1968 Texas Senate election

none December 2025 December 2025 1968 Texas Senate election Texas Legislative Popular No 1966 Texas Senate election 1966 1970 Texas Senate election 1970 15 out of 31 seats in the Texas Senate 16 November 5, 1968 Democratic Party (United States) 30 13 29 857,379 73.27% Republican Party (United States) 1 2 2 312,743 26.73% 300px Senate results by district#92C5DE Democratic hold #F48882 Republican hold#D0D0D0 No election President pro tempore Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) 11.06% 10.13% 2 29 The 1968 Texas Senate election was held on November 5, 1968, to determine which party would control the Texas Senate for the following two years in the 61st Texas Legislature. 15 of the 31 seats in the Texas Senate were up for election to four-year terms. Democrats maintained their majority in the Senate, but Republicans gained one seat compared to the 1966 elections, winning a total of two. Background Democrats had controlled the Texas Senate since the 1872 elections. The chamber's membership had undergone a massive overhaul after the 1966 elections due to redistricting. This greatly shifted political power away from rural areas, which had held disproportionate power due to malapportionment, towards the state's growing urban and suburban areas. As a consequence, the chamber saw the election of its first African American member of the 20th century and its first Republican since 1924.May Janice C. The Evolution of the Texas Legislature: A Historical Overview https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-legislature 18 September 2025 Texas State Historical Association enhttps://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth113809/m1/593/ Texas Almanac, 1968-1969 1967 The Dallas Morning News 1967 Dallas, Texas 591 en District 8 special election George Parkhouse, the Democrat who had represented Dallas County in the Senate since 1951, died in August 1967.Thomas Shain September 10, 2017 George Marshall Parkhouse: Texas State Legislator and Advocate for Water Conservation https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/parkhouse-george-marshall 2026-07-10 Texas State Historical Association en Republican Ike Harris, whom Parkhouse had narrowly defeated in 1966, easily won the special election held on November 11 to succeed him, flipping the seat and becoming the chamber's second Republican member.Orland Harris Obituary (2021) - Austin, TX - Austin American-Statesman https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/statesman/name/orland-harris-obituary?id=12784596 2026-07-10 Legacy.comRegister of elected and appointed state and county officials 1964 - 1968. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. p. 363District 8 special election Ike Harris 15,105 70.82% Bill Harris 3,718 17.43% Horace Houston 1,114 5.22% Minor candidates 1,391 6.52% 21,328 100.00% Results Democrats maintained near-complete control of the chamber, but Republicans continued their gradual growth in the state, holding both of their seats in the chamber.https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth113810/m1/534/ Texas Almanac, 1970-1971 1969 The Dallas Morning News 1969 Dallas, Texas 529 en References Category:1968 Texas elections Category:Texas Senate elections Category:November 1968 in the United States Texas Senate election