State Sen. Dan Patrick has unseated incumbent David Dewhurst in the Texas Republican runoff, 64% to 36%. The race devolved into, frankly, a mess in its latter stages. Patrick will take on state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte (D) in the general election in November. Having won the GOP nomination, the Houston radio host will be the odds on favorite to become Texas’ lieutenant governor.
It’s fair to say that Lt. Gov. Dewhurst’s defeat comes down to two factors: Bad blood leftover from his race for the US Senate against Ted Cruz, and his actions in the Texas Senate that gave rise to the Wendy Davis filibuster. Davis is of course now the Democratic nominee for governor. Outgoing Attorney General Greg Abbott is the Republican nominee to succeed Gov. Rick Perry.
Abbott’s current seat also came down to a runoff on the GOP side, between state Sen. Ken Paxton and state Rep. Dan Branch. Paxton has won that race, 63% to 36%. Like the race for lieutenant governor, the race for attorney general veered off into the weeds.
Farther down the ballot, the Republican runoff for Railroad Commission Place 2 has been won by Texas A&M grad Ryan Sitton, over former state Rep. Wayne Christian, 59% to 42%.
On the Democrat side, LaRouchian Kesha Rogers has lost her bid for the Democratic nod for US Senate. And singer/cigar seller/perennial candidate Kinky Friedman has been beaten in his quest to take the Democratic nomination for state agriculture commissioner.
The Texas Trib has more downballot results here.
Update: Rep. Ralph Hall (R) has lost the District 4 GOP runoff to John Ratcliffe. Hall is 91, and one of just two World War II veterans left in Congress.
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