(The Center Square) – Texas' Republican congressional delegation will lose at least six members after Democrats scored significant gains during Tuesday's midterm elections.
Texas Republicans were hoping to gain five congressional seats after redistricting. The opposite happened.
Republicans lost six seats and could lose seven, according to unofficial results.
One open race in CD 2, is too close to call. State Rep. Steve Toth ousted incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw in March's primary and is tied 50-50 with his Democratic challenger, Shaun Finnie, in an historically conservative Republican district.
Sixteen incumbent Republicans won reelection in congressional districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31 and 36, according to unofficial records.
Eight incumbent Democrats won reelection in their races in CDs 7, 16, 18, 20, 28, 29, 34 and 37.
Texas has the second largest congressional delegation in the country of 38, behind California’s 52. Prior to the election, Republicans held a majority of seats, 25, compared to Democrats’ 12.
However, heading into the election, there were more than a dozen open seats due to outgoing incumbents not running for reelection, being forced to resign or dying.
Thirteen members who were elected in 2024 weren’t returning to Congress, opening up nearly one-third of the delegation to new members, The Center Square reported.
They include 11 outgoing incumbents where candidates ran to replace them in newly redistricted districts. One died, Democrat U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, whose seat was filled by Houston Democrat Christian Menefee. He was reelected Tuesday.
One Republican, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, left his CD 23 seat vacant after he was forced to resign after he lied about having affairs with staffers, including one who killed herself, The Center Square reported. He represented the largest border district in Texas. This seat flipped blue Tuesday.
Democrats swept all five border seats in Texas, including Gonzales’ old seat in CD 23. Democrat Veronica Escobar easily won reelection in far west Texas in CD 16. Incumbent Democrats Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzales also won reelection in CDs 28 and 34. Incumbent Republican Monica De La Cruz lost in CD 15, losing by 30 points.
Speaker of the U.S. House Mike Johson campaigned in south Texas hoping to build momentum for Republicans. He encouraged voters not to believe the polls, which showed Democrats were ahead, The Center Square reported.
He was partially correct. The polls didn’t accurately reflect voter outcomes. Far more voters voted for Democrats than were expected, including Hispanic and Republican voters, citing Trump administration economic policies, The Center Square reported.
De La Cruz made history two elections ago when she was the first Republican elected to her district and to a south Texas congressional district in state history. She lost to Latin Grammy singer Bobby Palido, who has never run for political office.
Polls indicating that Trump-endorsed candidates, including De La Cruz, in south Texas were in trouble proved accurate.
In 12 open races, seven Republicans and five Democrats won, according to unofficial results.
Republicans won races in conservative districts vacated by retiring Republicans in CDs 8, 10, 19, 21, 22, 32 and 38.
Notable wins include in CD 21 where Major League Baseball player Mark Teixeira is replacing outgoing U.S. Rep. Chip Roy. In CD 22, Trevor Nehls won the seat held by his twin brother, outgoing U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls.
Republicans Jessica Hart Steinmann and John Bonck won conservative districts in the Houston area, replacing retiring U.S. Reps. Morgan Luttrell in CD 8 and Wesley Hunt in CD 38, respectively.
Republican Tom Sell won the seat of outgoing U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington in the conservative panhandle in CD 19 and Chris Gober won outgoing Michael McCaul’s seat in central Texas in CD 10.
Republican Jace Yarbrough won a newly redistricted seat in north Texas in CD 32.
Democrats won open seats in CD 9, 15, 23, 30 and 33. Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, who lost his U.S. Senate bid to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, won reelection in a new district, CD 33. Republicans hoped to win in a new CD 9 in Houston, but Alex Mealer was trounced by Democrat Leticia Gutierrez by 15 points.
Depending on the Toth CD 2 race, Republicans could lose a total of seven seats in Texas’ congressional delegation – two more seats than they thought they would gain.
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