Republicans Hold the Texas House by 20 Votes

Posted By Josh Goodman | November 12, 2008

No, Republicans don't have a 20-seat majority in the Texas House of Representatives. Their majority is actually 76-74. Republicans have a 20-vote majority -- 20 votes in one seat is all that has prevented Democrats from drawing to a 75-75 tie. From the Dallas Morning News :

Republicans held their one-seat advantage in the Texas House late Monday as incumbent Linda Harper-Brown maintained a victory in the tight District 105 race.

However, her already small lead shrank from 34 to 20 votes after a Dallas County ballot board accepted 61 provisional ballots, amid Republican allegations of impropriety.

Her narrow victory could lead to a recount that might have implications for embattled House Speaker Tom Craddick.

A prediction: In 2010, we'll be talking about the Texas House of Representatives in the same way that we were talking about the New York Senate this cycle. This year, the campaign for control of the New York Senate had everything: national implications (for redistricting), historical significance (because Republicans had ruled the Senate for decades) and an uncertain results (Republicans ended up losing their narrow majority to Democrats).

In 2010, Texas Democrats will be trying to gain a foothold in the redistricting process, with their best shot being a House majority. There would be symbolic significance to a Democratic win in the biggest red state. And, of course, with Republicans holding a 76-74 edge, the result will be anyone's guess.

Josh Goodman

Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..

E-mail: mailbox@governing.com
Twitter: @governing

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