Although the winner of the presidential election is still unknown, we do have some definitive answers as to who won legislative races in the Texas statehouse. The party makeup of the 87th Legislature will look very similar to that of the 86th. The Senate will have 18 Republicans and 13 Democrats — one more Democrat and one fewer Republican than during the prior session. Roland Gutierrez (D) who served in the Texas House defeated freshman senator Pete Flores (R).
Incumbents in two Texas House seats representing Harris County did lose their reelection bids. Freshman members Gina Calanni (D) lost to former state representative Mike Schofield (R), and longtime member Sarah Davis (R) lost to Ann Johnson (D). While those two seats flipped parties, the House will continue to have 83 Republicans and 67 Democrats — the same as during the 86th legislative session.
Rep. Dade Phelan announced today that he has enough votes from Texas House Republicans and Democrats to secure the speakership for the 87th session. Members of the Texas House cannot elect their speaker until they convene and are sworn into office January 12.
Pre-filing of legislation for the 2021 legislative session begins November 9.
State Board of Education (SBOE) members Kevin Ellis (R), Sue Melton-Malone (R), Georgina Perez (D), and Tom Maynard (R) all retained their seats. Jay Johnson (R), Audrey Young (R), and Will Hickman (R) were elected, retaining Republican control of their respective SBOE districts. At this time, Rebecca Bell-Metereau (D) leads Lani Popp (R) by approximately 17,000 votes; her victory will result in a flip in District 5 from Republican to Democrat.
