Alief ISD Board President Darlene Breaux defeated state Rep. Hubert Vo in the Democratic runoff for Texas House District 149, bringing an end to the Houston representative’s career after more than two decades in the Legislature.

Breaux, a former teacher and the director of the Texas Education Policy Institute, completed her victory on Tuesday after forcing Vo into a runoff in the March primary. In that election, Vo led Breaux by just 3 votes out of 9,992 cast, each garnering 38% in the four-way race.

In an emotional speech to supporters, Breaux thanked her supporters for declaring that they wanted “something different.”

Breaux was first elected to the Alief ISD Board of Trustees in 2017. Alief is a diverse community in southwest Houston and Harris County.

About half of Alief ISD lives in HD 149, making up nearly three-quarters of the House district’s population.

Breaux’s priorities include increasing teacher pay and investing in small businesses and the workforce. She has also called for local infrastructure improvements to prevent flooding and increase public safety.

At an event ahead of the March primary, Breaux said she ran because she felt the community was being “left out” of discussions in Austin with Vo as their representative.

Vo was first elected to the Texas House by just 33 votes in 2004, defeating longtime Rep. Talmadge Heflin, a Houston Republican and then-chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Since then, Vo has been considered a public school champion but has not been a vocal presence on the House floor, unlike some prominent colleagues.

In Texas Monthly’s 2021 edition of the state’s “Best and Worst” lawmakers, the magazine named him part of the “furniture,” inconsequential members who are “scarcely distinguishable from their desks, chairs, and spittoons.”

Last year, Vo spoke on the House floor against a bill prohibiting the sale of land to people and entities from certain countries, arguing he would not have been able to buy a house in Texas when he fled Vietnam.

Breaux was endorsed by the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board and the Texas AFL-CIO, as well as Houston City Council members Martha Castex-Tatum and Tiffany Thomas and state Rep. Ron Reynolds, a Missouri City Democrat who chairs the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.

She will face Republican Dave Bennett, an engineer and small business owner, in November. Although the district is relatively blue (former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by 11 points in 2024 while Vo was reelected by 14 points), Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Bennett amid his pledge to spend millions to turn Harris County “dark red.”

Breaux became the second challenger to beat a Democratic incumbent this primary cycle. In Tarrant County, 27-year-old Grand Prairie City Council Member Junior Ezeonu defeated Grand Prairie Rep. Chris Turner, a former chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus who was first elected in 2008. Ezeonu won amid a surge of Democratic turnout across the state during that March primary, thanks largely to the competitive U.S. Senate contest between Dallas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and the eventual winner, Austin state Rep. James Talarico.

Also in North Texas, two-term Dallas state Rep. Venton Jones held off auditor Amanda Richardson after she kept him to 48.7% in the March primary.

Other runoffs across the state will likely decide the look of the Texas House, given how one-sided the districts are.

In Houston’s District 131, State Board of Education member Staci Childs defeated SBOE member Lawrence Allen Jr. in the Democratic runoff to succeed Allen’s mother, retiring Rep. Alma Allen. The winner will face Republican Scott Whitmarsh in November.

In Austin, former assistant education secretary Montserrat Garibay defeated former City Council member Kathie Tovo in the Democratic runoff for District 49. She’ll face Green candidate Arshia Papari in the race to succeed Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.

San Antonio ISD educator Adrian Reyna defeated scandal-ridden former Bexar County Constable Michelle Barrientes Vela in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Ray Lopez in District 125. Reyna will face Republican Rick Martinez in November.

On the Republican side, former Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart defeated Kelly Peterson in the District 126 runoff. Abbott endorsed Stanart while Peterson was backed by retiring Rep. Sam Harless, R-Spring. Stanart will face Democrat Stefanie Bord and independent Lisa Emerson.

In a bellwether battleground in South Texas, Republican activist Gary Groves will face Democrat Julio Salinas, both of whom were elected as their party’s nominees Tuesday. Republicans hope to continue their gains among Hispanic voters and flip the seat with the retirement of Rep. Bobby Guerra, D-Mission. The 14-year veteran was reelected by 6.9 points in 2024 despite President Donald Trump carrying the district by 1.6 points — a 7-point swing from Trump’s 2020 result there.

Groves was supported by Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC, a longtime kingmaker in Texas Republican politics, defeating attorney Sergio Sanchez in their runoff.

Salinas, a former staffer in the Legislature, was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. At 26, he would be the youngest state representative, and he received much of his financial support from Leaders We Deserve, a PAC to elect young progressives founded by gun control activist David Hogg. Salinas defeated Victor “Seby” Haddad, a McAllen city commissioner since 2019 who touted his local government and small business ties.

In a seat Democrats hope to flip, voters nominated educator Oziel “Ozzie” Ochoa Jr. to face Rep. Janie Lopez, R-San Benito, in District 37. Ochoa defeated law student Esmeralda “Esmi” Cantu-Castle in their runoff.