2006 Texas elections
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.
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| Elections in Texas |
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 Government |
The Texas United States Senate election, 2006 and the Texas United States House elections, 2006 were conducted as parts of the 2006 Texas Legislature 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.
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 | Scott Jameson | 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 | Maria Luisa Alvarado | 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
Incumbent Attorney general Greg Abbott ran for re-election, winning by a 22% margin.
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 County results Abbott: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Van Os: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Abbott (inc.) | 2,556,063 | 59.51 | ||
| Democratic | David Van Os | 1,599,069 | 37.23 | ||
| Libertarian | Jon Roland | 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 | Fred Head | 1,585,362 | 37.01 | ||
| Libertarian | Mike Burris | 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 | VaLinda Hathcox | 1,721,964 | 40.96 | ||
| Libertarian | Michael A. French | 164,098 | 3.90 | ||
| Majority | 595,590 | 14.17 | |||
| Turnout | 4,203,616 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Commissioner of Agriculture
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 County results Staples: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Gilbert: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Staples | 2,307,406 | 54.77 | -4.77 | |
| Democratic | Hank Gilbert | 1,760,402 | 41.79 | +3.97 | |
| Libertarian | Clay Woolam | 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 | Tabitha Serrano | 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
- Tom Oxford
- Green (Write-in)
- Charles E. Waterbury
Justice, Place 2
- Republican
- Don Willett, Incumbent
- Democrat
- William E. Moody
- Libertarian
- Wade Wilson
Justice, Place 4
- Republican
- David M. Medina, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Jerry Adkins
Justice, Place 6
- Republican
- Nathan Hecht, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Todd Phillipp
- Independent (declared)
- Petition deadline has passed for ballot access, but may run as write-in candidate
- William W. McNeal
Justice, Place 8, Unexpired term
- Republican
- Phil Johnson, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Jay H. Cookingham
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Presiding Judge
- Republican
- Sharon Keller, Incumbent
- Democrat
- J.R. Molina
Judge, Place 7
- Republican
- Barbara Parker Hervey, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Quanah Parker
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Roy Blake, Jr. | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 16 | Ruben Hope, Jr. | Republican | Did not run |
| 28 | Glenn Hegar | Republican | Running for Texas Senate, District 18 |
| 33 | Vilma Luna | Democrat | Withdrew from race after nomination |
| 38 | Jim Solis | Democrat | Did not run |
| 47 | Terry Keel | Republican | Unsuccessful bid for Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 8 |
| 54 | Suzanna Gratia Hupp | Republican | Did not run |
| 63 | Mary Denny | Republican | Did not run |
| 71 | Bob Hunter | Republican | Did not run |
| 72 | Scott Campbell | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 73 | Carter Casteel | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 85 | Pete Laney | Democrat | Did not run |
| 91 | Bob E. Griggs | Republican | Did not run |
| 94 | Kent Grusendorf | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 101 | Elvira Reyna | Republican | Lost in primary |
| 110 | Jesse W. Jones | Democrat | Lost in primary |
| 118 | Charlie Uresti | Democrat | Running for Texas Senate, District 19 |
| 126 | Peggy Hamric | Republican | Unsuccessful bid for Texas Senate, District 7 |
| 133 | Joe Nixon | Republican | Unsuccessful bid for Texas Senate, District 7 |
| 146 | Al Edwards | Democrat | Lost in primary |
State Board of Education
Only contested elections are listed.
Member, State Board of Education, District 3
- Republican
- Tony Cunningham
- Democrat
- Rick Agosto
Member, State Board of Education, District 5
- Republican
- Ken Mercer
- Libertarian
- Bill Oliver
Member, State Board of Education, District 9
- Republican
- Don McLeroy, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Maggie Charleton
Member, State Board of Education, District 10
- Republican
- Cynthia Dunbar
- Libertarian
- Martin Thomen
Member, State Board of Education, District 12
- Republican
- Geraldine "Tincy" Miller, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Matthew Havener
Member, State Board of Education, District 15
- Republican
- Bob Craig, Incumbent
- Libertarian
- Brandon Stacker
Courts of Appeal District elections
Only contested elections are listed.
Place 9
- Republican
- Elsa Alcala, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Jim Sharp
Place 2
- Republican
- Alan Waldrop, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Jim Sybert Coronado
Place 5
- Republican
- David Puryear, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Mina A. Brees
Place 6
- Republican
- Bob Pemberton, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Bree Buchanan
Place 3
- Republican
- Rebecca Simmons, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Richard Garcia, Jr.
Place 4
- Republican
- Steve Hilbig
- Democrat
- Dan Pozza
Place 5
- Republican
- Karen Angelini, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Lauro A. Bustamante
Place 7
- Republican
- Phylis Speedlin, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Eddie DeLaGarza
Place 2
- Republican
- Bailey C. Moseley
- Democrat
- Ben Franks
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bailey C. Moseley | 92,334 | 58.18 |
| Democrat | Ben Franks | 66,351 | 41.81 |
Place 2
- Democrat
- Federico "Fred" Hinojosa, Incumbent
- Republican
- Rose Vela
Place 6
- Republican
- Richard Edelman, Incumbent
- Democrat
- Leora T. Kahn
References
- "2006 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Archived from the original on 8 November 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2007.