,668 | 3.25 | |||
| Majority | 956,994 | 22.28 | |||
| Turnout | 4,294,800 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Comptroller of Public Accounts[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Susan Combs | 2,547,323 | 59.47 | ||
| Democratic | 1,585,362 | 37.01 | |||
| Libertarian | 150,565 | 3.51 | |||
| Majority | 961,961 | 22.46 | |||
| Turnout | 4,283,250 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Commissioner of the General Land Office[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jerry E. Patterson (inc.) | 2,317,554 | 55.13 | ||
| Democratic | 1,721,964 | 40.96 | |||
| Libertarian | 164,098 | 3.90 | |||
| Majority | 595,590 | 14.17 | |||
| Turnout | 4,203,616 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Commissioner of Agriculture[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Staples | 2,307,406 | 54.77 | -4.77 | |
| Democratic | 1,760,402 | 41.79 | +3.97 | ||
| Libertarian | 144,989 | 3.44 | +2.26 | ||
| Majority | 547,004 | 12.98 | -8.74 | ||
| Turnout | 4,212,797 | -4.85 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Railroad Commissioner[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Elizabeth Ames Jones (inc.) | 2,269,743 | 54.03 | ||
| Democratic | Dale Henry | 1,752,947 | 41.73 | ||
| Libertarian | 177,648 | 4.22 | |||
| Majority | 516,796 | 12.3 | |||
| Turnout | 4,200,338 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Texas Supreme Court[]
Chief Justice, Unexpired term[]
- Republican
- Wallace Jefferson, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Green (Write-in)
Justice, Place 2[]
- Republican
- Don Willett, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Libertarian
Justice, Place 4[]
- Republican
- David M. Medina, Incumbent
- Libertarian
Justice, Place 6[]
- Republican
- Nathan Hecht, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Independent (declared)
- Petition deadline has passed for ballot access, but may run as write-in candidate
Justice, Place 8, Unexpired term[]
- Republican
- , Incumbent
- Libertarian
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals[]
Presiding Judge[]
- Republican
- Sharon Keller, Incumbent
- Democrat
Judge, Place 7[]
- Republican
- , Incumbent
- Libertarian
Judge, Place 8[]
- Republican
- Charles Holcomb, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Dave Howard
Legislative elections[]
Sixteen Texas Senate seats and all 150 Texas House of Representatives seats are up for election in 2006. The senators and representatives elected in 2006 will serve in the Eightieth Texas Legislature, while the senators will also serve in the Eighty-first Texas Legislature.
Texas Senate[]
Fifteen of the sixteen elections for the Texas Senate are contested to some extent. In the District 3 race, Robert Nichols won his Republican primary and will be unopposed in the fall election.
There will be at least five new members of the Senate. These current senators will not return:
| District | Outgoing Senator | Party | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Todd Staples | Republican | Elected Texas Commissioner of Agriculture |
| 7 | Jon Lindsay | Republican | Did not run |
| 14 | Gonzalo Barrientos | Democrat | Did not run |
| 18 | Kenneth L. Armbrister | Democrat | Did not run |
| 19 | Frank L. Madla | Democrat | Defeated in primary |
Texas House of Representatives[]
In the Texas House of Representatives, 118 of the 150 seats will be contested in the November 2006 election. Thirty races will be uncontested after the primary elections on 7 March 2006; the remaining two will be determined in the primary runoffs on 11 April 2006.
There will be at least 20 new members of the House of Representatives. Two Democratic and five Republican incumbents were defeated in the primaries. These current representatives will not return:
| District | Representative | Party | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Blake, Jr. | Republican | Lost in primary | |
| Republican | Did not run | ||
| Glenn Hegar | Republican | Running for Texas Senate, District 18 | |
| Democrat | Withdrew from race after nomination | ||
| Democrat | Did not run | ||
| 47 | Republican | Unsuccessful bid for Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 8 | |
| Suzanna Gratia Hupp | Republican | Did not run | |
| 63 | Republican | Did not run | |
| Republican | Did not run | ||
| Republican | Lost in primary | ||
| Republican | Lost in primary | ||
| Pete Laney | Democrat | Did not run | |
| Republican | Did not run | ||
| Republican | Lost in primary | ||
| Republican | Lost in primary | ||
| Democrat | Lost in primary | ||
| Charlie Uresti | Democrat | Running for Texas Senate, District 19 | |
| Republican | Unsuccessful bid for Texas Senate, District 7 | ||
| Republican | Unsuccessful bid for Texas Senate, District 7 | ||
| Al Edwards | Democrat | Lost in primary |
State Board of Education[]
Only contested elections are listed.
Member, State Board of Education, District 3[]
- Republican
- Democrat
Member, State Board of Education, District 5[]
- Republican
- Libertarian
- Bill Oliver
Member, State Board of Education, District 9[]
- Republican
- Don McLeroy, Incumbent
- Democrat
Member, State Board of Education, District 10[]
- Republican
- Cynthia Dunbar
- Libertarian
Member, State Board of Education, District 12[]
- Republican
- , Incumbent
- Libertarian
Member, State Board of Education, District 15[]
- Republican
- Bob Craig, Incumbent
- Libertarian
Courts of Appeal District elections[]
Only contested elections are listed.
1st Court of Appeals District[]
Place 9[]
- Republican
- Elsa Alcala, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Jim Sharp
3rd Court of Appeals District[]
Place 2[]
- Republican
- , Incumbent
- Democrat
Place 5[]
- Republican
- , Incumbent
- Democrat
Place 6[]
- Republican
- , Incumbent
- Democrat
- Bree Buchanan
4th Court of Appeals District[]
Place 3[]
- Republican
- Rebecca Simmons, Incumbent
- Democrat
Place 4[]
- Republican
- Democrat
Place 5[]
- Republican
- , Incumbent
- Democrat
Place 7[]
- Republican
- , Incumbent
- Democrat
6th Court of Appeals District[]
Place 2[]
- Republican
- Democrat
- Ben Franks
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bailey C. Moseley | 92,334 | 58.18 |
| Democrat | Ben Franks | 66,351 | 41.81 |
13th Court of Appeals District[]
Place 2[]
- Democrat
- , Incumbent
- Republican
14th Court of Appeals District[]
Place 6[]
- Republican
- Richard Edelman, Incumbent
- Democrat
References[]
- ^ a b "2006 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Archived from the original on 8 November 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
See also[]
- United States midterm elections, 2006
- United States congressional elections, 2006
- United States Senate elections, 2006
- United States House elections, 2006
- United States gubernatorial elections, 2006
- United States congressional elections, 2006
- 2006 Texas elections
- 2006 elections in the United States by state