| Election Name: | 2008 Texas Senate election |
| Swing1: | 8.31% |
| After Party: | Republican |
| Before Party: | Republican |
| Swing2: | 10.62% |
| Percentage2: | 40.14% |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,203,432 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Seats2: | 12 |
| Seats Needed2: | 4 |
| Seats Before2: | 11 |
| Party2: | Texas Democratic Party |
| Percentage1: | 53.67% |
| Country: | Texas |
| Majority Seats: | 16 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Previous Election: | 2006 Texas Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Texas State Senate election |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | 16 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate |
| Election Date: | November 4, 2008 |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,608,910 |
| Party1: | Republican Party of Texas |
| Seats Before1: | 20 |
| Seats1: | 19 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Party3: | Libertarian |
| Seats Before3: | 0 |
| Seats3: | 0 |
| Popular Vote3: | 185,537 |
| Percentage3: | 6.19% |
| Swing3: | 2.31% |
The 2008 Texas Senate elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Texas voters elected state senators in 16 State Senate districts. The winners of this election served in the 81st Texas Legislature. The elected senators served four-year terms in the Texas Senate.
Following the 2006 elections, the Republicans maintained effective control of the Senate with nineteen members to the Democrats' twelve, a gain of one from the previous elections. To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to gain four seats.
Democrats gained one seat with the election of Wendy Davis in District 10.[1]
| Party | Candidates | Votes | Seats | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | Before | Up | Won | After | +/– | |||||
| Republican | 11 | 1,608,910 | 53.67% | 20 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 1 | ||
| Democratic | 10 | 1,203,432 | 40.14% | 11 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 1 | ||
| Libertarian | 12 | 185,537 | 6.19% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 2,997,879 | 100.00% | 31 | 31 | ||||||
Race results:[2]
| District | Democratic | Republican | Libertarian | Total | Result | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-type="number" scope="col" | Votes | data-sort-type="number" scope="col" | % | data-sort-type="number" scope="col" | Votes | data-sort-type="number" scope="col" | % | data-sort-type="number" scope="col" | Votes | data-sort-type="number" scope="col" | % | data-sort-type="number" scope="col" | Votes | data-sort-type="number" scope="col" | % |
| District 4 | - | - | 203,367 | 100.00% | - | - | 203,367 | 100.00% | Republican hold | ||||||
| District 6 | 72,960 | 70.01% | 27,751 | 26.63% | 3,496 | 3.35% | 104,207 | 100.00% | Democratic hold | ||||||
| District 9 | 100,509 | 43.33% | 125,443 | 54.08% | 5,991 | 2.58% | 231,943 | 100.00% | Republican hold | ||||||
| District 10 | 147,832 | 49.92% | 140,737 | 47.52% | 7,591 | 2.56% | 296,160 | 100.00% | Democratic gain | ||||||
| District 11 | 113,567 | 41.18% | 155,772 | 56.49% | 6,419 | 2.33% | 275,758 | 100.00% | Republican hold | ||||||
| District 16 | 89,346 | 41.06% | 122,439 | 56.27% | 5,825 | 2.86% | 217,610 | 100.00% | Republican hold | ||||||
| District 20 | 124,456 | 81.40% | - | - | 28,429 | 18.60% | 152,885 | 100.00% | Democratic hold | ||||||
| District 21 | 129,802 | 68.22% | 55,480 | 29.16% | 4,980 | 2.62% | 190,262 | 100.00% | Democratic hold | ||||||
| District 23 | 176,451 | 92.40% | - | - | 14,503 | 7.60% | 190,954 | 100.00% | Democratic hold | ||||||
| District 24 | - | - | 197,125 | 85.47% | 33,518 | 14.53% | 230,643 | 100.00% | Republican hold | ||||||
| District 26 | 136,913 | 81.44% | - | - | 31,194 | 18.56% | 168,107 | 100.00% | Democratic hold | ||||||
| District 27 | 111,596 | 100.00% | - | - | - | - | 111,596 | 100.00% | Democratic hold | ||||||
| District 28 | - | - | 179,059 | 88.17% | 24,022 | 11.83% | 203,081 | 100.00% | Republican hold | ||||||
| District 30 | - | - | 221,470 | 100.00% | - | - | 221,470 | 100.00% | Republican hold | ||||||
| District 31 | - | - | 180,267 | 90.21% | 19,569 | 9.79% | 199,836 | 100.00% | Republican hold | ||||||
| Total | 1,203,432 | 40.14% | 1,608,910 | 53.67% | 185,537 | 6.19% | 2,997,879 | 100.00% | |||||||
| District | Outgoing senator | Party | Reason | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=Center | 10 | Kim Brimer | align=center | Republican | Defeated in general election | |
| align=center | 17 | Kyle Janek | align=center | Republican | Resigned June 2, 2008 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5492179.html |
The Democratic Party ran City Councilwoman Wendy Davis against Republican and Sunset Advisory Commission chairperson Kim Brimer. The district had been Republican-leaning, having been won by George W. Bush in 2004 and by Governor Rick Perry in 2002 and 2006. Davis won that race with 49.91% of the vote. In 2014, she was the Democratic nominee for governor to succeed Perry.
The Democrats ran former Galveston city council member Joseph Jaworski against Republican candidate Mike Jackson. The district encompasses the southeast Houston suburbs and part of Galveston County that has consistently voted for Republicans including George W. Bush in 2004, Governor Perry in 2002 and 2006, and U.S. Senator John Cornyn in 2002. Mike Jackson won that race with 56.48% of the vote.
The Incumbent Republican Kyle Janek announced he would be resigning from the State Senate effective June 2, 2008 to spend more time with his family, who had moved to Austin. A special election was called and was held concurrently with the general election. 4 Republicans and 2 Democrats ran for the unexpired term, most notably, the Republican Party's Joan Huffman, and Democratic former U.S. Representative Christopher Bell, the party's 2006 nominee for governor. Huffman and Bell advanced to a runoff,[3] held December 16, 2008. Huffman won that race with 56% of the vote.[4]
Democratic candidate Judith Zaffirini prevailed in her historically Democratic state Senate seat, which includes Laredo. The seat was held from 1967 to 1973 by her mentor, Wayne Connally, a younger brother of John Connally. Republicans fielded former Webb County administrative judge Louis Henry Bruni (born 1949), who switched parties in December 2007 to run against Zaffirini. The district voted for George W. Bush in 2004 and Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2006 but for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell in 2006.