These Officeholders Already Know Their Political Futures
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Todd Wiseman
Many of the state's officeholders running for re-election are breathing easy with their return trip to Austin or Washington, D.C., already guaranteed.
That's because they face no major party opposition in the fall after having secured their party nomination this spring. By our count, that accounts for 10 members of Congress, four members of the State Board of Education, 12 members of the Texas Senate and 97 (!) members of the Texas House.
For your reference, here's a handy table. Incumbents are indicated, and party ID is listed as well:
| Candidates With No Major Party Opposition in November | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. House | |||
| John Ratcliffe | (I) | Republican | District 4 |
| Jeb Hensarling | (I) | Republican | District 5 |
| Kevin Brady | (I) | Republican | District 8 |
| Mike Conaway | (I) | Republican | District 11 |
| Mac Thornberry | (I) | Republican | District 13 |
| Beto O'Rourke | (I) | Democrat | District 16 |
| Jodey Arrington | Republican | District 19 | |
| Joaquin Castro | (I) | Democrat | District 20 |
| Pete Sessions | (I) | Republican | District 32 |
| Brian Babin | (I) | Republican | District 36 |
| State Board of Education | |||
| Georgina Perez | Democrat | District 1 | |
| Barbara Cargill | (I) | Republican | District 8 |
| Sue Melton-Malone | (I) | Republican | District 14 |
| Marty Rowley | (I) | Republican | District 15 |
| Texas Senate | |||
| Bryan Hughes | Republican | District 1 | |
| Brandon Creighton | (I) | Republican | District 4 |
| Sylvia R. Garcia | (I) | Democrat | District 6 |
| Larry Taylor | (I) | Republican | District 11 |
| Jane Nelson | (I) | Republican | District 12 |
| Rodney Ellis | (I) | Democrat | District 13 |
| Lois W. Kolkhorst | (I) | Republican | District 18 |
| Judith Zaffirini | (I) | Democrat | District 21 |
| Jose Menéndez | (I) | Democrat | District 26 |
| Eddie Lucio, Jr. | (I) | Democrat | District 27 |
| Charles Perry | (I) | Republican | District 28 |
| José Rodriguez | (I) | Democrat | District 29 |
| Texas House | |||
| Gary VanDeaver | (I) | Republican | District 1 |
| Dan Flynn | (I) | Republican | District 2 |
| Cecil Bell | (I) | Republican | District 3 |
| Lance Gooden | Republican | District 4 | |
| Cole Hefner | Republican | District 5 | |
| Matt Schaefer | (I) | Republican | District 6 |
| Jay Dean | Republican | District 7 | |
| Byron Cook | (I) | Republican | District 8 |
| Chris Paddie | (I) | Republican | District 9 |
| John Wray | (I) | Republican | District 10 |
| Kyle Kacal | (I) | Republican | District 12 |
| John Raney | (I) | Republican | District 14 |
| Mark Keough | (I) | Republican | District 15 |
| Will Metcalf | (I) | Republican | District 16 |
| John Cyrier | (I) | Republican | District 17 |
| Ernest Bailes | Republican | District 18 | |
| James White | (I) | Republican | District 19 |
| Terry Wilson | Republican | District 20 | |
| Dade Phelan | (I) | Republican | District 21 |
| Joe Deshotel | (I) | Democrat | District 22 |
| Greg Bonnen | (I) | Republican | District 24 |
| Dennis Bonnen | (I) | Republican | District 25 |
| John Zerwas | (I) | Republican | District 28 |
| Geanie W. Morrison | (I) | Republican | District 30 |
| Ryan Guillen | (I) | Democrat | District 31 |
| Todd Hunter | (I) | Republican | District 32 |
| Abel Herrero | (I) | Democrat | District 34 |
| Oscar Longoria | (I) | Democrat | District 35 |
| Sergio Muñoz Jr. | (I) | Democrat | District 36 |
| Rene O. Oliveira | (I) | Democrat | District 37 |
| Eddie Lucio III | (I) | Democrat | District 38 |
| Armando "Mando" Martinez | (I) | Democrat | District 39 |
| Richard Pena Raymond | (I) | Democrat | District 42 |
| Jason A. Isaac | (I) | Republican | District 45 |
| Donna Howard | (I) | Democrat | District 48 |
| Gina Hinojosa | Democrat | District 49 | |
| Eddie Rodriguez | (I) | Democrat | District 51 |
| Larry Gonzales | (I) | Republican | District 52 |
| Hugh D. Shine | Republican | District 55 | |
| Charles "Doc" Anderson | (I) | Republican | District 56 |
| Trent Ashby | (I) | Republican | District 57 |
| DeWayne Burns | (I) | Republican | District 58 |
| J.D. Sheffield | (I) | Republican | District 59 |
| Mike Lang | Republican | District 60 | |
| Phil King | (I) | Republican | District 61 |
| Larry Phillips | (I) | Republican | District 62 |
| Tan Parker | (I) | Republican | District 63 |
| Drew Springer | (I) | Republican | District 68 |
| James B. Frank | (I) | Republican | District 69 |
| Drew Darby | (I) | Republican | District 72 |
| Kyle Biedermann | Republican | District 73 | |
| Poncho Nevárez | (I) | Democrat | District 74 |
| Mary E. González | (I) | Democrat | District 75 |
| César J. Blanco | (I) | Democrat | District 76 |
| Evelina "Lina" Ortega | Democrat | District 77 | |
| Joseph C. Pickett | (I) | Democrat | District 79 |
| Tracy O. King | (I) | Democrat | District 80 |
| Brooks Landgraf | Republican | District 81 | |
| Tom Craddick | (I) | Republican | District 82 |
| Dustin Burrows | (I) | Republican | District 83 |
| John Frullo | (I) | Republican | District 84 |
| John Smithee | (I) | Republican | District 86 |
| Four Price | (I) | Republican | District 87 |
| Ken King | (I) | Republican | District 88 |
| Ramon Romero Jr. | (I) | Democrat | District 90 |
| Stephanie Klick | (I) | Republican | District 91 |
| Tony Tinderholt | (I) | Republican | District 94 |
| Charlie Geren | (I) | Republican | District 99 |
| Eric Johnson | (I) | Democrat | District 100 |
| Rafael M. Anchia | (I) | Democrat | District 103 |
| Roberto R. Alonzo | (I) | Democrat | District 104 |
| Pat Fallon | (I) | Republican | District 106 |
| Toni Rose | (I) | Democrat | District 110 |
| Diana Arévalo | Democrat | District 116 | |
| Roland Gutierrez | (I) | Democrat | District 119 |
| Barbara Gervin-Hawkins | Democrat | District 120 | |
| Joe Straus | (I) | Republican | District 121 |
| Lyle Larson | (I) | Republican | District 122 |
| Diego Bernal | (I) | Democrat | District 123 |
| Ina Minjarez | (I) | Democrat | District 124 |
| Justin Rodriguez | (I) | Democrat | District 125 |
| Dan Huberty | (I) | Republican | District 127 |
| Briscoe Cain | Republican | District 128 | |
| Dennis Paul | (I) | Republican | District 129 |
| Tom Oliverson | Republican | District 130 | |
| Alma A. Allen | (I) | Democrat | District 131 |
| Mike Schofield | (I) | Republican | District 132 |
| Jim Murphy | (I) | Republican | District 133 |
| Dwayne Bohac | (I) | Republican | District 138 |
| Jarvis D. Johnson | Democrat | District 139 | |
| Armando Lucio Walle | (I) | Democrat | District 140 |
| Senfronia Thompson | (I) | Democrat | District 141 |
| Harold V. Dutton, Jr. | (I) | Democrat | District 142 |
| Ana Hernandez | (I) | Democrat | District 143 |
| Carol Alvarado | (I) | Democrat | District 145 |
| Borris L. Miles | (I) | Democrat | District 146 |
| Jessica Cristina Farrar | (I) | Democrat | District 148 |
Source: Secretary of State, Tribune research
Some officeholders, though, won't be coming back next year, either because they voluntarily retired, were retired by the voters in the primaries or unsuccessfully sought another office.
Here's a table summarizing those:
| Officeholders Who Will Not Be Returning Next Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Court of Criminal Appeals | ||
| Cheryl Johnson | Republican | Place 5 |
| Railroad Commission | ||
| David Porter | Republican | Statewide |
| State Board of Education | ||
| Martha Dominguez | Democrat | District 1 |
| Thomas Ratliff | Republican | District 9 |
| Texas House | ||
| Stuart Spitzer | Republican | District 4 |
| David Simpson | Republican | District 7 |
| John Otto | Republican | District 18 |
| Marsha Farney | Republican | District 20 |
| Scott Turner | Republican | District 33 |
| Elliott Naishtat | Democrat | District 49 |
| Jimmie Don Aycock | Republican | District 54 |
| Molly White | Republican | District 55 |
| James "Jim" Keffer | Republican | District 60 |
| Myra Crownover | Republican | District 64 |
| Susan King | Republican | District 71 |
| Doug Miller | Republican | District 73 |
| Marisa Márquez | Democrat | District 77 |
| Trey Martinez Fischer | Democrat | District 116 |
| Ruth Jones McClendon | Democrat | District 120 |
| Patricia Harless | Republican | District 126 |
| Wayne Smith | Republican | District 128 |
| Allen Fletcher | Republican | District 130 |
| Sylvester Turner | Democrat | District 139 |
| Debbie Riddle | Republican | District 150 |
| Texas Senate | ||
| Kevin Eltife | Republican | District 1 |
| Troy Fraser | Republican | District 24 |
| U.S. House | ||
| Rubén Hinojosa | Democrat | District 15 |
| Randy Neugebauer | Republican | District 19 |
Source: Secretary of State, Tribune research