1996 Texas Senate election

none August 2025 1996 Texas Senate election 40.89% Texas Democratic Party 17 15 2 966,719 6.06% President Pro Tempore Democratic Republican 5.58% Texas legislative 1994 Texas Senate election 1994 1998 Texas Senate election 1998 15 of the 31 seats in the Texas Senate 16 November 5, 1996December 10, 1996 (District 28 runoff) 57.00% Republican Party of Texas 14 2 16 2 1,347,551 no TxSen1996Results.svg Senate results by district#F48882 Republican hold #CA0120 Republican gain#92C5DE Democratic hold#D3D3D3 No election The 1996 Texas Senate elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Texas voters elected state senators in 15 State Senate districts. All of the seats up for this election were for four-year terms, with senators up for re-election in the 2000 elections. The winners of this election served in the 75th Texas Legislature. Background Democrats had controlled the Texas Senate since the 1872 elections. The 1992 elections had been held under lines drawn by federal courts, which had overturned the maps passed by the legislature as unconstitutional gerrymanders.History https://redistricting.capitol.texas.gov/history live https://web.archive.org/web/20230316035913/https://redistricting.capitol.texas.gov/history March 16, 2023 March 16, 2023 redistricting.capitol.texas.gov Democrats had tried to pass their own maps for the courts to allow in a January 1992 special session, but the courts rejected these maps and imposed their own.January 17, 1992 Justices reject Texas request to block redistricting by court https://www.proquest.com/docview/283309390 March 16, 2023 The Chicago Tribune 4 283309390Schwartz Maralee January 17, 1992 Texas Redistricting Rift https://www.proquest.com/docview/307500868 March 16, 2023 The Washington Post a16 307500868 Republicans made substantial gains in the 1992 elections, winning 13 seats to the Democrats' 18.Kingston Mike https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth162513/m1/410 Texas Almanac, 1994-1995 The Dallas Morning News 1993 Dallas 410 en March 17, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230317040536/https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth162513/m1/410/ March 17, 2023 live The 1994 elections were held under the lines passed by the legislature in the January 1992 special session. Because that map was completely different from the 1992 map, all senators were required to run for re-election, instead of only half of them.McNeely Dave June 1997 The Texas Senate shuffle https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A19651210/AONE?u=txshracd2548 State Legislatures 23 6 21 Gale Academic OneFile During these elections, Republicans made further gains, winning 14 seats to the Democrats' 17, but they failed to take control of the chamber, even amidst the Republican Revolution which saw the election of George W. Bush to the governorship and Republicans winning majorities on the Supreme Court, Board of Education, and Railroad Commission.Barta Carolyn https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth162514/m1/448/ Texas Almanac, 1996-1997 1995 Dallas, Texas 448 en 1994 Elections: A Rising Tide of Republicanism Redistricting Minor redistricting took place between the 1994 and 1996 elections due to the federal court case Thomas v. Bush. Multiple Senate districts in Dallas and Houston were challenged as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. The parties settled the case in 1995, which resulted in minor changes to these districts, making them much more compact while negligibly changing their racial and partisan makeups.Bickerstaff Steve Gerrymandering Texas Texas Tech University Press 2020 978-1-68283-073-4 Heath C. Robert Lubbock 127–128 Results The initial November elections had left a 15–15 tie in the chamber, with one special election in West Texas-based District 28 outstanding.Barboza David November 29, 1996 Republicans Strike Deep In the Heart of Texas https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/29/us/republicans-strike-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20230317043219/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/29/us/republicans-strike-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas.html March 17, 2023 March 17, 2023 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Republicans won the race in a December runoff, securing a majority in the chamber for the first time since Reconstruction. This created a divided government between the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and the Republican-controlled Senate and governorship leading into the 75th Legislature.December 12, 1996 Rep. Stockman loses in Texas Congress runoff GOP claims majority in one house of state legislature, 1st since 1872 https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/12/12/rep-stockman-loses-in-texas-congress-runoff-gop-claims-majority-in-one-house-of-state-legislature-1st-since-1872/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20230317043229/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1996-12-12-1996347131-story.html March 17, 2023 March 17, 2023 The Baltimore Sun Results by district +DistrictDemocraticRepublicanOthersTotalResultVotes%Votes%Votes%Votes%District 282,58052.17%75,70447.83% - -158,284100.00%Democratic holdDistrict 3103,83549.91%104,22250.09% - -208,057100.00%Democratic holdDistrict 7 - -182,144100.00% - -182,144100.00%Republican holdDistrict 8 - -189,98589.76%21,67410.24%211,659100.00%Republican holdDistrict 9 - -160,296100.00% - -160,296100.00%Republican holdDistrict 10 - -154,989100.00% - -154,989100.00%Republican holdDistrict 12112,733100.00% - - - -112,733100.00%Democratic holdDistrict 14157,19484.87% - -28,01315.13%185,207100.00%Democratic holdDistrict 1581,13462.05%49,61937.95% - -130,753100.00%Democratic holdDistrict 2191,95666.32%46,69833.68% - -138,654100.00%Democratic holdDistrict 2480,63248.15%86,82851.85% - -167,460100.00%Republican gainDistrict 25 - -223,739100.00% - -223,739100.00%Republican holdDistrict 2685,92267.54%41,29832.46% - -127,220100.00%Democratic holdDistrict 2780,865100.00% - - - -80,865100.00%Democratic holdDistrict 2989,86873.72%32,02926.28% - -121,897100.00%Republican holdTotal966,71940.89%1,347,55157.00%49,6872.10%2,363,957100.00% Source:Race Summary Report - 1996 General Election https://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist56_state.htm Texas Secretary of StateRace Summary Report - 1996 Special Runoff Election https://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist58_state.htm Texas Secretary of State Notable races District 3 Incumbent Republican Drew Nixon ran for re-election. Nixon faced multiple controversies during his first term in office, including a 1993 arrest for possession of an unlicensed firearm while in his car with three prostitutes.February 22, 1997 State senator Nixon apologizes for arrest, will remain in office https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19970222&id=lU8KAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3UoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6035,3989901 The Victoria AdvocateSeptember 15, 1997 UPI Focus: Nixon pleads guilty https://www.upi.com/Archives/1997/09/15/UPI-Focus-Nixon-pleads-guilty/1016874296000/ United Press International His opponent, Democrat Jerry K. Johnson, also attacked him for taking a vacation to Greece during the campaign. Nixon ultimately won re-election, but by a surprisingly narrow margin.Burka Paul 1996-12-01 Non-Issues https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/non-issues/ https://web.archive.org/web/20231007174852/https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/non-issues/ 2023-10-07 2025-08-26 Texas Monthly en-USDistrict 3 general election Drew Nixon Republican Party (United States) 104,222 50.09% Jerry K. Johnson Democratic Party (United States) 103,835 49.91% 208,057 100.00% Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) District 24 Incumbent Democrat Bill Sims announced he would not run for re-election after suffering a stroke in 1995. Republican Troy Fraser, whom Sims had defeated in the 1992 election, won the open seat against Democrat Rick Rhodes, the mayor of Streetwater, flipping the seat to the Republicans.Jaklewicz Greg State Sen. Sims, 84, worked for Texas agriculture, tried to ‘do what is right’ https://www.reporternews.com/story/news/local/2016/08/31/state-sen-sims-84-worked-for-texas-agriculture-tried-to-do-what-is-right/92339134/ 2025-08-25 Abilene Reporter-News en-USDistrict 24 general election Troy Fraser Republican Party (United States) 86,828 51.85% Rick Rhodes Democratic Party (United States) 80,632 48.15% 148,443 100.00% Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) District 28 (special) 28th district special election Texas presidential no 1994 Texas Senate election#District 28 1994 1998 Texas Senate election#District 28 1998 Robert L. Duncan Republican Party (United States) 32,489 56.82% David R. Langston Democratic Party (United States) 24,686 43.18% 1996 Texas's 28th senate district special election runoff results map by county.svg County resultsDuncan: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Langston: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70%Tie: #AE8BB1 50% Texas Senator John T. Montford Democratic Party Robert L. Duncan Republican Party December 10, 1996 Incumbent Democrat John T. Montford resigned to become the first chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.John T. Montford a powerhouse at Tech, in politics Lubbock Online Lubbock Avalanche-Journal http://lubbockonline.com/stories/011109/loc_375992637.shtml https://web.archive.org/web/20131120061925/http://lubbockonline.com/stories/011109/loc_375992637.shtml 2013-11-20 2025-08-25 www.lubbockonline.com en No candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round, held concurrently with the general election, so a runoff was to be held on December 10. Due to the tie created by the general election, this runoff would decide control of the Texas Senate. Republican Robert Duncan defeated Democrat David Langston in the runoff, flipping the seat and giving Republicans control of the chamber for the first time since Reconstruction. District 28 special election1996 November Special Election https://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist57_state.htm Texas Secretary of State Robert Duncan Republican Party (United States) 45,106 30.41% David R. Langston Democratic Party (United States) 36,032 24.29% Tim Lambert Republican Party (United States) 18,885 12.73% Gary L. Watkins Democratic Party (United States) 18,652 12.57% Monte Hasie Republican Party (United States) 13,303 8.97% Lorenzo 'Bubba' Sedeno Democratic Party (United States) 12,419 8.37% Dick Bowen Republican Party (United States) 3,938 2.65% 148,335 100.00% District 28 special election runoff Robert Duncan Republican Party (United States) 32,489 56.82% David R. Langston Democratic Party (United States) 24,686 43.18% 57,175 100.00% Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) References Category:1996 Texas elections Texas Senate election Category:Texas Senate elections