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Elections were held in Texas on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary elections were held on March 2, 2010.
The Republican Party continued its dominance over Texas politics, maintaining control of all statewide offices and increasing its majorities in both chambers of the Texas Legislature. The GOP also picked up control of three additional seats in the United States House of Representatives.
Federal
United States House of Representatives
Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2010 See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 2010All 32 Texas seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2010.
State
Governor
Main article: Texas gubernatorial election, 2010 See also: United States gubernatorial elections, 2010 and Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2010Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry ran for re-election against Democratic challenger and former mayor of Houston Bill White and several third-party candidates, and won.
Lieutenant governor
Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst ran for re-election and won.
Attorney general
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 County resultsAbbott: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 90-100% Radnofsky: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 80-90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Greg Abbott ran for re-election as Texas Attorney General against Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky and Libertarian candidate Jon Roland, and won.
State senate
Main article: 2010 Texas State Senate electionApproximately half of the 31 seats of the Texas Senate were up for election in 2010.
State House of Representatives
Main article: 2010 Texas House of Representatives electionAll 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives were up for election in 2010. The GOP captured 99 seats (a record), including 22 that were held by Democrats after the 2008 Texas House of Representatives election. This left the Democrats with 51 seats. Edmund Kuempel, the incumbent GOP candidate for District 44 seat, subsequently died; the seat was filled by special election on December 14 and won by his son, John, also a Republican. Also on December 14, two Democrats (Allan Ritter and Aaron Peña) announced they were switching parties and joining the Republicans, thus giving the GOP 101 seats, and a 2/3 majority in the House, giving them considerable leverage. Under Texas law, any bill which passes with 2/3 of both legislative chambers can become effective immediately upon the governor's signature (otherwise a bill does not become effective until September 1, the start of Texas' fiscal year). This also meant that the Democrats could not quorum bust, or deprive the House of the 2/3 of members required for operation.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Incumbent Republican Commissioner Todd Staples successfully ran for re-election to a second term.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Todd Staples, incumbent commissioner of agriculture
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Staples (incumbent) | 1,110,353 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 1,110,353 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Hank Gilbert, cattle rancher, nominee for the same office in 2006
- Kinky Friedman, musician, novelist, and candidate for governor in 2006
- Gilbert: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 100%
Friedman: 50–60% 60–70%
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Hank Gilbert | 311,087 | 52.31% | |
| Democratic | Kinky Friedman | 283,614 | 47.69% | |
| Total votes | 594,701 | 100.0% | ||
General Election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Staples (incumbent) | 2,953,775 | 60.82% | {{{change}}} | |
| Democratic | Hank Gilbert | 1,738,456 | 35.80% | ||
| Libertarian | Rick Donaldson | 164,035 | 3.38% | ||
| Total votes | 4,856,266 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Other state offices
Elections were held for the positions of Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of General Land Office, and Railroad Commissioner in 2010.
Legislative elections
See also: Eighty-second Texas LegislatureTexas House of Representatives
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| Beginning of the 81st legislature | 76 | 74 | 150 | 0 |
| Before 2010 elections | 77 | 72 | 149 | 1 |
| Voting share | 51% | 48% | ||
| After 2010 elections | 99 | 51 | 150 | 0 |
| Beginning of the 82nd legislature | 101 | 49 | 150 | 0 |
| Voting share | 67% | 33% | ||
Texas Senate
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| Before 2010 elections | 19 | 12 | 31 | 0 |
| Voting share | 61% | 39% | ||
| After 2010 elections | 19 | 12 | 31 | 0 |
| Voting share | 61% | 39% | ||
Judicial positions
Multiple judicial positions were up for election in 2010, including three justices on the Texas Supreme Court.
Ballot measures
There are no statewide ballot measures in Texas in 2010.
Local
Many elections for county and city offices were also held on November 2, 2010.
References
- Ramsey, Ross (December 12, 2010). "TribBlog: Ritter Confirms He's Switching Parties". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- Hamilton, Reeve (December 14, 2010). "TribBlog: Peña on Party Switching". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- "THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 3. LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT". statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- "2010 Republican Party Primary Election - Race Summary Report". Office of Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- "PolitiFact | Hank Gilbert". February 7, 2024. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- "Kinky Exits Governor's Race". Texas Tribune. February 7, 2024. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- "2018 Democratic Party Primary Election - Race Summary Report". Office of Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- "2018 General Election - Race Summary Report". Office of Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
External links
- Elections Division of the Texas Secretary of State
- Texas Candidate List at Imagine Election - Search for candidates by address or zip code
- Texas Congressional Races in 2010 for campaign finance data for federal races from OpenSecrets
- Texas State Races in 2010 campaign finance data for state races from Follow the Money
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