Here’s a quick recap of what happened over the last week:
Election Day Results
Nearly 3 million Texans voted on Tuesday according to preliminary figures released by the Secretary of State’s office. That represents about 15% of the state’s 18 million registered voters. The figure is a new record for an off-year election, besting the previous record of 2.56 million that voted in November of 2023.
Voters on Tuesday approved all 17 proposals to amend the Texas Constitution, most by very large margins. The propositions approved by voters included raising the homestead exemption; requiring judges to deny bail for defendants accused of violent crimes; and creating larger state investments in water infrastructure, dementia research, and technical college funds.
There was also a special election for state Senate District 9, based in Tarrant County. The special election was needed to fill the unexpired term of former Senator Kelly Hancock, who resigned in June to accept the job of interim state Comptroller. The special election had 3 candidates. Republicans Leigh Wambganss – communication manager for Patriot Mobile and former Southlake Mayor John Huffman. Local union organizer Taylor Rehmet was the lone Democrat in the race. Rehmet led the field with 47% of the vote, ahead of Wambganss who got 37%. Huffman was a distant 3rd with 16% of the vote, despite a cash infusion by the Sands casino group that funded his race to the tune of nearly $4 million.
Wambganss and Rehmet will now head to a runoff that will likely take place in early February. All three candidates have said they plan to run again in 2026 for the full four-year term. The seat has been considered safely Republican, but the strong showing by Rehmet gives the Democrats hopes of flipping the seat next November.
The special election to fill the unexpired term of the late Sylvester Turner in Congressional District 18 in Houston is also headed to a runoff. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee led a field of 16 candidates with 28% of the vote. Former Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards placed 2nd with 25% of the vote. Those two will head to a runoff also in February.
Other results of interest from the state include San Antonio voters approving public funds to partially fund a new $1.3 billion arena for the San Antonio Spurs and Austin voters soundly rejecting a $100 million tax hike that would have raised property taxes by over 20% on city residents.
Secretary of State Defends Primary System
Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has filed official responses on behalf of the state to the Republican Party of Texas lawsuit seeking to close the primary elections in the state. The RPT is seeking to have the courts declare the current open system – which allows voters to participate in the primary of their choosing – unconstitutional. The RPT says the current system violates the party’s right to free association. The lawsuit seeks to close the primaries immediately.
Several bills were filed this past regular session that would have required the primaries to be closed – meaning that voters would have to alter their voter registrations and declare a party affiliation before being allowed to vote in either party’s primary. AG Ken Paxton has sided with the RPT and has refused to defend the state in the lawsuit.
Nelson’s filings urge the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the case is not ripe for consideration and the RPT lacks standing. Nelson also maintains that it is the responsibility of the Secretary of State to preserve election law in the state. With Nelson’s filing, the court must now consider two opposite points of view and positions on the matter from the same branch of state government.
State’s Airports Face Delays
Airports could experience even more chaos next week if the federal government shutdown continues. All major Texas airports have experienced significant screening delays due to the lapse in funding that has led to reduced staffing for TSA and air traffic control. Austin Bergstrom Airport has shut down twice in the last week and Intercontinental Airport in Houston saw lines wrapping around outside walkways as passengers experienced three to four hour waits to get through security. Airport officials are warning passengers to arrive several hours before their flights.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has also warned that the FAA will have to shut down parts of the nation’s airspace next week due to safety concerns related to the staffing shortages among air traffic controllers. On Wednesday, the FAA announced they will cancel flights starting today at 40 of the busiest airports. A 10% reduction in all flights from the affected airports is expected. Both airports in Houston as well as both airports in Dallas were among the 40 that will have thousands of flights canceled starting today. The Austin airport was not affected. Starting today, the high-volume airports will have air traffic cut by 4%, gradually increasing to 10% by next Friday, November 14th. The intent is to alleviate mounting fatigue on air traffic controllers caused by staffing shortages during the government shutdown.
The FAA directs more than 44,000 commercial, cargo, and private flights per day. The eventual 10% reduction will cause the cancellation of over 4,000 flights per day. In addition to the cancellations, travelers should expect continued delays. Last weekend, an average of 2,740 flights were delayed daily. If the shutdown goes beyond next week, then even stronger measures will be implemented with mounting delays and cancellations.
New York Judge Dismisses Abortion Pill Case
A judge in New York has dismissed a case brought by Texas AG Ken Paxton that sought to enforce a $100,000 civil judgement against a New York doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills to a Dallas area woman. The doctor had prescribed the medication via a telemedicine conference. The state of New York has a shield law designed to protect doctors licensed in that state from charges brought forth by officials in other states with stricter abortion laws.
A Texas judge in February ordered the New York doctor to pay $100,000 in fine and penalties for prescribing illegal medication to a Texas resident. Paxton had in turn filed suit in New York asking the order to be enforced following a constitutional clause that requires states to respect and follow the laws and judgements of other states. The judge in New York simply stated in the ruling that the shield law in place in New York protects that state’s health care providers from rulings in other states.
Cruz, Crenshaw Attack Tucker Carlson
Senator Ted Cruz and Houston area Congressman Dan Crenshaw – both Republicans – are speaking out against television host Tucker Carlson for hosting an interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. The interview has divided the Republicans, with some saying Fuentes has a right to free speech. However, Crenshaw made the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows and was very critical of Fuentes, saying “mental clarity is more important.” For his part, Senator Cruz has called on Republicans and “all people of good morals” to stand up to the points of view Fuentes has espoused.
Fuentes has a history of making antisemitic statements, including praise of Adolf Hitler, and questioning the death toll of the Holocaust. Fuentes denied being antisemitic and claims his criticism of Israel’s foreign policy positions does not qualify him to be antisemitic.
Political Notes
First some candidate news from the Texas House. Veteran House members Mary Gonazalez – Democrat from El Paso – and Morgan Meyer – Republican from Dallas – announced this week they will seek reelection in 2026. Gonzalez is vice-chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Meyer chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. Gonzalez is in a solidly blue district and has not drawn an opponent yet. Meyer is in a swing district and will be targeted by the Democrats.
Longtime state Rep. John Smithee of Amarillo has announced he will not seek reelection in 2026. Smithee was first elected in 1998 and chairs the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. He also served for 10 years as chair of the House Insurance Committee. Amarillo realtor Jamie Haynes has been up and running on the Republican side for the last few months. The district is comprised of seven Panhandle counties and is solidly Republican.
Republican Party of Texas executive director Jennifer Hall resigned abruptly this week, saying in her resignation letter that she could no longer “in good conscience continue to work this way.” Micah Cavanaugh was promoted from political director to executive director. No word on what led to her sudden departure, but this shakeup will cause some real concern among party faithful with the candidate filing period starting Saturday and the primary election only four months away.
In the wake of the approval by the voters in California of new Congressional districts designed to elect more Democrats, California Governor Gavin Newsome will be in Texas tomorrow for a rally in Houston. According to a press release from Newsome’s office, the Governor will rally with Texas legislators who “resisted Gov. Abbott’s attempts to undermine the 2026 election.” Texas drew new Congressional districts in a summer special session that has the potential to elect 5 new Republicans to Congress from Texas. California responded by drawing new districts that have the potential to elect 5 new Democrats to Congress. Exact time and place of the rally have not been released.
State Rep. Jolanda Jones announced this week she would seek reelection to the Texas House. She was part of the field in the special election for Congressional District 18 and had been holding off on that announcement until after the election. Since she did not make the runoff, she will seek to return to her state House seat.
Prior to Tuesday’s special election for state Senate District 9, Republican candidate Leigh Wambganss released a poll showing her with strong support among likely Republican primary voters. Her poll showed her with a 20-point lead – 53% to 33% — over rival John Huffman for the nomination for the November election to determine who will serve the full four-year term. Her numbers were verified in Tuesday’s vote, as she finished 21 points ahead of Huffman. Huffman has endorsed Wambganss in the runoff for the special election. He previously said he would run in 2026 no matter the outcome of the special election. But with such a poor showing, his thoughts may change.
Former FBI agent and assistant U.S. attorney Tony Box launched his campaign this week for the Democratic nomination for Texas Attorney General. He joins state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski on the Democratic side. The winner will face the Republican nominee that will come from a crowded field led by Congressman Chip Roy of Dripping Springs and former DOJ lawyer Aaron Reitz of Austin.
Former state Rep. Rob Junell of San Angelo passed away this week at the age of 78. Junell served the west Texas district from 1989 through 2002 and served several terms as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. After leaving the Texas House, he was appointed by then President George W. Bush as federal judge for the Western District, where he served until 2015 when he received senior status. Junell passed away from complications due to Lewy Body disease, a form of dementia. Funeral services will be held later today in Midland, and he will be laid to rest in the Texas State Cemetery on Monday.
What’s Next??
The candidate filing period for those seeking office in 2026 begins tomorrow and runs through December 8th. We will monitor the filings and continue to watch the retirements and other movements regarding the 2026 races for legislative, congressional, and statewide offices.