1994 Texas gubernatorial election

1994 Texas gubernatorial election
Turnout	50.87%
	County results; Bush: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%; Richards: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Governor before election; Ann Richards; Democratic	Elected Governor ; George W. Bush; Republican

The 1994 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994, to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Texas. Incumbent Democratic governor Ann Richards was defeated in her bid for re-election by Republican nominee and future president George W. Bush, the son of former president George H. W. Bush.

Quick facts Turnout, Nominee ...

Before the election, Richards had a high approval rating due to the strength of the state economy. However, Bush's campaigning on cultural and religious issues resonated with many Texan voters, and the race was considered a tossup on election day.

On election day, Bush carried 188 of the state's 254 counties, while Richards carried 66. This marks the most recent time a Democratic candidate for governor has carried Briscoe, Hall, Cottle, Hardeman, Knox, Baylor, Dickens, Jones, Nolan, Mitchell, Clay, Palo Pinto, Comanche, Menard, Fannin, Delta, Rains, Camp, San Augustine, Sabine, Tyler, Orange, Caldwell, Galveston, Robertson, Milam, Limestone, and San Patricio counties. Exit polls revealed that Bush won overwhelmingly among white voters (69% to 31%) while Richards performed well among African Americans (83% to 15%) and Latinos (75% to 25%). The 1994 election marked the last time that a Democrat won more than 45% of the vote in a Texas gubernatorial election, though the party was more successful in other statewide offices: Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, Attorney General Dan Morales, Land Commissioner Garry Mauro and Comptroller John Sharp all won reelection. This is also the last time a Democrat won statewide in Texas as it is the state with the longest drought of electing Democrats to statewide office.

Bush's victory was one of the most notable in the 1994 Republican Revolution, as he was one of four candidates to defeat an incumbent governor that cycle. This is to date the last time an incumbent governor of Texas has lost re-election.

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	George W. Bush	520,130	93.32%	+93.32%
	Republican	Ray Hollis	37,210	6.68%	+6.68%
Total votes			557,340	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Ann Richards (incumbent)	806,607	77.79%	+20.70%
	Democratic	Gary Espinosa	230,337	22.21%	+22.21%
Total votes			1,036,944	100.00%

Source	Date	George W. Bush (R)	Ann Richards (D)
KPRC-TV	November 4, 1994	48%	44%
Dallas Morning News/Houston Chronicle	October 30 – November 3, 1994	47%	44%
Houston Post/KHOU-TV	November 2, 1994	44%	47%
KPRC-TV	October 23, 1994	47%	44%
Houston Post/KHOU-TV	October 7, 1994	43%	41%

No.	Date	Host	Link	Democratic	Republican
Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn
				Ann Richards	George W. Bush
1	Oct. 21, 1994	KERA-TV	C-SPAN	P	P

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	George W. Bush	2,350,994	53.48%	+6.56%
	Democratic	Ann Richards (incumbent)	2,016,928	45.88%	−3.59%
	Libertarian	Keary Ehlers	28,320	0.64%	−2.68%
Total votes			4,396,242	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic

1994 Texas gubernatorial election

Primaries

Republican

Democratic

Campaign

Polling

Endorsements

Debate

Results

References

Wikiwand - on