1994 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas

1994 Texas's 2nd congressional district election
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← 1992 1996 →
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U.S. Representative before election; Charlie Wilson; Democratic	Elected U.S. Representative ; Charlie Wilson; Democratic

1994 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas
All 30 Texas seats to the United States House of Representatives
Democratic 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%	Republican 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90>%

The 1994 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas occurred on November 8, 1994, to elect the members of the state of Texas's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Texas had thirty seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1990 United States census.

In early 1994, several Republicans sued the state alleging that District 18 and District 29 were racially gerrymandered.^[1] District 30 was later added to the case, and in August, a federal judicial panel ordered the state to redraw its congressional districts.^[2] A separate panel later allowed the struck districts to be used for the 1994 elections, but it ordered the state to redraw its districts before the 1996 elections.^[3] This decision was later appealed and became the Supreme Court case Bush v. Vera.^[4]

These elections occurred simultaneously with the United States Senate elections of 1994, the United States House elections in other states, and various state and local elections.

Amidst the Republican Revolution, in which the Republican Party took control of the U.S. House for the first time since 1952, Republicans gained two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas and won the statewide popular vote, but Democrats maintained their majority of Texas seats due to redistricting.^[5]

Overview

1994 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas^[6]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats before	Seats after	+/–
	Republican	2,294,222	55.68%	9	11	+2
	Democratic	1,734,163	42.09%	21	19	-2
	Libertarian	35,889	0.87%	0	0	-
	Independent	55,786	1.35%	0	0	-
Totals		4,120,060	100.00%	30	30	—

Congressional districts

District 1

Incumbent Democrat Jim Chapman ran for re-election.

Texas's 1st congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Chapman (incumbent)	86,480	55.30
	Republican	Mike Blankenship	63,911	40.87
	Independent	Jefferson Mosser	6,001	3.84
Total votes			156,392	100
	Democratic hold

District 2

Incumbent Democrat Charlie Wilson ran for re-election.

Texas's 2nd congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Charlie Wilson (incumbent)	87,709	57.04
	Republican	Donna Peterson	66,071	42.96
Total votes			153,780	100
	Democratic hold

District 3

Incumbent Republican Sam Johnson ran for re-election.

Texas's 3rd congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sam Johnson (incumbent)	157,011	90.96
	Libertarian	Tom Donahue	15,611	9.04
Total votes			172,622	100
	Republican hold

District 4

Incumbent Democrat Ralph Hall ran for re-election.

Texas's 4th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ralph M. Hall (incumbent)	99,303	58.78
	Republican	David Bridges	67,267	39.82
	Libertarian	Jefferson Mosser	2,377	1.41
Total votes			168,947	100
	Democratic hold

District 5

Incumbent Democrat John Wiley Bryant ran for re-election.

Texas's 5th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Wiley Bryant (incumbent)	61,877	50.06
	Republican	Pete Sessions	58,521	47.34
	Independent	Barbara Morgan	1,715	1.39
	Libertarian	Noel Kopala	876	0.71
	Independent	Regina Arashvand	627	0.51
Total votes			123,616	100
	Democratic hold

District 6

Incumbent Republican Joe Barton ran for re-election.

Texas's 6th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joe Barton (incumbent)	152,038	75.64
	Democratic	Terry Jesmore	44,286	22.03
	Libertarian	Bill Baird	4,688	2.33
Total votes			201,012	100
	Republican hold

District 7

Incumbent Republican Bill Archer ran for re-election unopposed.

Texas's 7th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Archer (incumbent)	116,873	100.00
Total votes			116,873	100
	Republican hold

District 8

Incumbent Republican Jack Fields ran for re-election.

Texas's 8th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jack Fields (incumbent)	148,473	92.05
	Independent	Russ Klecka	12,831	7.95
Total votes			161,304	100
	Republican hold

District 9

Incumbent Democrat Jack Brooks ran for re-election. Republican Steve Stockman, who had lost to Brooks in 1992, defeated the 42-year incumbent as suburban Republican voters came to increasingly dominate the district.^[7]

Texas's 9th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Steve Stockman	81,353	51.88
	Democratic	Jack Brooks (incumbent)	71,643	45.69
	Independent	Bill Felton	2,145	1.37
	Libertarian	Darla Beenau	1,656	1.06
Total votes			156,797	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

District 10

Incumbent Democrat J. J. Pickle opted to retire rather than run for re-election.^[8]

Texas's 10th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lloyd Doggett	113,738	56.31
	Republican	Jo Baylor	80,382	39.80
	Libertarian	Jeff Hill	2,953	1.46
	Independent	Michael Brandes	2,579	1.28
	Independent	Jeff Davis	2,334	1.16
Total votes			201,986	100
	Democratic hold

District 11

Incumbent Democrat Chet Edwards ran for re-election.

Texas's 11th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Chet Edwards (incumbent)	76,667	59.18
	Republican	Jim Broyles	52,876	40.82
Total votes			129,543	100
	Democratic hold

District 12

Incumbent Democrat Pete Geren ran for re-election.

Texas's 12th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Pete Geren (incumbent)	96,372	68.67
	Republican	Ernest Anderson	43,959	31.33
Total votes			140,331	100
	Democratic hold

District 13

Incumbent Democrat Bill Sarpalius ran for re-election.

Texas's 13th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mac Thornberry	79,466	55.42
	Democratic	Bill Sarpalius (incumbent)	63,923	44.58
Total votes			143,389	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

District 14

Incumbent Democrat Greg Laughlin ran for re-election.

Texas's 14th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Greg Laughlin (incumbent)	86,175	55.61
	Republican	Jim Deats	68,793	44.39
Total votes			154,968	100
	Democratic hold

District 15

Incumbent Democrat Kika de la Garza ran for re-election.

Texas's 15th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kika de la Garza (incumbent)	61,527	58.95
	Republican	Tom Haughey	41,119	39.40
	Libertarian	John Hamilton	1,720	1.65
Total votes			104,366	100
	Democratic hold

District 16

Incumbent Democrat Ronald D. Coleman ran for re-election.

Texas's 16th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ronald D. Coleman (incumbent)	49,815	57.11
	Republican	Bobby Ortiz	37,409	42.89
Total votes			87,224	100
	Democratic hold

District 17

Incumbent Democrat Charles Stenholm ran for re-election.

Texas's 17th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Charles Stenholm (incumbent)	83,497	53.66
	Republican	Phil Boone	72,108	46.34
Total votes			155,605	100
	Democratic hold

District 18

Incumbent Democrat Craig Washington ran for re-election. He was defeated in the Democratic Primary by Houston City Councilor Sheila Jackson Lee.^[9]^[10]

Texas's 18th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sheila Jackson Lee	84,790	73.48
	Republican	Jerry Burley	28,153	24.40
	Independent	J. Larry Snellings	1,278	1.11
	Libertarian	George Hollenbeck	1,169	1.01
Total votes			115,390	100
	Democratic hold

District 19

Incumbent Republican Larry Combest ran for re-election unopposed.

Texas's 19th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Larry Combest (incumbent)	120,641	100.00
Total votes			120,641	100
	Republican hold

District 20

Incumbent Democrat Henry B. González ran for re-election.

Texas's 20th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Henry B. Gonzalez (incumbent)	60,114	62.52
	Republican	Carl Bill Colyer	36,035	37.48
Total votes			96,149	100
	Democratic hold

District 21

Incumbent Republican Lamar Smith ran for re-election.

Texas's 21st congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lamar Smith (incumbent)	165,595	89.96
	Independent	Kerry Lowry	18,480	10.04
Total votes			184,075	100
	Republican hold

District 22

Incumbent Republican Tom DeLay ran for re-election.

Texas's 22nd congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom DeLay (incumbent)	120,302	73.74
	Democratic	Scott Douglas Cunningham	38,826	23.80
	Independent	Gregory Pepper	4,016	2.46
Total votes			163,144	100
	Republican hold

District 23

Incumbent Republican Henry Bonilla ran for re-election.

Texas's 23rd congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Henry Bonilla (incumbent)	73,815	62.60
	Democratic	Rolando Rios	44,101	37.40
Total votes			117,916	100
	Republican hold

District 24

Incumbent Democrat Martin Frost ran for re-election.

Texas's 24th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Martin Frost (incumbent)	65,019	52.83
	Republican	Ed Harrison	58,062	47.17
Total votes			123,081	100
	Democratic hold

District 25

Incumbent Democrat Michael A. Andrews retired to run for U.S. Senator.^[11] Despite the national Republican wave, Democrat Ken Bentsen, the nephew of Treasury Secretary and former U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, defeated businessman Gene Fontenot in the open race. The race was the most expensive U.S. House race in Texas history; Fontenot had outspent Bentsen four to one.^[12]

Texas's 25th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ken Bentsen	61,959	52.27
	Republican	Gene Fontenot	53,321	44.99
	Independent	Sarah Klein-Tower	2,060	1.74
	Libertarian	Robert Lockhart	1,189	1.00
Total votes			118,529	100
	Democratic hold

District 26

Incumbent Republican Dick Armey ran for re-election. He became the first Texas Republican to be elected majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.^[5]

Texas's 26th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dick Armey (incumbent)	135,398	76.41
	Democratic	LeEarl Ann Bryant	39,763	22.44
	Libertarian	Alfred Adask	2,030	1.15
Total votes			177,191	100
	Republican hold

District 27

Incumbent Democrat Solomon Ortiz ran for re-election.

Texas's 27th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Solomon Ortiz (incumbent)	65,325	59.38
	Republican	Erol Stone	44,693	40.62
Total votes			110,018	100
	Democratic hold

District 28

Incumbent Democrat Frank Tejeda ran for re-election.

Texas's 28th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Tejeda (incumbent)	73,986	70.88
	Republican	David Slatter	28,777	27.57
	Libertarian	Steve Rothstein	1,612	1.54
Total votes			104,375	100
	Democratic hold

District 29

Incumbent Democrat Gene Green ran for re-election.

Texas's 29th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gene Green (incumbent)	44,102	73.44
	Republican	Oilman Eide	15,952	26.56
Total votes			60,054	100
	Democratic hold

District 30

Incumbent Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson ran for re-election.

Texas's 30th congressional district, 1994^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Eddie Bernice Johnson (incumbent)	73,166	72.63
	Republican	Lucy Cain	25,848	25.66
	Libertarian	Ken Ashby	1,728	1.72
Total votes			100,742	100
	Democratic hold

References

^ Cooper, Kenneth; Merida, Kevin (January 28, 1994). "NEW SUIT GALVANIZES BLACK LAWMAKERS". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
^ Verhovek, Sam Howe (August 18, 1994). "Redraw Lines Of 3 Districts, Texas Is Told". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
^ "Texas asks for redistricting stay". UPI. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
^ "Bush v. Vera." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1995/94-805. Accessed 2 Aug. 2022.
^ ^a ^b Ramos, Mary G. (1995). "Texas Almanac, 1996-1997". The Portal to Texas History. pp. 448–449. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae "1994 General Election". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^ "A Houston Suburb That Said No Thanks to a Veteran Democrat". The New York Times. December 19, 1994. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
^ "Rep. Pickle, 80, of Texas Will Retire Next Year". Los Angeles Times. December 4, 1993. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
^ "1994 Democratic Primary Election". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^ "Washington says he will not seek public office again". UPI. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
^ "Texas congressman enters Senate race". UPI. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
^ Rodriguez, Lori (November 9, 1994). "Bentsen staves off newcomer Fontenot; Most expensive U. S. House campaign". The Houston Chronicle. p. 33.

[1] Cooper, Kenneth; Merida, Kevin (January 28, 1994). "NEW SUIT GALVANIZES BLACK LAWMAKERS". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2022.

[2] Verhovek, Sam Howe (August 18, 1994). "Redraw Lines Of 3 Districts, Texas Is Told". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 2, 2022.

[3] "Texas asks for redistricting stay". UPI. Retrieved August 2, 2022.

[4] "Bush v. Vera." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1995/94-805. Accessed 2 Aug. 2022.

[:0-5] Ramos, Mary G. (1995). "Texas Almanac, 1996-1997". The Portal to Texas History. pp. 448–449. Retrieved June 21, 2022.

[Election_Results-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae "1994 General Election". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved June 15, 2022.

[7] "A Houston Suburb That Said No Thanks to a Veteran Democrat". The New York Times. December 19, 1994. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 17, 2023.

[8] "Rep. Pickle, 80, of Texas Will Retire Next Year". Los Angeles Times. December 4, 1993. Retrieved June 21, 2022.

[9] "1994 Democratic Primary Election". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved June 15, 2022.

[10] "Washington says he will not seek public office again". UPI. Retrieved June 21, 2022.

[11] "Texas congressman enters Senate race". UPI. Retrieved June 21, 2022.

[12] Rodriguez, Lori (November 9, 1994). "Bentsen staves off newcomer Fontenot; Most expensive U. S. House campaign". The Houston Chronicle. p. 33.

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