By the Numbers: Incumbents Facing Runoffs

Mar 27, 2022 | By the Numbers

30% Winning percentage of incumbent statewide officials, legislators and members of Congress in primary runoffs since 1996. Last week, we explored the historical success rates of first-place candidates entering primary runoffs for “open” seats, meaning no incumbent in...

By the Numbers: First-place Candidates’ Historical Runoff Performance

Mar 20, 2022 | By the Numbers

83% Winning percentage of runoff candidates who finished 10% or more ahead of their challenger in the primary election since 2002. There have been 204 “open” primary runoff elections for state, legislative and federal offices since 2002, and the candidate who finished...

By the Numbers: Fundraising as Measure of Primary Success

Feb 21, 2022 | By the Numbers, Campaign Finance

77% Historical percentage of the top fundraising candidate to win or advance to a runoff in a significant open-seat primary race. Since 2006, there have been 145 races that met these criteria: Primary for statewide, legislative or congressional office No incumbent in...

By the Numbers: Sitting Legislators Running Statewide

Sep 16, 2021 | By the Numbers

0 Number of sitting state representatives to win a statewide race since 1990. It’s been three decades since a House member last won statewide office. Then Reps. Dan Morales (D-San Antonio) and Rick Perry (R-Haskell) won their races for Attorney General and...

By the Numbers: Special Election Turnout

Jul 28, 2021 | By the Numbers

23rd Likely rank of yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) special runoff election in terms of turnout, compared to all legislative and congressional special and runoff elections since 2013 that did not coincide with an even-year November general election. Unofficial...

By the Numbers: Ideal Population Comparison

Jun 3, 2021 | By the Numbers

5 Number of U.S. states with a smaller population than an ideal Texas Senate district after redistricting. The ideal population is the number of people in a district if all districts had equal population. For the upcoming redistricting process, that ideal population...

By the Numbers: First-place Candidates in Runoffs

May 26, 2020 | By the Numbers

82% Winning percentage of runoff candidates who finished 10% or more ahead of their challenger in the primary election since 2002. There have been 175 “open” primary runoff elections for state, legislative and federal offices since 2002, and the candidate who finished...

By the Numbers: Campaign Cash and Primary Success

Feb 19, 2020 | By the Numbers, Campaign Finance

76% Percent of the time an open-seat candidate with the highest contribution total has either won a multi-way primary race outright or advanced to a runoff since 2006. Campaign cash is one of the best indicators of potential success in contested primary races where at...

By the Numbers: Local Election Turnout

Apr 14, 2019 | By the Numbers

9% Average turnout since 1999 in Dallas Co. for an odd-year May election for which the mayor of Dallas is on the ballot. Voter turnout in Texas is low, compared to other states, even under the best of circumstances. About 53% of registered voters cast ballots in the...

By the Numbers: Beto’s 254-county Strategy

Feb 24, 2019 | By the Numbers, Statewide Race Analyses

88 Number of counties where Beto O’Rourke received at least 25% fewer votes in his 2018 race against Ted Cruz than Paul Sadler received in his 2012 race against Cruz. Overall, O’Rourke improved on Sadler’s head-to-head vote percentage in 69 counties, but he lost...

By the Numbers: Double-digit Special Election Leads

Feb 13, 2019 | By the Numbers

5 Number of legislative and congressional candidates who had at least a double-digit plurality in a special election but lost the runoff since 1996. On Tuesday, Republican Fred Rangel became the 14th legislative or congressional special election candidate to finish at...

By the Numbers: Women Legislators

Dec 19, 2018 | By the Numbers

23.8% Percent of Texas legislative seats that were won by women on Election Day or were already filled by women and not up for election this year. This represents an increase of 3.4 percentage points since 2017, but it is the same as in 2009. The national average is...

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#43 - Wes Benedict: Bridging Policy and Community with Texans for Reasonable Solutions
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Welcome to Episode #43 of Bills & Business. In this episode, Laura Carr, Co-Founder of USLege, sits down with Wes Benedict, Grassroots Manager at Texans for Reasonable Solutions.

Wes brings years of advocacy experience and a steady, practical approach to community engagement. The conversation explores how Texas communities can navigate political tension, build cross-partisan coalitions, and create space for meaningful dialogue in an increasingly polarized environment.

They dive into the organization’s focus on key statewide issues including housing, infrastructure, water, and the evolving relationship between local and state governments. Wes breaks down why these policies matter for both everyday Texans and the business community, and how reasonable, bipartisan solutions can move conversations forward.

The episode closes with insights on how individuals can get involved, what success looks like in grassroots policy work, and what Texans should be watching as the special session unfolds.

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Texas Political Spotlight
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Michael and Susan Dell’s unprecedented $6.25 billion pledge to expand federal “Trump Accounts” aims to boost long-term savings for 25 million American children. In Lubbock, Texas Tech’s new classroom restrictions on race, gender identity, and sexuality have ignited an immediate clash over academic freedom and curriculum control. And in Northeast Texas, Rep. Gary VanDeaver’s decision not to seek reelection opens a pivotal Republican primary.

We hope you enjoyed today’s read!

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USLege’s ‘Best in Government Affairs Awards’ Celebrates Heroes of the Texas Capitol with State’s First Peer-Nominated Government Affairs Honor
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Texas Political Spotlight
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Welcome back, friends

Michael and Susan Dell’s unprecedented $6.25 billion pledge to expand federal “Trump Accounts” aims to boost long-term savings for 25 million American children. In Lubbock, Texas Tech’s new classroom restrictions on race, gender identity, and sexuality have ignited an immediate clash over academic freedom and curriculum control. And in Northeast Texas, Rep. Gary VanDeaver’s decision not to seek reelection opens a pivotal Republican primary.

We hope you enjoyed today’s read!

Stay connected with TXLege News on X and LinkedIn!

Texas Political Spotlight
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Texas voters approved one of the largest property tax relief packages in state history on Tuesday, raising the homestead exemption to $140,000 and granting new tax breaks for seniors, people with disabilities, and small businesses. In Austin, residents rejected Proposition Q, a plan to fund public safety, homelessness programs, and city facility initiatives through a property tax hike, forcing city leaders to rework the budget and brace for service cuts. Meanwhile, Bexar County voters narrowly passed Propositions A and B, greenlighting up to $311 million in tourism-funded support for a new downtown Spurs arena and upgrades to the Freeman Coliseum grounds.

We hope you enjoyed today’s read!

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Texas Political Spotlight
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Former Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern American politics, has died at 84, remembered by former President George W. Bush as a “patriot” whose intellect and conviction shaped decades of U.S. policy. In Texas, the Education Agency announced a sweeping takeover of Fort Worth ISD, the state’s second-largest intervention, citing years of academic underperformance and plans to install new local managers. And in Washington, a United Airlines flight was evacuated after a bomb threat, prompting an FBI investigation that later found no explosives, allowing operations to resume safely.

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