United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2006

The 2006 midterm elections were held on November 7, 2006. All 32 House seats in the United States Congress from Texas were up for election.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2006*[1]
Party		Votes*	Percentage	Seats Before	Seats After	+/–
	Republican	2,184,261	52.26%	21	19	-2
	Democratic	1,852,613	44.32%	11	13	+2
	Libertarian	117,313	2.81%	0	0	0
	Independent	16,131	.39%	0	0	0
	Constitution	9,383	.23%	0	0	0
Valid votes		-	-%
Invalid or blank votes		-	-%
Totals		4,179,701	100.00%	32	32	—
Voter turnout		%

(*elections in the 15th, 21st, 23rd, 25th, and 28th were conducted under the Nonpartisan blanket primary format)

District 1

Freshman Congressman Louis Gohmert (R-Tyler), elected in 2004 after redistricting in East Texas, faced Roger Owen (D) of Hallsville in the general election, along with Libertarian nominee Donald Perkinson. Gohmert was one of four Republicans who succeeded in defeating incumbent Democrats with help from a controversial redistricting effort orchestrated by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 1

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Louis Gohmert	104,080	68.01	+6.54
	Democratic	Roger Owen	46,290	30.25	-7.43
	Libertarian	Donald Perkinson	2,667	1.74	+0.9
Majority			57,790	37.76
Turnout			153,037
	Republican hold		Swing	+13.97

District 2

In 2004, Ted Poe (R-Humble) unseated Democrat Nick Lampson after heavy redistricting changed the political landscape, allowing him to win with 55% of the vote. His opponent in November was Democrat Gary Binderim, along with the Libertarian Justo J. Perez.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 2

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Ted Poe	90,332	65.62	+10.1
	Democratic	Gary Binderim	45,027	32.71	-10.2
	Libertarian	Justo Perez	2,294	1.67	+0.12
Majority			45,305	32.91
Turnout			137,653
	Republican hold		Swing	+20.3

District 3

Incumbent Sam Johnson (R-Plano) faced Dan Dodd, Democrat from McKinney and Libertarian Christopher J. Claytor in the general election. This district is dominated by the Republican stronghold of Collin County, as well as Garland, another large Dallas suburb.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 3

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Sam Johnson	88,634	62.52	-23.09
	Democratic	Dan Dodd	49,488	34.91	+34.91
	Libertarian	Christopher Claytor	3,656	2.58	-3.73
Majority			39,146	27.61
Turnout			141,778
	Republican hold		Swing	-49.44

District 4

25 year incumbent Ralph Hall (R-Rockwall), who switched from the Democratic Party shortly before the 2004 election faced Democrat Glenn Melancon of Sherman and Libertarian Kurt G. Helm. Though it is best known as the district of the well known former Speaker Sam Rayburn, and thus a long Democratic stronghold, the southern end of the district consists of Republican-dominated Dallas suburbs.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 4

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Ralph Hall	106,268	64.55	-3.69
	Democratic	Glenn Melancon	54,892	33.34	+2.90
	Libertarian	Kurt G. Helm	3,481	2.11	+1.81
Majority			51,376	31.21
Turnout			164,641
	Republican hold		Swing	-6.59

District 5

Incumbent Jeb Hensarling (R-Dallas) faced Democrat Charlie Thompson of Athens in the general election, along with Libertarian Mike Nelson.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 5

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Jeb Hensarling	85,081	61.68	-2.78
	Democratic	Charlie Thompson	49,253	35.70	+2.82
	Libertarian	Mike Nelson	3,616	2.62	-0.03
Majority			35,828	25.98
Turnout			137,950
	Republican hold		Swing	-5.6

District 6

Joe Barton (R-Ennis), who has represented the Sixth District since 1985, faced Democrat David T. Harris of Arlington in November, along with Libertarian Carl Nulsen.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 6

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Joe Barton	91,888	60.46	-5.56
	Democratic	David T. Harris	56,342	37.07	+4.19
	Libertarian	Carl Nulsen	3,739	2.46	+1.19
Turnout			151,969
Majority			35,546	23.39
	Republican hold		Swing	-9.93

District 7

Incumbent John Culberson (R-Houston) faced Democratic teacher Jim Henley of Houston and Libertarian Drew Parks in the general election in November. The seventh district is one of the most heavily Republican districts in Texas yet it is mostly urban, as it is also one of the wealthiest districts in the country and includes several affluent areas of Houston, including the Upper Kirby, Uptown, Spring Branch-Memorial, and River Oaks neighborhoods, as well as the cities of West University Place, Bellaire, and Jersey Village.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 7

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	John Culberson	98,761	59.19	-4.92
	Democratic	Jim Henley	64,170	38.46	+5.16
	Libertarian	Drew Parks	3,921	2.35	+1.12
Majority			34,591	20.73
Turnout			166,852
	Republican hold		Swing	-10.08

District 8

Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands), incumbent Congressman since 1996, faced Democrat James Wright of New Caney in November.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 8

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Kevin Brady	106,943	67.17	-1.74
	Democratic	James Wright	52,275	32.83	+3.17
Majority			54,668	34.34
Turnout			159,218
	Republican hold		Swing	-4.91

District 9

Freshman Democratic Congressman Al Green of Houston faced no opposition in November. That should be no surprise as the Ninth District is heavily Democratic, as it contains large numbers of African-American and Hispanic voters.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 9

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Al Green	60,253	100	+27.82
Majority			60,253	100
Turnout			60,253
	Democratic hold		Swing	+54.39

District 10

Incumbent freshman Michael McCaul (R-Austin) faced some minor celebrity in that of 2004 Libertarian presidential nominee Michael Badnarik. Vietnam veteran Ted Ankrum of Houston ran as the Democratic nominee. McCaul was elected with no Democratic opposition in 2004, as the Libertarian candidate captured 15% of the vote (it should be noted, however, that no Libertarian candidate in the entire state garnered more than 4% when running against both major parties). The 10th district spans a large swath of southeast and central Texas from eastern Austin to Harris County west of Houston.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 10

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Michael McCaul	97,618	55.32	-23.29
	Democratic	Ted Ankrum	71,232	40.37	+40.37
	Libertarian	Michael Badnarik	7,603	4.31	-11.04
Majority			26,686	14.95
Turnout			176,453
	Republican hold		Swing	-48.31

District 11

Congressman Mike Conaway (R-Midland) ran unopposed in the general election.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 11

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Mike Conaway	107,268	100	+23.2
Majority			107,268	100
Turnout			107,268
	Republican hold		Swing	+45

District 12

Incumbent Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) faced John R. Morris (D), also of Fort Worth, in the general election. Gardner Osborne received the Libertarian nomination.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 12

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Kay Granger	98,371	66.94	-5.37
	Democratic	John Morris	45,676	31.08	+3.40
	Libertarian	Gardner Osborne	2,888	1.96	+1.96
Majority			52,695	44.63
Turnout			146,935
	Republican hold		Swing	-8.77

District 13

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Amarillo) faced Roger Waun, Democrat from Wichita Falls in this panhandle race. Jim Thompson represented the Libertarian Party in the election.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 13

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Mac Thornberry	108,107	74.35	-17.95
	Democratic	Roger Waun	33,460	23.01	+23.01
	Libertarian	Jim Thompson	3,829	2.63	-5.06
Majority			74,674	51.34
Turnout			145,396
	Republican hold		Swing	-33.27

District 14

Congressman Ron Paul, the Republican from Surfside, faced Shane Sklar, Democratic nominee from Edna to represent this coastal district, which stretches from Victoria and stretches in a northward and eastward direction to Fort Bend and Brazoria counties.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 14

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Ron Paul	94,380	60.18	-39.81
	Democratic	Shane Sklar	62,429	39.81	+39.81
Majority			31,951	20.37
Turnout			156,809
	Republican hold		Swing	-79.63

District 15

Four term incumbent Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (D-McAllen) ran against Republicans Paul Haring and Eddie Zamora in a special election caused by court mandated redistricting in South Texas and the redrawing of the district's lines.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 15

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Rubén Hinojosa	43,236	61.77	+4.01
	Republican	Paul Haring Eddie Zamora	16,601 10,150	23.72 14.50	-2.60
Majority			26,635	38.05
Turnout			69,987
	Democratic hold		Swing	+21.11

District 16

Democratic Congressman Silvestre Reyes of El Paso faced third-party opposition in the fall, in the form of Libertarian Gordon Strickland. The 16th District is heavily Democratic and comprises mainly El Paso, which is heavily Hispanic.

District 17

Incumbent Chet Edwards (D-Waco) won reelection by a 51% to 48% margin in 2004 after the 2003 Texas redistricting changed his exurban Central Texas district substantially and made it more Republican, he also pulled off the victory despite the fact Bush won the district by a margin of 40%. His district includes Waco and Crawford, the location of George W. Bush's ranch. With his district stretched to include his alma mater of Texas A&M University, he was able to pull off a narrow victory in 2004. He was also helped by the fact that his opponent, then-State Representative Arlene Wohlgemuth, was nominated only after a nasty, expensive primary. This year, he was challenged by Republican Van Taylor, an attorney and Iraq War veteran from a prominent family in Waco. Guillermo Acosta also ran as the Libertarian nominee.

District 18

Incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) faced Republican Ahmad Hassan to represent this largely Democratic and urban Congressional seat in the heart of Houston. Patrick Warren was the Libertarian nominee.

District 19

Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-Lubbock), victorious in 2004 over fellow incumbent Congressman Charlie Stenholm (D-Abilene), faced Democrat Robert Ricketts, also of Lubbock, in November. Fred Jones was on the ballot as the Libertarian nominee.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 19

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Randy Neugebauer	92,811	68	+9.6
	Democratic	Robert Ricketts	40,853	30	-10.0
	Libertarian	Fred Jones	3,300	2	+.5
Majority			48,558	38.0
Turnout			136,964
	Republican hold		Swing

District 20

Charlie Gonzalez (D-San Antonio) defended his Congressional seat against minimal opposition, including Libertarian Michael Idrogo and write-in candidate Robert Sanchez. His district covers much of inner city San Antonio, which is mostly Hispanic.

District 21

Lamar S. Smith (R-San Antonio) was running against San Antonio Democrat John Courage in the general election, along with James Arthur Strohm, the Libertarian nominee. The district was changed somewhat in the federal court remapping mandated by the Supreme Court and attracted several new candidates for the special election tensued as a result of the boundary change after the party primaries took place. Candidates included Democratic perennial candidate Gene Kelly, along with Independent candidates Tommy Calvert, James Lyle Peterson, and Mark Rossano. Smith won a majority of votes and avoided a December runoff.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 21^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Lamar Smith	122,486	60.11	-1.40
	Democratic	John Courage	49,957	24.51
	Democratic	Gene Kelly	18,355	9.01
	Independent	Tommy Calvert	5,280	2.59
	Libertarian	James Arthur Strohm	4,076	2.00	-1.00
	Independent	James Lyle Peterson	2,189	1.07
	Independent	Mark Rossano	1,439	0.71
Majority			72,529	35.60
Turnout			203,782
	Republican hold		Swing	-1.4

District 22

Retiring Incumbent Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land) had been facing mounting ethical challenges and corruption charges in recent months, and won reelection by a surprisingly small 55% to 41% margin in 2004, even though George W. Bush carried the suburban Houston district with 64%. On September 28, 2005, DeLay was indicted by a grand jury in Travis County, Texas. As a result, he felt forced to step down from his post as House Majority Leader. In announcing his plans not to seek reelection, Delay noted his poor poll showing and the constant criticisms he was expecting. DeLay declared himself ineligible for the race on Tuesday, April 4 by attempting to officially change his residence to Virginia. "Those polls showed him beating Democrat Nick Lampson in the general election but in a race that would be too close for comfort, DeLay said." .

DeLay's district faced a strong challenge from former Rep. Nick Lampson, a Democrat whose district he dismantled during the 2003 mid-decade redistricting. Lampson's former district contained much of the eastern area of DeLay's present district. Lampson currently has some $1.7 million in cash on hand.

Libertarian Bob Smither also ran for the 22nd district of Texas.

The Republican nomination to replace DeLay was prevented by a court ruling that mandated that DeLay could not be replaced on the ballot. As a result, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who previously sent out telephone calls encouraging Republicans to vote for DeLay in the primary, called for DeLay's name to be removed from the ballot and replaced with another GOP candidate. The court order was upheld by a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court and appeal to the Supreme Court refused by Justice Antonin Scalia. DeLay then filed to withdraw his name from the ballot to allow the GOP to rally behind another candidate.

The Texas GOP then decided to attempt to rally behind a write-in candidate, choosing Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs during a meeting of precinct chairs in the 22nd district on August 17. The presumed favorite before the denial of the appeal, Sugar Land mayor David Wallace, filed as a write-in candidate with the Texas Secretary of State before the meeting, vowing to run even without the support of the GOP.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 22^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Nick Lampson	71,122	50.80%
	Republican	Shelley Sekula-Gibbs (write-in)	59,914	42.79%
	Libertarian	Bob Smither	8,482	6.06%
	Republican	Don Richardson (write-in)	408	0.29%
	Independent	Joe Reasbeck (write-in)	86	0.06%
Majority			11,208	8.01%
Turnout			140,012
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

District 23

The 23rd district was among five districts holding a special election Nov. 7, the same day as the general election. The race pitted all certified candidates against one another in each district, regardless of party. If no one got more than 50 percent of the vote, as did happen in 23, the top two vote-getters in each district would have a runoff in December.

The reason for this arrangement stems from the controversial 2003 Texas redistricting plan which was ruled unconstitutional with respect to the 23rd district by the Supreme Court in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry. The Court ruled that the plan was a racial gerrymander; specifically that it lowered the Hispanic population percentage in the district to the extent that it unconstitutionally diminished the constituency's political influence. The 23rd had to be redrawn, and, in all, five districts were effected, and all primary results from those districts were vacated. The new lines effected mostly the 23rd and 28th districts.

The incumbent in the 23rd was Congressman Henry Bonilla (R-San Antonio). His opponent originally was Rick Bolanos, 57, Democrat from El Paso, who was to be Bonilla's challenger before the district was redrawn and forced the new elections. As redrawn, however, Bonilla's district included the home of Democratic ex-Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, who jumped into the race, after losing his primary challenge against Henry Cuellar in the 28th district. In addition to Rodriguez and Bolanos, candidates included Democrats Augie Beltran, Adrian DeLeon, Lukin Gilliland, and Albert Uresti. Independent Craig Stephens also joined the field.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 23

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Henry Bonilla (incumbent)	60,147	48.46
	Democratic	Ciro Rodriguez	24,953	20.10
	Democratic	Albert Uresti	14,529	11.70
	Democratic	Lukin Gilliland	13,725	11.05
	Independent	Craig Stephens	3,344	2.69
	Democratic	Augie Beltran	2,650	2.13
	Democratic	Rick Bolanos	2,563	2.06
	Democratic	Adrian DeLeon	2,198	1.77
Turnout			124,198

US House election, 2006 runoff: Texas District 23

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Ciro Rodriguez	38,247	54.32%	+25.1
	Republican	Henry Bonilla (incumbent)	32,165	45.68%	-23.9
Majority			6,082	8.64%
Turnout			68,294
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing	24.5

District 24

Incumbent Kenny Marchant (R-Coppell), ran to keep his seat in Congress against Democrat Gary Page of Irving and the Libertarian nominee Mark Frohman.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 24

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Kenny Marchant	83,620	60.0
	Democratic	Gary Page	51,833	37.0
	Libertarian	Mark Frohman	4,211	3.0

District 25

Incumbent Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) originally was slated to have no major party opposition in the fall. The 25th district formerly stretched from Austin to the Mexican border, but has been redrawn for the 110th Congress to be more compact and completely in the central part of the state.

As this district was redrawn after the party primaries took place, a special election ensued in November, meaning that instead of a plurality required for victory, a majority was required. If no candidate received a majority, the top two contenders would meet in a runoff election in December. He was opposed by Republican Grant Rostig, Libertarian Barbara Cunningham, and Independent Brian Parrett.

District 26

Congressman Michael C. Burgess (R-Lewisville) was challenged by Democrat Tim Barnwell of Denton, along with Libertarian Rich Haas. The Denton County-centered district is strongly Republican.

District 27

Incumbent Solomon P. Ortiz (D-Corpus Christi) ran for reelection against Republican William Vaden, also of Corpus Christi. They were joined on the ballot by Libertarian Robert Powell.

District 28

Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) had no opposition from Republicans in November. However, a recent Supreme Court ruling struck down Texas' 23rd District, which is located next to this district, as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander resulting from the controversial 2003 Texas redistricting efforts coordinated by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and the Republican-controlled legislature.

Cuellar's power base in Laredo was consolidated in the resulting remap and thus will not face Congressman Bonilla, as had been speculated as a scenario. This election was a special election, as the district was drawn after the party primaries, and Cuellar was faced by fellow Democrat Frank Enriquez and Constitution Party candidate Ron Avery. The Libertarian nominee did not re-file to run in the special election.

District 29

Congressman Gene Green (D-Houston) ran against Republican Eric Story, also of Houston, in the November general election. Clifford Lee Messina, a Libertarian, rounded out the ballot. This district contains several heavily Hispanic neighborhoods in inner-city Houston, as well as several blue-collar eastern suburbs of Houston, including Pasadena, Channelview and Baytown, which are home to a strong majority of the Houston area's petrochemical refineries.

District 30

Incumbent Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Dallas) faced Republican Wilson Aurbach in the general election, along with Ken Ashby, the Libertarian nominee. The 30th District contains the southern and downtown portions of Dallas, as well as several of its inner southern suburbs. It is heavily Democratic.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 30

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Eddie Bernice Johnson	81,212	80.2	-12.8
	Republican	Wilson Aurbach	17,820	17.6	N/A
	Libertarian	Ken Ashby	2,245	2.2	-4.8
Majority			63,392	62.6
Turnout			101,277
	Democratic hold		Swing

District 31

Congressman John Carter (R-Round Rock) defended his Central Texas Congressional seat in November against Democrat Mary Beth Harrell of Gatesville and Libertarian Matt McAdoo. The largely Republican district consists of many northern Austin suburbs as well as the gigantic Fort Hood military base.

District 32

Incumbent Pete Sessions (R-Dallas), who defeated longtime Democratic Congressman and fellow incumbent Martin Frost in a contentious reelection in the 2004 redistricting aftermath, faced Democrat Will Pryor for the right to represent this suburban Dallas district. Joining the two was Libertarian John Hawley.

US House election, 2006: Texas District 32

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Pete Sessions	71,461	56.4	+2.1
	Democratic	Will Pryor	52,269	41.3	-2.7
	Libertarian	John B. Hawley	2,922	2.3	+0.6
Majority			19,192	15.1	+4.8
Turnout			126,562		-75584
	Republican hold		Swing	+2.4

References

1. http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe
2. Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006
3. Texas Secretary of State, 2006 General November Elections, Unofficial Election Results As Of : November 08, 2006 11:05 AM