The 2006 Texas General Election was held on Tuesday, 7 November 2006, in the U.S. state of Texas. Voters statewide elected the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, Commissioner of Agriculture, and one Railroad Commissioner. Statewide judicial offices up for election were the chief justice and four justices of the Texas Supreme Court, and the presiding judge and two judges of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Elections were additionally held for the United States Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Senate, and Texas House.

Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held 7 March 2006. In races without a majority, the runoff elections were held on 11 April 2006.

Libertarian candidates were selected at the Texas Libertarian Convention 10 June 2006 in Houston (the Libertarian Party does not use a primary system to select candidates).

Independent candidates had 60 days after the primaries are over (from 8 March, one day after the primary election, to 11 May 2006) to collect the necessary signatures to secure a place on the ballot. For statewide elections, state law proscribes the collection of one percent of voters casting ballots in the prior gubernatorial election (for 2006, this equates to 45,540 signatures) from registered voters that did not vote in either primary or any runoffs. If there was a primary runoff for the office an independent candidate is seeking, the petition process shrank to only 30 days, from 12 April (one day after the runoff elections) to 11 May 2006.

United States Senator

2006 United States Senate election, Texas
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanKay Bailey Hutchison (inc.)2,661,78961.7−3.3
DemocraticBarbara Ann Radnofsky1,555,20236.0+3.6
LibertarianScott Jameson97,6722.3+1.1
Majority1,106,58725.7
Turnout4,314,663
Republican holdSwing

Governor

Texas general election, 2006: Governor
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanRick Perry (incumbent)1,716,80339.03−18.78
DemocraticChris Bell1,310,35329.79−10.17
IndependentCarole Keeton Strayhorn797,57718.13
IndependentRichard "Kinky" Friedman546,86912.43
LibertarianJames Werner26,7480.61−0.86
Write-inJames "Patriot" Dillon7180.02
Majority406,4509.24
Turnout4,399,068−3.40
Republican hold

Lieutenant governor

2006 election for Lieutenant Governor
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanDavid Dewhurst (inc.)2,513,53058.19
DemocraticMaria Luisa Alvarado1,617,49037.44
LibertarianJudy Baker188,2064.35
Majority896,04020.75
Turnout4,319,226
Republican holdSwing

Attorney general

Incumbent Attorney general Greg Abbott ran for re-election, winning by a 22% margin.

2006 election for Attorney General
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanGreg Abbott (inc.)2,556,06359.51
DemocraticDavid Van Os1,599,06937.23
LibertarianJon Roland139,6683.25
Majority956,99422.28
Turnout4,294,800
Republican holdSwing

Comptroller of Public Accounts

2006 election for Comptroller of Public Accounts
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanSusan Combs2,547,32359.47
DemocraticFred Head1,585,36237.01
LibertarianMike Burris150,5653.51
Majority961,96122.46
Turnout4,283,250
Republican holdSwing

Commissioner of the General Land Office

2006 election for Commissioner of the General Land Office
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanJerry E. Patterson (inc.)2,317,55455.13
DemocraticVaLinda Hathcox1,721,96440.96
LibertarianMichael A. French164,0983.90
Majority595,59014.17
Turnout4,203,616
Republican holdSwing
Results by county Patterson: 40–50%50–60%60–70%70–80%80–90% Hathcox: 40–50%50–60%60–70%70–80%80–90%

Commissioner of Agriculture

Texas general election, 2006: Texas Commissioner of Agriculture
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanTodd Staples2,307,40654.77−4.77
DemocraticHank Gilbert1,760,40241.79+3.97
LibertarianClay Woolam144,9893.44+2.26
Majority547,00412.98−8.74
Turnout4,212,797−4.85
Republican hold

Railroad Commissioner

2006 election for Railroad Commissioner
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanElizabeth Ames Jones (inc.)2,269,74354.03
DemocraticDale Henry1,752,94741.73
LibertarianTabitha Serrano177,6484.22
Majority516,79612.3
Turnout4,200,338
Republican holdSwing
Results by county Jones: 40–50%50–60%60–70%70–80%80–90% Henry: 40–50%50–60%60–70%70–80%80–90%

Texas Supreme Court

Chief Justice, Unexpired term

Republican

Wallace Jefferson, Incumbent

Libertarian

Tom Oxford

Green (Write-in)

Charles E. Waterbury

Justice, Place 2

Republican

Don Willett, Incumbent

Democrat

William E. Moody

Libertarian

Wade Wilson

Justice, Place 4

Republican

David M. Medina, Incumbent

Libertarian

Jerry Adkins

Justice, Place 6

Republican

Nathan Hecht, Incumbent

Libertarian

Todd Phillipp

Independent (declared)

Petition deadline has passed for ballot access, but may run as write-in candidate William W. McNeal

Justice, Place 8, Unexpired term

Republican

Phil Johnson, Incumbent

Libertarian

Jay H. Cookingham

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Presiding Judge

Republican

Sharon Keller, Incumbent

Democrat

J.R. Molina

Judge, Place 7

Republican

Barbara Parker Hervey, Incumbent

Libertarian

Quanah Parker

Judge, Place 8

Republican

Charles Holcomb, Incumbent

Libertarian

Dave Howard

Legislative elections

Sixteen Texas Senate seats and all 150 Texas House of Representatives seats are up for election in 2006. The senators and representatives elected in 2006 served in the Eightieth Texas Legislature, while the senators also served in the Eighty-first Texas Legislature.

Texas Senate

Fifteen of the sixteen elections for the Texas Senate were contested to some extent. In the District 3 race, Robert Nichols won his Republican primary and will be unopposed in the fall election.

Texas House of Representatives

In the Texas House of Representatives, 118 of the 150 seats were contested in the November 2006 election. Thirty races will be uncontested after the primary elections on 7 March 2006; the remaining two will be determined in the primary runoffs on 11 April 2006.

State Board of Education

Only contested elections are listed.

Member, State Board of Education, District 3

Republican

Tony Cunningham

Democrat

Rick Agosto

Member, State Board of Education, District 5

Republican

Ken Mercer

Libertarian

Bill Oliver

Member, State Board of Education, District 9

Republican

Don McLeroy, Incumbent

Democrat

Maggie Charleton

Member, State Board of Education, District 10

Republican

Cynthia Dunbar

Libertarian

Martin Thomen

Member, State Board of Education, District 12

Republican

Geraldine "Tincy" Miller, Incumbent

Libertarian

Matthew Havener

Member, State Board of Education, District 15

Republican

Bob Craig, Incumbent

Libertarian

Brandon Stacker

Courts of Appeal District elections

Only contested elections are listed.

1st Court of Appeals District

Place 9

Republican

Elsa Alcala, Incumbent

Democrat

Jim Sharp

3rd Court of Appeals District

Place 2

Republican

Alan Waldrop, Incumbent

Democrat

Jim Sybert Coronado

Place 5

Republican

David Puryear, Incumbent

Democrat

Mina A. Brees

Place 6

Republican

Bob Pemberton, Incumbent

Democrat

Bree Buchanan

4th Court of Appeals District

Place 3

Republican

Rebecca Simmons, Incumbent

Democrat

Richard Garcia, Jr.

Place 4

Republican

Steve Hilbig

Democrat

Dan Pozza

Place 5

Republican

Karen Angelini, Incumbent

Democrat

Lauro A. Bustamante

Place 7

Republican

Phylis Speedlin, Incumbent

Democrat

Eddie DeLaGarza

6th Court of Appeals District

Place 2

Republican

Bailey C. Moseley

Democrat

Ben Franks

PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanBailey C. Moseley92,33458.18
DemocratBen Franks66,35141.81

13th Court of Appeals District

Place 2

Democrat

Federico "Fred" Hinojosa, Incumbent

Republican

Rose Vela

14th Court of Appeals District

Place 6

Republican

Richard Edelman, Incumbent

Democrat

Leora T. Kahn

See also