United States Senate election in Texas, 2018

Elections in Texas, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
• Early voting: Oct. 22 - Nov. 2
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 7

• Online registration: No
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Congressional special elections • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2020 → ← 2014
U.S. Senate, Texas
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: Ted Cruz (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Texas
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up Inside Elections: Likely Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
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Freshman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) defeated Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) and entrepreneur Neal Dikeman (L) in the general election for U.S. Senate in Texas on November 6, 2018.

Thirty-five of the 100 seats in the United States Senate were up for election in 2018, including two seats up for special election. Republicans gained four previously Democratic-held seats and Democrats gained two previously Republican-held seats, resulting in a net gain of two seats for the Republican Party and a 53-seat majority in the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the chamber in the 116th Congress. At the time of the election, Republicans held a 51-seat Senate majority. Democrats held 47 seats, and the two independents caucused with them. Democrats faced greater partisan risk in 2018, as they were defending 26 seats while Republicans were only defending nine. Democrats had to defend seats in 10 states Donald Trump (R) won. The GOP defended one Senate seat in a state Hillary Clinton (D) won.

Although Texas had voted to send a Republican to the White House, U.S. Senate, and governor’s office in every statewide election since 1994, two election forecasters called this race a Toss-up or Leans Republican. Cruz won his first term in 2012, defeating former state Rep. Paul Sadler (D) by 16 percentage points, 57 percent to 41 percent.

“If this race looks different than the rest, that’s probably because it is a strong Democratic challenger raising prolific sums of money and tons of earned media," said Lyceum Poll Research Director Josh Blank.

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

Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Texas

Incumbent Ted Cruz defeated Beto O'Rourke and Neal Dikeman in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ted Cruz (R)	50.9	4,260,553
		Beto O'Rourke (D)	48.3	4,045,632
		Neal Dikeman (L)	0.8	65,470

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,371,655
= 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

• Bob McNeil (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas

Beto O'Rourke defeated Sema Hernandez and Edward Kimbrough in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beto O'Rourke	61.8	640,769
		Sema Hernandez	23.7	245,847
	Submit photo	Edward Kimbrough	14.5	149,851

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,036,467
= 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 U.S. Senate Texas

Incumbent Ted Cruz defeated Mary Miller, Bruce Jacobson Jr., Stefano de Stefano, and Geraldine Sam in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ted Cruz	85.3	1,315,146
		Mary Miller	6.1	94,274
		Bruce Jacobson Jr.	4.2	64,452
		Stefano de Stefano	2.9	44,251
	Submit photo	Geraldine Sam	1.5	22,767

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,540,890
= 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.

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

Beto O'Rourke, U.S. representative

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: U.S. House, Texas' 16th Congressional District (assumed office: 2013); El Paso City Council (2005-2011)

Biography: O'Rourke's professional experience includes working for a Manhattan web technology company and co-founding Stanton Street Technology. He was elected to serve on the El Paso City Council from 2005 to 2011 and first elected to represent Texas' 16th Congressional District in 2012. He earned a B.A. from Columbia University.

Campaign messaging

• O'Rourke emphasized his commitment to bipartisanship while promoting a progressive policy platform on abortion, gun violence, and healthcare. He said he consistently hosted monthly town halls for five years with his constituents.

• O'Rourke said of his grassroots campaign to reach out to voters in conservative counties in the state, “I don't know if I'm going to win more votes than the last Democrat who ran in those counties, but I know that not enough Democrats have been showing up in those counties in the first place. And they haven't been reflecting the needs of those counties."

• O'Rourke highlighted his work on the House Committees for Armed Services and Veterans Affairs, including proposing and shepherding a pilot program for a VA Wellness Center in El Paso, Texas.

Ted Cruz, U.S. senator

Party: Republican

Incumbent: Yes

Political office: U.S. Senate, Texas (assumed office: 2013); Solicitor General of Texas (2003-2008)

Biography: Cruz previously worked as a law clerk to Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist, associate deputy attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice, director of the Office of Policy Planning for the Federal Trade Commission, and the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 to 2008. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. Cruz graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

Campaign messaging

• Cruz linked his conservative platform to state pride with a “Tough as Texas” campaign slogan. "In Texas, we believe in low taxes, low regulation, low debt. We want Washington D.C. the heck off our backs,” he said at a campaign rally.

• Cruz highlighted policy achievements over policy positions, including his opposition to stricter gun ownership regulations; introduction of Kate's Law to increase penalties for deported individuals who re-enter the U.S.; and authorship of the the NASA Transition Authorization Act to secure Texas jobs.

• Cruz characterized O'Rourke as reckless and extremist on drug and immigration policy in several negative campaign ads.

Neal Dikeman, venture capitalist

Party: Libertarian

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Dikeman founded Jane Capital at 25 and co-founded seven other technology startups ranging from energy to software. He was also a venture capitalist at the parent company of YellowPages.com and at Shell Oil. Heading into the election, Dikeman was an active investor and the chairman of the Cleantech.org network and Greenhome.com.

Key messages

• Dikeman said he was running for U.S. Senate for his children. He said, "Together we should be building our sons’ and daughters’ futures, not letting our elected officials borrow from it to support our lifestyle. The partisan politics has to stop."

• Dikeman identified addressing the national debt, inequality, and wage stagnation as priorities.

• Dikeman also said privacy was a priority. He said, "Our rights and our privacy are increasingly challenged in a digital, connected age, and our government is part of the problem, not the solution."

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

U.S. Senate election in Texas, General election: Cruz vs. O'Rourke
Poll	Poll sponsor	Cruz	O'Rourke	Other/Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Trafalgar Group November 3-5, 2018	N/A	52%	43%	5%	+/-2.1	2,135
Emerson October 28-30, 2018	N/A	50%	47%	2%	+/-3.7	781
UT Tyler Polling Center October 15-28, 2018	N/A	46%	39%	15%	+/-3.0	1,033
Quinnipiac University October 22-28, 2018	N/A	51%	46%	3%	+/-3.5	1,078
CBS 11/Dixie Strategies October 25-26, 2018	N/A	52%	42%	5%	+/-4.0	588
University of Texas/Texas Tribune October 15-21, 2018	N/A	51%	45%	4%	+/-3.2	927
GBA Strategies October 18-21, 2018	End Citizens United	50%	46%	4%	+/-3.2	1,298
Reuters October 12-18, 2018	N/A	49%	44%	7%	+/-3.2	1,298
CNN/SRSS October 9-13, 2018	N/A	52%	45%	3%	+/-4.5	716
WPA Intelligence October 8-13, 2018	Club for Growth Action	52%	43%	5%	+/-3.5	801
New York Times/Siena College October 8-11, 2018	N/A	51%	43%	6%	+/-3.6	800
Quinnipiac University October 3-9, 2018	N/A	54%	45%	2%	+/-4.4	730
CBS News/YouGov October 2-5, 2018	N/A	50%	44%	6%	+/-4.2	881
Emerson October 1-5, 2018	N/A	47%	42%	11%	+/-4.5	500
AVERAGES		50.5%	43.86%	5.57%	+/-3.61	969
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Click [show] to see older poll results

U.S. Senate election in Texas, General election: Cruz vs. O'Rourke Poll Poll sponsor Ted Cruz (R) Beto O'Rourke (D) Other/Undecided Margin of Error Sample Size Public Policy Polling September 19-20, 2018 Protect Our Care 48% 45% 7% +/-4.0 613 Quinnipiac University September 11-17, 2018 N/A 54% 45% 1% +/-4.1 807 Reuters/Ipsos/UVA Center for Politics September 6-14, 2018 N/A 45% 47% 8% +/-4.0 992 CBS 11/Dixie Strategies Poll September 6-7, 2018 N/A 46% 42% 11% +/-4.3 519 NBC News/Marist August 12-16, 2018 N/A 49% 45% 6% +/-3.8 759 Public Policy Polling August 2-3, 2018 N/A 46% 42% 12% +/-3.5 797 Quinnipiac University July 26-31, 2018 N/A 49% 43% 7% +/-3.5 1,118 Lyceum July 9-26, 2018 N/A 36% 34% 27% +/-3.45 806 Gravis Marketing July 3-7, 2018 N/A 51% 42% 7% +/-4.0 602 CBS News/YouGov June 19-22, 2018 N/A 44% 36% 20% +/-3.6 1,030 University of Texas/Texas Tribune June 8-17, 2018 N/A 41% 36% 22% +/-2.8 1,200 Greenberg Quinlan Rosner May 20-June 5, 2018 End Citizens United 49% 43% 8% +/-3.1 1,000 Quinnipiac University May 23-29, 2018 N/A 50% 39% 11% +/-3.8 961 Public Policy Polling May 21-22, 2018 Giffords 48% 42% 10% +/-3.3 861 JMC Analytics May 19-21, 2018 Red Metrics Group 47% 40% 13% +/-4.1 575 Quinnipiac University April 12-17, 2018 N/A 47% 44% 9% +/-3.6 1,029 Public Policy Polling January 17-18, 2018 End Citizens United 45% 37% 18% +/-3.6 757 Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

PredictIt Prices

This section provides the PredictIt market prices for this race during the three months leading up to the election. PredictIt is a site where people make and trade predictions on political and financial events. Market prices reflect the probability, based on PredictIt users' predictions, that a candidate will win a race. For example, a market price of $0.60 for Candidate A is equivalent to a 60 percent probability that Candidate A will win.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Ted Cruz	Republican Party	$45,668,718	$45,990,176	$157,959	As of December 31, 2018
Beto O'Rourke	Democratic Party	$80,344,836	$80,458,720	$284,816	As of December 31, 2018
Neal Dikeman	Libertarian Party	$33,732	$33,398	$333	As of December 31, 2018
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

• Club for Growth planned to invest "seven figures" to support Cruz's re-election, Washington Examiner reported in August 2018. They made an $868,000 ad buy in September 2018.

• Ending Spending spent $950,000 on an ad buy against O'Rourke in October 2018.

• The pro-Cruz super PAC Texans Are reserved $750,000 in ad time in the Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Waco markets for September 2018. The group made an additional $1.1 million ad buy in September 2018.

• The anti-Cruz super PAC Texas Forever made a $1.2 million advertising buy in the Dallas-Fort Worth market in October 2018 focused on Cruz's healthcare policy.

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Texas, 2018
Race tracker	Race ratings
	October 30, 2018	October 23, 2018	October 16, 2018	October 9, 2018
The Cook Political Report	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

Policy stances

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

In July 2018, O'Rourke said that he was willing to discuss abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) but challenged that eliminating ICE would not necessarily address the practice of family separations employed by those agencies. Cruz called this position radical.

O'Rourke countered by highlighting a comment Cruz made in June 2018 about the family separation policy. "When you see Democrats saying don't separate kids from their parents, what they're really saying is don't arrest illegal aliens," Cruz said. He later said, "We should all agree that families should stay together.”

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Beto O'Rourke

O'Rourke's first campaign ad focused on his time on the campaign trail, visiting all 254 counties in the state and engaging with each community regardless of background or political ideology.

Support

"Our Live Ad" - Beto for Texas campaign ad, released October 4, 2018

"Showing Up" - Beto for Texas campaign ad, released July 26, 2018

Oppose

"Barrel" - Ending Spending opposition ad, released October 4, 2018

"War on Police" - Cruz opposition ad, released October 2, 2018

"Not Cool" - Club for Growth ad, released September 28, 2018

"Booming" - Cruz campaign ad, released September 26, 2018

"Bulldozer" - Club for Growth ad, released September 4, 2018

"Stand for the Anthem" - Cruz campaign ad, released August 27, 2018

Ted Cruz

Cruz's first general election campaign ads, released in August 2018, focused on Cruz's response to Hurricane Harvey and engagement with the communities impacted by the storm.

Support

"Completely Ridiculous" - Cruz campaign ad, released August 28, 2018

"Harvey" - Cruz campaign ad, released August 3, 2018

Oppose

"Don't Mess" - Texas Forever ad, released October 25, 2018

Noteworthy events

Brett Kavanaugh confirmation vote

See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2018: An overview

On October 6, 2018, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fifty senators voted to confirm Kavanaugh's nomination, 48 voted against, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted present. A simple majority was required to confirm Kavanaugh.

Cruz voted for Kavanaugh's confirmation on October 6, 2018. He said in a statement, "Donald Trump promised to nominate constitutionalists who would defend the Constitution, who would defend the Bill of Rights. ... I believe that’s what the American people want. Judges who will follow the law, who will be faithful to the Constitution, who will uphold our fundamental liberties. Free speech, religious liberty, the Second Amendment, the Tenth Amendment, the fundamental liberties protected of every American in the United States Constitution."

O'Rourke said he would have voted against Kavanaugh's confirmation. "We need a Supreme Court Justice who believes in voting rights. In a state where you can be fired for being gay, a Supreme Court Justice who believes in civil rights. A state that's the epicenter of the maternal mortality crisis, a Justice who believes in a woman`s right to make her own decision about her own body and have access to the healthcare that ensures that she can. [Kavanaugh] fails the bar on each and every single one of those tests," he said in an interview on October 9, 2018.

Debates and forums

October 16, 2018, debate

Cruz and O'Rourke participated in a debate on October 16, 2018, at the studios of KENS 5 in San Antonio. The candidates discussed the government shutdown, border security, and the Trump administration, among other issues.

• Find the CBS News round-up of the debate here.
• Find the New York Times round-up of the debate here.
• Find the Texas Tribune round-up of the debate here.

Second U.S. Senate debate in Texas, October 16, 2018

September 21, 2018, debate

Cruz and O'Rourke participated in a debate on September 21, 2018, hosted by Southern Methodist University and moderated by NBC 5 political reporter Julie Fine and Dallas Morning News political writer Gromer Jeffers. The candidates discussed gun legislation, immigration, the Trump administration, and police-related shootings, among other issues.

• Find the Dallas News round-up of the debate here.
• Find the Houston Chronicle round-up of the debate here.
• Find the NPR round-up of the debate here.
• Find the Texas Tribune round-up of the debate here.
• Find the Vox round-up of the debate here.

First U.S. Senate debate in Texas, September 21, 2018

Campaign themes

These were the policy positions listed on the top candidates' websites in September 2018.

Beto O'Rourke

“	Agriculture Agriculture has always been and will continue to be a vital part of the Texas economic fabric. Today, ag has an annual economic impact of over $100 billion and employs over 600,000 Texans, many of whom are individual or family farmers. While agriculture is certainly a bright spot for the Texas economy, we must continue to support the families that provide the food and fiber on which we all depend. Steps we should take to ensure Texas farmers can thrive: Maintain and strengthen the farmer safety net. Congress should strengthen federal crop insurance programs for Texas farmers who are being squeezed by rising production costs. The safety net should account for all farmers, including cotton, corn, sorghum, pecans, peanuts, and others. Provide robust rural infrastructure for Texas farmers, ranchers, and rural communities to provide more economic opportunity. Underinvestment in rural infrastructure puts Texas ag at a competitive disadvantage. Rural areas desperately need investments in broadband, upgrades to water and road systems, and modernized schools. Government should be a partner for these communities in spurring rural economic development. Ensure farmers don’t have to face unnecessary labor shortfalls that undermine productivity. Immigration reform can help address these issues by more effectively linking migrant laborers with farmers and by protecting undocumented workers. We should treat these individuals with dignity and respect because they are a critical component of our agriculture communities. Avoid unnecessary trade wars and ensure foreign markets are open to U.S. agriculture exports. Current proposals for tariffs create tremendous uncertainty for Texas farmers. Trade wars rattle commodity markets and force farmers to scramble using limited information. Texas agriculture – and especially family farmers – depend on stable markets. We should be working to enhance stability and transparency. Protect the environment so farm families can continue to produce for generations to come. Environmentally sustainable farming can help preserve Texas lands for the future. However, serving as stewards of the environment should make clear economic sense. Federal policy can elevate best practices and empower farmers to adopt innovative farming techniques. Disability Rights When the United States adopted the Americans with Disabilities Act, we became the first country in the world to pass comprehensive civil rights legislation for individuals with disabilities. Today, we must protect and build on that legacy to ensure the 3 million Texans with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in our communities, enjoy a high-quality life and live with dignity. Here’s how we can work together to achieve that: Fight attempts to weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including efforts to limit equal access to public places and businesses, and defend Social Security, Medicaid, and long-term supports and services from cuts and caps. Protect the Affordable Care Act and its provisions that ensure individuals with disabilities can access high-quality healthcare, including guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions, the prohibition on cost discrimination, and the elimination of annual and lifetime limits. Expand access to services in the home and community as an alternative to institutionalization through legislation like the Disability Integration Act. Fully fund our commitments under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so that students with disabilities can receive the services and instruction they need to live and contribute to their full potential. Tackle the high unemployment rate for people with disabilities by supporting quality education and improving access to meaningful work opportunities. Economy All workers should benefit from the economic growth they help create. Everyone has a stake in prosperity. We have to promote fair and transparent markets that allow every Texan to compete and thrive. Promote policies that encourage companies to focus on returning investments back to their consumer, their employees, and to the community. Lower the barrier to entry for small businesses so that every entrepreneur or emerging growth company can have an opportunity to be successful. Promote regulations that protect consumers, promote competition and grow the economy. Support stronger antitrust regulations that break up monopolies and trusts that stifle competition and innovation. Education Every Texan deserves access to a quality education that will allow them to reach their full potential. It is the surest path to individual success and for the collective success of our state and country. No public tax dollars should be given to private schools. Increase public funding for low income and underserved communities. Public school teachers should have their retirements protected by ensuring that we do away with the Windfall Elimination Provision. We should continue to take steps towards moving control to the classroom and empowering teachers to fulfill their calling by having autonomy to teach their students and reduce the emphasis on arbitrary, high-stakes tests. Strike down toxic legislation like Senate Bill 6 and any regulation that discriminates against a student based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Energy and the Environment It is crucial now more than ever that the U.S. and world leaders act urgently to address the issue of climate change. We must ensure the funding and independence of organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) so that they can provide necessary climate science research. Other steps we can take to promote energy and environmental reforms include: Enacting comprehensive energy reform that optimizes the uses of current energy sources while incentivizing the innovation of new and renewable sources of energy. Rejoining the Paris Climate Accords. Empowering the EPA to exercise oversight of those harming the environment, particularly drilling, fracking, and pipeline construction. Supporting stronger land-use policies in Texas. Equality All Americans must be treated equally under the law. Steps we can take to achieve this goal include: Supporting measures like the Equality Act, proposed legislation that would provide the same nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQIA Americans as any other protected class under federal law. Guaranteeing that same-sex couples are entitled to access the same federal benefits as any other Texas family. Repealing the Defense of Marriage (DOMA) Act entirely and ensuring same sex couples equal access to benefits like social security, regardless of the state in which they live. Ensuring that all Americans are paid equally and treated fairly, regardless of their gender. It is critical that we support policies that end wage discrimination and close the gender pay gap. Government Accountability We can’t achieve this until our government is reflective of and responsive to the people it purports to serve and represent. Texans deserve a government that performs for them and is a good steward of taxpayer dollars. Here’s how we get that done: We must end perpetual reelection and bring new voices to Congress by imposing term limits on every member of the House and Senate. This is why I have committed to serving only two terms if I am elected to the U.S. Senate. Texans send their hard-earned money to Washington with the expectation that it is working to improve their lives, not cater to special interest groups. Let’s get big money out of Washington and ensure legislation isn’t written by the highest bidder. This begins with preventing politicians from accepting money from Political Action Committees (PACs) and returning power to electorate. That’s why I introduced the No PAC Act (H.R.1743), which would prevent any elected official from accepting PAC contributions. End gerrymandering where members of Congress choose their voters instead of the other way around. We should have a non-partisan, non-politician redistricting commission that ends the practice of racial gerrymandering that has drawn people out of their democracy based on their race and ethnicity. Ensuring the government works more efficiently and costs less by eliminating redundant or outdated federal regulations and improving transparency and oversight of federal agencies. Gun Safety Texas has a proud and honorable tradition of responsible gun ownership for hunting, sport, self-defense, and collecting. Like so many Texans, Beto learned to safely handle and shoot a gun at a young age — taught by his Uncle Raymond who was a sheriff’s deputy and a jail captain. That shared heritage — that uniquely Texas experience — means that our state should lead the way in preserving the Second Amendment while working together to ensure people can live without fear of gun violence in their communities. We should: Require background checks for all gun sales to ensure that firearms only get into the hands of responsible, law-abiding individuals. This means finally closing the gun show, online, and boyfriend loopholes. Stop selling weapons of war and high-capacity magazines to ensure that firearms designed to kill as effectively and efficiently as possible on the battlefield aren’t used in our schools, our streets, our churches, and our concerts. Block the erosion of Texas’ license to carry standards by opposing Concealed Carry Reciprocity, which would force Texas to allow anyone from states with weak to nonexistent conceal carry laws to disregard our own public safety requirements. Fully support federal research on gun violence so that we can better understand and address its root causes. Healthcare Healthcare is a moral question that transcends politics – it is a basic human right, not a privilege. 4.3 million Texans – including over 600,000 children – can’t see a doctor, or when they do, they’re so sick they have no choice but to go to the Emergency Room where the cost will be many times more expensive and the outcome will be worse. When a mother forgoes a routine mammogram because she is uninsured, or a father ignores chronic pain because he didn’t qualify for a subsidy to buy insurance, everyone’s healthcare costs are likely to be greater in the long-term. We want our parents and our children to be healthy and live to their full potential. This is much more likely when they have access to the healthcare they need. Steps that we should take together to transform healthcare include: Improving the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by stabilizing our insurance markets. Guaranteeing continued payments for ACA subsidies that reduce enrollees’ cost-sharing and reimbursing insurers for high-cost individuals. Incentivizing insurers to participate in the exchanges, especially in underserved counties. Expanding Medicaid to cover more Texans and protecting the Medicaid guarantee for vulnerable children, the disabled, and the elderly. Lowering premiums and prescription drug costs by using the government’s purchasing power to make healthcare more affordable for everyone. Creating a public option on the exchanges so that Americans are guaranteed affordable coverage. Achieving universal healthcare coverage— whether it be through a single payer system, a dual system, or otherwise – so that we can ensure everyone is able to see a provider when it will do the most good and will deliver healthcare in the most affordable, effective way possible. Higher Education Increase funding for Pell Grant scholarships and the Federal Perkins Loan program to ensure education is affordable for all Texans. Broaden educational opportunities for Texans beyond a traditional 4 year college by improving access to community colleges, trade schools, and nanodegrees. Allow Texans who commit to working in in-demand fields and in underserved communities the chance to graduate debt free. Control the pace of inflation within institutions of higher learning by using the federal government’s leverage through its grants, loans and research spending to demand affordability from universities. Immigration Much of our strength, success, and security as a state and as a country depends on the immigrants who contribute to our society as together we build the American Dream. Any honest immigration reform must reflect the value of immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers by providing a path to work, family reunification and citizenship. At a time when the border with Mexico has never been safer, and when we’ve never spent so much on border security, the surest way to improve safety and security is not to build a wall or spend billions more, but to ensure that we are maximizing the potential from everyone in this state, treating each other with respect and dignity. Here’s how we do that: End the militarization of our immigration enforcement system, and close private immigration prisons and detention centers that profit from locking up families. Pass the DREAM Act and ensure that undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children, known as ‘Dreamers’, find a permanent home and citizenship in the U.S. Ensure that those who come to our borders seeking refuge from violence and persecution are given a fair opportunity to present their claims and guaranteed due process under our laws. Improve the immigration system to encourage and facilitate family reunification, education, and the investment of talent in our country. Modernize the visa system to allow U.S. employers to find workers for jobs that American workers can’t fill. Reform our immigration laws to legalize the status of millions of immigrants already in our country and ensure a fair path to citizenship for those inspired by the opportunity and ideals that we present to the rest of the world. Jobs We owe it to unemployed and underemployed Texans to connect them with high value jobs by bringing those jobs to Texas. We must ensure that every Texan benefits from the country’s economic growth and that every person who is willing to work has a chance to. Invest in training, certification, and registered apprenticeship programs to allow Texans – especially those without college degrees – to keep pace with increasingly specialized professions. Increase federal spending on infrastructure in order to create new construction and manufacturing jobs for out of work Texans and promote economic growth. Promote rural broadband infrastructure policies that expand access to broadband to all communities. Protect the Earned Income Tax Credit that benefits millions of hardworking American families and promote the Family and Medical Leave Act to ensure those families can stay healthy and strong. Justice We imprison more of our own people than does any other country on the planet. Our system of imprisonment is biased against African Americans and Latinos and criminalizes the poor. This must end. We can be more effective at rehabilitation and improve safety in our communities at a much lower cost while improving the opportunities for young people to achieve to their full potential. To do so we must do the following: End the U.S. government’s war on drugs and encourage comprehensive reforms in drug control policies that have had a devastating effect on communities of color. End the federal prohibition on marijuana. End the practice of private and for-profit prisons that cost more, have the perverse incentive to send more people to jail, and have demonstrably higher levels of violence. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, prisons owned by for-profit companies held nearly three-quarters of federal immigration detainees in 2016. Find ways for nonviolent offenders to be held accountable for their crimes outside of the prison system and support programs that help rehabilitate them. Improve access to mental health services within our prison systems to help diagnose and address offenders with existing mental health issues and drive down rates of recidivism. End the current system of bail bonds that punishes people for being poor. The current system allows bail for those who can afford it, instead of ensuring that a person’s release won’t result in harm to someone else. Reforming the bail system will refocus public dollars on community safety and ensure that we no longer waste resources on incarcerating those who are not a public safety risk. National Security Congress has avoided its responsibility to provide oversight for the wars the U.S. is fighting around the world. We’re at war in six countries right now and fighting enemies that didn’t exist when Congress authorized the global war on terrorism following 9/11. We need to support our service members by ensuring this country has defined victory; has adopted a comprehensive strategy to achieve it; and is willing to commit the resources and leadership to see it through. Provide the necessary financial resources and support to Texas military bases and facilities to ensure that they can accomplish their missions. If we are to continue to put our service members in harm’s way, Congress owes the American people a debate and vote to give guidance to our military on who we should be fighting and where. Acknowledge that we cannot kill our way to achieving our goals, nor should we put the entire weight of U.S. foreign policy on the backs of our service members. Congress must work with our military leaders to clearly define victory so that our service members and our citizens know what we are fighting for. We must pay for the total cost of war as we wage it, by ensuring that those who have borne the battle will have the support (education, healthcare, housing and otherwise) they have earned once they are veterans. Seniors Texas seniors have built the families, communities, and businesses we now enjoy. We owe it to them to honor and protect the commitment we made to care for them through Social Security and Medicare. It is vital that we safeguard the benefits Texans have worked their entire lives to earn by protecting Social Security. Improve access to healthcare for Seniors by exercising appropriate oversight over the Medicare program and decreasing waste by combatting fraud. Ensuring prescription drug prices are affordable and eliminating the Two-Midnight rule and opposing the Government Pension Offset. Veterans Our veterans should receive the care and dignity they have earned. That begins with ensuring that every veteran can receive access to quality healthcare, timely resolutions to their disability claims and appeals, and sustainable housing. 20 veterans a day take their own lives. Our top priority should be getting these veterans the help they need. Including those with other-than-honorable discharges. Improve access to quality care both within and outside of the VA. Let’s empower the VA to deliver on the things it should do best – such as providing specialized mental healthcare and primary care and treating conditions unique to service and combat – and encourage it to recruit help from the community when necessary. Improving claims and appeals response times so that Veterans can receive access to treatment and compensation for their injuries in a timely way. Ensuring no veteran goes homeless. Women's Health Whether it be cervical cancer screenings, family planning help or potentially lifesaving prenatal care, we have made it indefensibly difficult for women to access reproductive healthcare. This is especially troubling given that Texas has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the developed world and it directly affects our communities of color. We must take necessary steps toward improving women’s access to affordable and quality healthcare, which include: Ensuring that a woman’s right to choose is not compromised by limited access to safe and legal abortion services or family planning help. Expanding Medicaid and funding family planning centers in order to prevent another mother dying needlessly due to complications before or after childbirth. Supporting policies that guarantee a woman’s access to birth control and emergency contraception. Protecting the Title X Family Planning Program that ensure millions of low-income Americans can afford access to reproductive health services, such as cervical and breast cancer screenings and well-woman exams.	”
—Beto for Texas

Ted Cruz

“	Proven Leader. Proven Record. Ted Cruz understands the unique history of our state, and fights for our values every day in the U.S. Senate. As our U.S. Senator, Cruz has consistently Defended our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms Led the fight to stop amnesty, and championed creative solutions to fund the border security we need to keep us safe Passed legislation to fund and guide NASA Advocated for our military Ted is consistently on the front line of the issues of the day and delivering for over 28 million Texans. Most candidates run on a list of issues, but Ted has always run on his record. That record is consistent, conservative, and clear: Ted Cruz works for Texas. Defending the Constitution “Ted Cruz has been a tireless defender of the Constitution and the founding principles that have made this the greatest country the world has ever known.” - Utah Senator Mike Lee Fought to keep the US out of the UN Arms Treaty, which would have subordinated the Second Amendment rights of American citizens to global interests. Called for a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS’s targeting of American citizens’ political activity. Defended Americans’ First Amendment rights against Democrats who sought to limit freedom of expression. Galvanized national support for Houston pastors targeted and forced by the City of Houston to submit religious sermons for political scrutiny. Defended students’ right to display banners containing religious content at school sporting events. Successfully defended the constitutionality of the Texas Ten Commandments monument, winning a 5-4 landmark decision before the U.S. Supreme Court. Fought and won a landmark victory at the Supreme Court in Medellin v. Texas; protected U.S. sovereignty against 90 foreign nations and the president to ensure the United States is not subject to rulings of the “World Court.” Defended Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties against Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Fought to help the Boy Scouts of America reverse a district court ruling barring them from leasing a public park. Jobs and Opportunity The first bill Ted offered as a US Senator was to repeal every word of Obamacare. Fought for Texas jobs by authoring the NASA Transition Authorization Act, which President Trump signed into law on March 21, 2017. Authored legislation empowering greater private sector engagement in commercial space exploration that was signed into law by President Obama. Sponsored Audit the Fed legislation. Authored resolution, signed by President Trump, eliminating Obama-era rules that restricted Texas’ discretion over its unemployment insurance programs. Proposed a tax plan to dramatically reduce taxes for American families and individuals, simplify the tax code and spur significant economic growth. Mobilized a national effort to defund Obamacare and repeal the disastrous law in its entirety. Introduced the American Energy Renaissance Act to open up energy exploration, expand Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) exports, end the crude oil export ban, that with other reforms unleashed job creation across the state of Texas. Sponsored the Affordable Reliable Energy Now Act (ARENA), to check President Obama’s overreaching “Clean Power Plan” regulations that infringe on states’ rights, drive up costs for consumers and hamper innovation. Fought against budget increases that failed to bring about meaningful spending reforms. Opposed the Internet Sales Tax, and spoke against establishment politicians who attempt to impose more unnecessary taxes on Americans. Limiting Washington's Power Fought to protect citizens’ free speech against unlawful and unjust targeting and designations by the IRS. Opposed budget increases that failed to bring about meaningful spending reforms. Advocated for reforms to boost economic growth, including repealing Obamacare, deregulation, and expansion of energy production. Opposed raising the debt ceiling without addressing out-of-control Washington spending. Voted against establishment politicians’ Christmas handouts to K-Street. Opposed sugar subsidies and favoring a few over the American taxpayer. Voted to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard so that all can compete on an equal footing. Opposed budget deals that reauthorized the Export-Import bank, a handmaiden of the Washington Cartel. Second Amendment “Ted Cruz is one of our nation’s leading defenders of the Second Amendment. For over a decade, Ted has fought tirelessly to defend our constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and his leadership was absolutely critical to our major victories before the U.S. Supreme Court.” – NRA executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre Led the fight in Congress to stop legislation that would restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Authored legislation to strengthen citizens’ Second Amendment rights and allow interstate firearms sales. Argued on behalf of 31 states in District of Columbia v. Heller where the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ban on firearms in a 5-4 landmark decision. Awarded the NRA’s 2010 Carter-Knight Freedom Fund, which “rewards exemplary activities in the support and protection of the right to Keep and Bear Arms” for his work in the Heller and McDonald Securing the Border “We have to have an advocate in Congress, which I believe is Ted Cruz.” - Border Patrol Agent Brandon Judd President of the National Border Patrol Council Introduced the EL CHAPO Act to direct funds forfeited after the conviction of drug cartel members to construction of a wall on the southern border of the United States. Coalesced conservatives across the country to defeat the Gang of Eight bill that failed to secure the border and would have granted amnesty to millions who came to the United States illegally. During the Gang of Eight fight, offered a series of amendments, including measures to prevent citizenship for those here illegally, to block illegals’ access to federal, state, or local public assistance benefits, secure the border, triple the size of the Border Patrol, and implement a biometric entry-exit system. Introduced Kate’s Law to establish a 5-year minimum sentence for those who illegally reenter the country. Introduced with Jeff Sessions the American Jobs First Act of 2015, to reform the H-1B visa program, curb abuse, and protect American workers. Proposed a number of measures to defund President Obama’s amnesty and prevent him from expanding it. Servicemen and Women Fought on behalf of the men and women injured during the 2009 terror attack at Fort Hood asserting their eligibility to receive the Purple Heart. Successfully advocated to bring an F-35 squadron to the Naval Air Station Joint Base Fort Worth. Helped secure more than $224 million in military construction funds to rebuild Texas’ military infrastructure. Added language to the Military Construction and Veterans’ Affairs Appropriations bill to require the VA Secretary to provide Congress with a plan to address the long wait times for veterans seeking health care at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. Introduced the North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act of 2017. Authored legislation calling on the Secretary of State to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization. Introduced the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015, barring refugees to the United States from any country that contains substantial territory controlled by a foreign terrorist organization. Introduced the IRGC Terrorist Designation Act, calling on the U.S. Department of State to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. Called on Congress to take a three-step approach to stop the flow of funds to the Iranian regime under the terms of Corker-Cardin, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act. Twice introduced the Sanction Iran, Safeguard America Act to reinstate, impose, and expand Iran sanctions. Introduced legislation to prevent terrorists from entering the US as UN ambassadors. The bill passed Congress unanimously and President Obama signed it into law. Twice introduced the Expatriate Terrorist Act, to prevent terrorists who join ISIS or other terrorist groups from re-entering the country, and to make clear that citizens who collaborate with terrorists forfeit their right to US citizenship. Spoke up for our veterans by sponsoring the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act, to make it easier for senior executives at the VA to be fired for negligence, mismanagement, and other performance failures. Defended the crosses at the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial from ACLU attempts to have them removed. Authored legislative language that provides for concept development of a space-based missile defense system to defend against the full spectrum of ballistic missile threats. Standing with Israel “Since arriving in Washington four years ago, Cruz has arguably been Israel’s most avid defender in the Senate.” Caroline B Glick The Jerusalem Post Co-sponsored legislation to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Introduced measure to provide necessary funding for Israel’s missile defense, Arrow System, David’s Sling and Iron Dome. Chaired a hearing for the Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts titled “Justice Forsaken: How the Federal Government Fails the American Victims of Iranian and Palestinian Terrorism” focused on the federal government’s failure to support the American victims of Iranian and Palestinian terrorism. Twice introduced legislation to prohibit negotiations between the United States and Iran until Iran released the American prisoners it is unjustly detaining and recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. Introduced a resolution passed by Congress to condemn Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields. Introduced legislation passed by the Senate to offer rewards to those who handed in information about the kidnappers and murderers of the 3 boys who were murdered in Jerusalem, one of them being an Israeli-US citizen. Brought national attention to the FAA ban on flights into Ben Gurion airport and asked if they the ban was being imposed as a form of economic sanction on Israel. Due in large part to the public pressure brought by Ted Cruz, the ban was lifted. Supports Israel’s Iron Dome program, which in defending Israel also protects US security interests. Texas Values “Since Ted Cruz was elected to the U.S. Senate, he has done everything he said he’d do for Texans, and more.” –Texas Governor Greg Abbott Fought to take away taxpayer dollars from Planned Parenthood. Led the way to preserve the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance at the U.S. Supreme Court. Successfully defended the words “under God” in the Texas Pledge of Allegiance and Texas schools’ moment of silence law in federal district court. Successfully defended the constitutionality of the Texas Ten Commandments monument, winning a 5-4 landmark decision before the U.S. Supreme Court. Defended Texas’s marriage laws when a state court attempted to recognize a Vermont civil union. Successfully defended Texas’s Rider 8, which prohibits state funds for groups that provide abortions. Galvanized national support for Houston pastors who had been subpoenaed by the City of Houston and forced to turn in their sermons. Supported students’ right to display banners containing religious content at school sporting events. Led the charge on behalf of 13 states to successfully defend a federal law that bans partial birth abortion before the U.S. Supreme Court. Advocated for an investigation into abortion practices in the U.S. to prevent the atrocities witnessed in Kermit Gosnell’s facility from ever happening again. Joined 18 states in successfully defending the New Hampshire parental-notification law before the U.S. Supreme Court. Authored legislation and a constitutional amendment in the Senate to prevent federal courts from further interfering with any state’s authority to define marriage. Introduced legislation to protect the right of states to define marriage, without intrusion by unelected federal judges. Introduced measures in Congress to protect service members’ right to worship.	”
—Ted Cruz for Senate

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Beto O'Rourke

Ted Cruz

Timeline

• October 29, 2018: In a Quinnipiac University poll of 1,078 likely voters, Cruz led O'Rourke by 5 percentage points, 51 percent to 46 percent. The margin of error was 3.5 percentage points.
• October 26, 2018: The anti-Cruz super PAC Texas Forever made a $1.2 million advertising buy in the Dallas-Fort Worth market focused on Cruz's healthcare policy.
• October 22, 2018: President Donald Trump (R) held a rally for Cruz in Houston.
• October 16, 2018:
  • Cruz led O'Rourke by 7 percentage points, 52 percent to 45 percent, in a CNN/SRSS poll of 716 likely voters. The margin of error was 4.5 percent.
  • Cruz and O'Rourke debated at the studios of KENS 5 in San Antonio. The candidates discussed the government shutdown, border security, and the Trump administration, among other issues.
• October 15, 2018: Cruz led O'Rourke by 9 percentage points, 52 percent to 43 percent, in a WPA Intelligence poll of 801 likely voters. The margin of error was 3.5 percent.
• October 12, 2018: O’Rourke announced that he had raised $38 million in the third quarter of 2018, setting the record for the most money raised in a single quarter by a U.S. Senate candidate. The O’Rourke campaign said there were more than 802,000 individual contributions and that the majority of the fundraising came from Texas. Cruz raised $12 million in the same time period, bringing in more than double what he had raised in the second quarter of 2018.
• October 10, 2018: In three public opinion polls released in the first two weeks of October, Cruz led O'Rourke by a margin of 5 to 9 percentage points.
• October 2, 2018: The Cruz campaign released an opposition ad highlighting comments O'Rourke made critical of the criminal justice system.
• September 18, 2018: Quinnipiac University released a poll of 807 likely voters finding Cruz ahead of O'Rourke by a margin of 9 points, 54 percent to 45 percent. The margin of error was 4.1 percent.
• September 13, 2018: Texans Are spent $605,000 on campaign ads opposing O'Rourke.
• September 4, 2018: Club for Growth spent at least $200,000 on an ad criticizing O'Rourke for his 2006 support of a development project that involved his developer father-in-law, Bill Sanders, when he served on the El Paso City Council.
• August 31, 2018: President Donald Trump (R) tweeted that he planned to hold a rally in Texas in October to support Cruz's campaign.
• August 22, 2018: Cruz led O'Rourke by 4 points, 49 percent to 45 percent, in an NBC News/Marist poll of 759 registered voters. The margin of error was 3.8 percent.
• August 13, 2018: The O'Rourke campaign announced that it had made a $1.3 million media buy in 20 Texas markets.
• August 3, 2018: Cruz released his first television ads of the campaign season: one presents O'Rourke as extremist and reckless and the other highlights Cruz's work on Hurricane Harvey relief.
• July 17, 2018: O'Rouke said he would vote to impeach President Donald Trump (R). "Impeachment, much like an indictment, shows that there is enough there for the case to proceed and at this point there is certainly enough there for the case to proceed," he said. A Cruz spokesperson responded, "O'Rourke's extremist views on impeaching the President of the United States put him in the fringe of the liberal movement—even to the left of Nancy Pelosi, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren."
• July 12, 2018: In the second quarter of 2018, O'Rourke raised more than Cruz, $10.4 million to $4.6 million. O'Rourke also had more cash on hand with $14 million to Cruz's $10.4 million.

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:

States holding both Gubernatorial and Senate elections in 2018
State	Incumbent Governor	Open Seat?	Incumbent Senator	Open Seat?
Arizona	Doug Ducey	No	Jeff Flake	Yes
California	Jerry Brown	Yes	Dianne Feinstein	No
Connecticut	Dan Malloy	Yes	Chris Murphy	No
Florida	Rick Scott	Yes	Bill Nelson	No
Hawaii	David Ige	No	Mazie Hirono	No
Maine	Paul LePage	Yes	Angus King	No
Maryland	Larry Hogan	No	Ben Cardin	No
Massachusetts	Charlie Baker	No	Elizabeth Warren	No
Michigan	Rick Snyder	Yes	Debbie Stabenow	No
Minnesota	Mark Dayton	Yes	Amy Klobuchar	No
Nebraska	Pete Ricketts	No	Deb Fischer	No
Nevada	Brian Sandoval	Yes	Dean Heller	No
New Mexico	Susana Martinez	Yes	Martin Heinrich	No
New York	Andrew Cuomo	No	Kirsten Gillibrand	No
Ohio	John Kasich	Yes	Sherrod Brown	No
Pennsylvania	Tom Wolf	No	Bob Casey, Jr.	No
Rhode Island	Gina Raimondo	No	Sheldon Whitehouse	No
Tennessee	Bill Haslam	Yes	Bob Corker	Yes
Texas	Greg Abbott	No	Ted Cruz	No
Vermont	Phil Scott	No	Bernie Sanders	No
Wisconsin	Scott Walker	No	Tammy Baldwin	No
Wyoming	Matt Mead	Yes	John Barrasso	No

2016 Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties and Congressional districts intersecting with Pivot Counties

Texas featured one congressional district that intersects with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. The partisan makeup of the 108 congressional districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was more Republican than the partisan breakdown of the U.S. House. Of the 108 congressional districts that had at least one Pivot County, 63 percent were held by a Republican incumbent, while 55.4 percent of U.S. House seats were won by a Republican in the 2016 elections.

2014

U.S. Senate, Texas General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Cornyn Incumbent	61.6%	2,861,531
	Democratic	David Alameel	34.4%	1,597,387
	Libertarian	Rebecca Paddock	2.9%	133,751
	Green	Emily Marie Sanchez	1.2%	54,701
	Write-in	Mohammed Tahiro	0%	988
Total Votes				4,648,358
Source: U.S. House Clerk "2014 Election Statistics"

2012

U.S. Senate, Texas General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ted Cruz	56.5%	4,440,137
	Democratic	Paul Sadler	40.6%	3,194,927
	Libertarian	John Jay Myers	2.1%	162,354
	Green	David B. Collins	0.9%	67,404
Total Votes				7,864,822
Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

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 U.S. Senate 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 10 U.S. Senate waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

U.S. Senate wave elections
Year	President	Party	Election type	Senate seats change	Senate majority
1932	Hoover	R	Presidential	-13	D (flipped)
1958	Eisenhower	R	Second midterm	-12	D
1946	Truman	D	First midterm	-10	R (flipped)
1980	Carter	D	Presidential	-9	R (flipped)
2014	Obama	D	Second midterm	-9	R (flipped)
1942	Roosevelt	D	Third midterm	-8	D
2008	George W. Bush	D	Presidential	-8	D
1926	Coolidge	R	First midterm	-7	R
1930	Hoover	R	First midterm	-7	R
1986	Reagan	R	Second midterm	-7	D (flipped)

State overview

Partisan control

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

Congressional delegation

• Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Texas.
• Republicans held 25 of 36 U.S. House seats in Texas, and Democrats held 11.

State executives

• As of May 2018, Republicans held six of 11 state executive positions and five positions were held by nonpartisan officials.
• The governor of Texas was Republican Greg Abbott.

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:

• The Class 1 U.S. Senate seat held by Ted Cruz (R)
• All 36 U.S. House seats
• Governor
• Five lower state executive positions
• 15 of 31 state Senate seats
• All 150 state House seats
• Local judicial offices
• Local school boards
• Municipal elections in Arlington, Austin, Bexar County, Collin County, Corpus Christi, Dallas County, Denton County, El Paso County, Fort Bend County, Garland, Harris County, Irving, Laredo, Lubbock, Lubbock County, Nueces County, Tarrant County, Travis County, Webb County, and Williamson County

Demographics

Demographic data for Texas
	Texas	U.S.
Total population:	27,429,639	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	261,232	3,531,905
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).

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
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Donald Trump	52.23%	Hillary Clinton	43.24%	8.99%
2012	Mitt Romney	57.17%	Barack Obama	41.38%	15.79%
2008	John McCain	55.45%	Barack Obama	43.68%	11.77%
2004	George W. Bush	61.09%	John Kerry	38.22%	22.87%
2000	George W. Bush	59.30%	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
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2014	John Cornyn	61.56%	David Alameel	34.36%	27.20%
2012	Ted Cruz	56.46%	Paul Sadler	40.62%	15.84%
2008	John Cornyn	54.82%	Richard Noriega	42.84%	11.98%
2006	Kay Bailey Hutchison	61.69%	Barbara Ann Radnofsky	36.04%	25.65%
2002	John Cornyn	55.30%	Ron Kirk	43.33%	11.97%
2000	Kay Bailey Hutchison	65.04%	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
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2014	Greg Abbott	59.27%	Wendy Davis	38.90%	20.37%
2010	Rick Perry	54.97%	Bill White	42.30%	12.67%
2006	Rick Perry	39.03%	Chris Bell	29.79%	9.24%
2002	Rick Perry	57.81%	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	25	69.4%	11	30.6%	R+14
2014	25	69.4%	11	30.6%	R+14
2012	24	66.7%	12	33.3%	R+12
2010	23	71.9%	9	28.1%	R+14
2008	20	62.5%	12	37.5%	R+8
2006	19	59.4%	13	40.6%	R+6
2004	21	65.6%	11	34.4%	R+10
2002	15	46.9%	17	53.1%	D+2
2000	13	43.3%	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

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2018
• United States Senate elections, 2018
• Ted Cruz
• United States Senate election in Texas (March 6, 2018 Democratic primary)
• United States Senate election in Texas (March 6, 2018 Republican primary)

Footnotes

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Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nathaniel Moran (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Keith Self (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Morgan Luttrell (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Craig Goldman (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Monica De La Cruz (R)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Vacant

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Brandon Gill (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Jasmine Crockett (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Julie Johnson (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 35

Greg Casar (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 38

Wesley Hunt (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (12)

Vacancies (1)