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Texas gubernatorial election, 2018

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General election

General election for Governor of Texas

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott (R)
 
55.8
 
4,656,196
Image of Lupe Valdez
Lupe Valdez (D)
 
42.5
 
3,546,615
Image of Mark Tippetts
Mark Tippetts (L)
 
1.7
 
140,632

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,343,443
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates


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Governor of Texas
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 11, 2017
Primary: March 6, 2018
Primary runoff: May 22, 2018 (if needed)
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent(s):
Greg Abbott (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Texas
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Texas
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Comptroller
Agriculture commissioner
Railroad commissioner
State board of education
Public lands commissioner

Texas held an election for governor on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was December 11, 2017. Primary elections were held on March 6, 2018. A Democratic primary runoff followed on May 22, 2018.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

For more information about gubernatorial elections in 2018, click here.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting governor was Greg Abbott (R), who was first elected in 2014. On July 14, 2017, Abbott announced that he would seek re-election in 2018.
  • Heading into the election, Texas was a Republican trifecta. It had held this status since Republicans gained a majority in the Texas House of Representatives in 2003. Texas was also a Republican triplex.
  • Texas was won by the Republican candidate in each of the previous five presidential elections. The widest margin of victory was George W. Bush's 23 percent margin in 2004 while the narrowest was Donald Trump's 9 percent margin in 2016.

    • Texas was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.


    Candidates and election results

    See also: Statistics on gubernatorial candidates, 2018

    General election

    General election for Governor of Texas

    Incumbent Greg Abbott defeated Lupe Valdez and Mark Tippetts in the general election for Governor of Texas on November 6, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Greg Abbott
    		Greg Abbott (R)
     
    55.8
     
    		4,656,196
    Image of Lupe Valdez
    		Lupe Valdez (D)
     
    42.5
     
    		3,546,615
    Image of Mark Tippetts
    		Mark Tippetts (L)
     
    1.7
     
    		140,632

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 8,343,443
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

    Democratic primary runoff election

    Democratic primary runoff for Governor of Texas

    Lupe Valdez defeated Andrew White in the Democratic primary runoff for Governor of Texas on May 22, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Lupe Valdez
    		Lupe Valdez
     
    53.0
     
    		224,091
    Image of Andrew White
    		Andrew White
     
    47.0
     
    		198,407

    There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

    		Total votes: 422,498
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Democratic primary election

    Democratic primary for Governor of Texas

    The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Texas on March 6, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Lupe Valdez
    		Lupe Valdez
     
    42.9
     
    		435,484
    ✔
    Image of Andrew White
    		Andrew White
     
    27.4
     
    		278,333
    Image of Cedric Davis
    		Cedric Davis
     
    8.3
     
    		83,817
    Image of Grady Yarbrough
    		Grady Yarbrough
     
    5.4
     
    		54,372
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		Jeffrey Payne
     
    4.8
     
    		48,269
    Image of Adrian Ocegueda
    		Adrian Ocegueda
     
    4.4
     
    		44,681
    Image of Thomas Wakely
    		Thomas Wakely
     
    3.4
     
    		34,737
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		James Clark
     
    2.2
     
    		21,871
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		Joe Mumbach
     
    1.4
     
    		13,878

    There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 1,015,442
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Republican primary election

    Republican primary for Governor of Texas

    Incumbent Greg Abbott defeated Barbara Krueger and Larry SECEDE Kilgore in the Republican primary for Governor of Texas on March 6, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Greg Abbott
    		Greg Abbott
     
    90.4
     
    		1,389,562
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		Barbara Krueger
     
    8.3
     
    		127,134
    Image of Larry SECEDE Kilgore
    		Larry SECEDE Kilgore
     
    1.3
     
    		20,384

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 1,537,080
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Context of the 2018 election

    Race rating

    Race ratings: Texas gubernatorial election, 2018
    Race trackerRace ratings
    November 5, 2018October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018
    The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
    Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
    Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
    Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

    Other 2018 statewide elections

    See also: States with both gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections in 2018

    This race took place in one of twenty-two states that held elections for both governor and U.S. Senate in 2018.

    A table of where these elections occurred, the names of incumbents prior to the 2018 elections, and links to our coverage of these races can be viewed by clicking "[show]" on the banner below:

    Republican winning streak

    See also: Winning streaks in 2018 gubernatorial elections

    Abbott's victory in the general election was the seventh in a series beginning with George W. Bush's (R) victory in 1994, continuing a record-long Republican winning streak in Texas gubernatorial elections. The longest Democratic winning streak in state history was 51 elections, occurring between 1873 and 1974.

    Wave election analysis

    See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

    The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

    Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

    Applying this definition to gubernatorial elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose seven seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

    The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 11 gubernatorial waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

    Gubernatorial wave elections
    Year President Party Election type Gubernatorial seats change Elections analyzed[1]
    1970 Nixon R First midterm -12 35
    1922 Harding R First midterm -11 33
    1932 Hoover R Presidential -10 35
    1920 Wilson D Presidential -10 36
    1994 Clinton D First midterm -10 36
    1930 Hoover R First midterm -9 33
    1938 Roosevelt D Second midterm -9 33
    1966 Johnson D First midterm[2] -9 35
    1954 Eisenhower R First midterm -8 33
    1982 Reagan R First midterm -7 36
    2010 Obama D First midterm -7 33

    State overview

    Partisan control

    This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Texas heading into the 2018 elections.

    Congressional delegation

    State executives

    State legislature

    • Republicans controlled both chambers of the Texas State Legislature. They had a 93-55 majority in the state House and a 21-10 majority in the state Senate.

    Trifecta status

    • Texas was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House.

    2018 elections

    See also: Texas elections, 2018

    Texas held elections for the following positions in 2018:

    Demographics

    Demographic data for Texas
     TexasU.S.
    Total population:27,429,639316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):261,2323,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:74.9%73.6%
    Black/African American:11.9%12.6%
    Asian:4.2%5.1%
    Native American:0.5%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
    Two or more:2.5%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:38.4%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:81.9%86.7%
    College graduation rate:27.6%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$53,207$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:19.9%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Texas.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    As of July 2016, Texas had a population of approximately 27,862,596 people, and its three largest cities were Houston (pop. est. 2.3 million), San Antonio (pop. est. 1.5 million), and Dallas (pop. est. 1.3 million).[3][4]

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Texas from 2000 to 2016.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Texas every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), Texas 2000-2016[5][6]
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 52.23% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 43.24% 8.99%
    2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 57.17% Democratic Party Barack Obama 41.38% 15.79%
    2008 Republican Party John McCain 55.45% Democratic Party Barack Obama 43.68% 11.77%
    2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 61.09% Democratic Party John Kerry 38.22% 22.87%
    2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 59.30% Democratic Party Al Gore 37.98% 21.32%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Texas from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Texas 2000-2016[7]
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014[8] Republican Party John Cornyn 61.56% Democratic Party David Alameel 34.36% 27.20%
    2012[9] Republican Party Ted Cruz 56.46% Democratic Party Paul Sadler 40.62% 15.84%
    2008[10] Republican Party John Cornyn 54.82% Democratic Party Richard Noriega 42.84% 11.98%
    2006[11] Republican Party Kay Bailey Hutchison 61.69% Democratic Party Barbara Ann Radnofsky 36.04% 25.65%
    2002[12] Republican Party John Cornyn 55.30% Democratic Party Ron Kirk 43.33% 11.97%
    2000[13] Republican Party Kay Bailey Hutchison 65.04% Democratic Party Gene Kelly 32.35% 32.69%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2014

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2014. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Texas.

    Election results (Governor), Texas 2000-2016[14]
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party Greg Abbott 59.27% Democratic Party Wendy Davis 38.90% 20.37%
    2010 Republican Party Rick Perry 54.97% Democratic Party Bill White 42.30% 12.67%
    2006 Republican Party Rick Perry 39.03% Democratic Party Chris Bell 29.79% 9.24%
    2002 Republican Party Rick Perry 57.81% Democratic Party Tony Sanchez 39.96% 17.85%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, Texas 2000-2016
    Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
    2016 Republican Party 25 69.4% Democratic Party 11 30.6% R+14
    2014 Republican Party 25 69.4% Democratic Party 11 30.6% R+14
    2012 Republican Party 24 66.7% Democratic Party 12 33.3% R+12
    2010 Republican Party 23 71.9% Democratic Party 9 28.1% R+14
    2008 Republican Party 20 62.5% Democratic Party 12 37.5% R+8
    2006 Republican Party 19 59.4% Democratic Party 13 40.6% R+6
    2004 Republican Party 21 65.6% Democratic Party 11 34.4% R+10
    2002 Republican Party 15 46.9% Democratic Party 17 53.1% D+2
    2000 Republican Party 13 43.3% Democratic Party 17 56.7% D+4

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Texas Party Control: 1992-2025
    Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    Senate D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties by state

    One of 254 Texas counties—0.4 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

    Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
    County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
    Jefferson County, Texas 0.48% 1.61% 2.25%

    In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Texas with 52.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 43.2 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Texas cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 66.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Texas supported Democratic candidates slightly more often than Republicans, 53.3 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.

    Presidential results by legislative district

    The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Texas. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[15][16]

    In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 54 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 65 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.4 points. Clinton won 10 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
    In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 96 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 85 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 34.5 points.


    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Texas governor election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Texas gubernatorial election, 2018 - Google News

    See also

    Texas government:

    Elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The number of gubernatorial seats up for election varies, with as many as 36 seats and as few as 12 seats being up in a single even-numbered year.
    2. ↑ Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
    3. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Texas," accessed December 12, 2017
    4. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Houston; San Antonio; Dallas," accessed December 13, 2017
    5. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2012 Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed December 13, 2017
    6. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results," January 30, 2017
    7. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Federal Elections 2014: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed December 13, 2017
    8. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2014 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
    9. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2012 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
    10. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2008 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
    11. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2006 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
    12. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2002 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
    13. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2000 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
    14. ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Texas Election Results," accessed December 13, 2017
    15. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
    16. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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