Live Results: Texas State Senate Special, Lubbock Mayor
By 270toWin Staff
May 4, 2024, 8:31 AM ET
There are two Saturday elections in Texas that we're following. Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
Texas State Senate District 15
Republicans control the Texas State Senate, holding a 19-11 partisan edge over Democrats. There is a single vacancy.
Democrat John Whitmire resigned after being elected mayor of Houston. He had served in the State Senate since 1983.
District 15 is an interestingly-shaped district encircling most of the northern half of the Houston area. Whitmire won his final election by a 65% to 35% margin in 2022.
Two Democrats - Jarvis Johnson and Molly Cook - are contesting for the seat in this special election, which will complete Whitmire's term that ends this year. As it turns out, they will be facing off in two elections this month.
Johnson (36% of the vote) and Cook (21%) finished atop the March 5 regular Democratic primary for the four-year term to be on the ballot in November. That primary had six candidates. As neither had a majority, there will be a runoff on May 28 to determine the nominee.
The runoff is the more significant of the two elections, as the Texas Legislature is not expected to reconvene this year. However, the outcome of the special will likely provide a boost to the winner heading into that runoff.
Lubbock Mayor
Lubbock is the 85th largest city in the United States, with a population of about 264,000. The mayor is Republican Tray Payne, who was elected in 2022. He is not seeking reelection.
There are six candidates on the nonpartisan ballot.
Update: As no candidate received a required majority, the top two finishers will advance to a June 15 runoff.
Upcoming Elections
In addition to the below, Republicans in Montana will hold a convention on May 18 to elect delegates. The statewide primary date of June 4 is out of compliance with party rules (too close to the date of the national convention). Doing it this way will preserve each state's full delegate allotment. These delegates are expected to be unpledged.
- May 7
- May 14
- May 21
- May 23
- May 25
- Oregon Republican Presidential Convention
- May 28
- Texas Primary Runoff
