Election Day results

Yesterday was Election Day in Texas, and more than 61,000 Bexar County residents hit the polls to decide 11 runoffs on the ballot in the 2018 Texas Primary Runoff Election. Below are the results from key primary races across the State and Bexar County:

• Lupe Valdez wins Democratic Runoff for Governor (Valdez vs. White): It was a very close race as Texans all across the state saw the lead exchange hands several times. Lupe Valdez widened an early lead over Andre White last night and won the Democratic nominee for Governor with 53% of the vote compared to Andrew White’s 47%. White did win Harris County and did extremely well in counties surrounding Houston, East Texas and stretching to central Texas, counties just west and North of Travis County. Valdez outperformed White in the Rio Grande Valley, west Texas and key urban counties – Bexar, Dallas, Travis and Tarrant.
• Joseph Kopser wins Democratic Runoff for Texas Congressional District 21 (Kopser vs. Wilson): Wilson shocked everyone when she came out on top of the four-person Democratic field in March. Kopser finished second but out fundraised Wilson during the runoff and received key endorsements from Democratic leaders. Last night Kopser took an early lead and maintained it through the night. Kopser won the Democratic nomination in the 21^st Congressional District with 58% of the vote compared to Wilson’s 42%. Kopser won all five counties in the district – Bexar, Comal, Hays, Kerr and Travis.
• Chip Roy wins Republican Runoff for Texas Congressional District 21 (Roy vs. McCall): This was definitely a close race and one that many people across the state had their eyes on. Leading up to election night, we saw Super PACs like Club for Growth and National Horizon pour money into this highly competitive race. Roy took an early lead and maintained it through the night. Roy won the Republican nomination in the 21^st Congressional District with 53% of the vote compared to McCall’s 47%. Roy won three of the five counties in the district with 57% of the votes – Bexar, Comal and Travis. McCall outperformed Roy in Kendall and Kerr County.
• Steve Allison wins Republican Runoff for Texas House District 121 (Allison vs. Beebe): One of the most highly anticipated races of last night was Texas House District 121, to replace Speaker Joe Straus. Straus endorsed Allison to succeed him last month. Allison took an early lead last night and easily maintained it through the night. Allison claimed 57% of the vote compared to Beebe’s 43% to secure the Republican nomination for Texas House District 121.

Early voting numbers were low, with only 22,750 residents casting their ballots in person – 12,060 in the democratic runoffs and 10,690 in the Republican. According to the Texas Secretary of State, 14,135 ballots were mailed in. Election Day numbers were no different, with 23,420 ballot casts – 13,088 from Democrats and 10,332 from Republicans. In total, only 5.7% of registered voters voted in the primary runoff election. Low-voter turnout elections are typically not representative of the electorate as a whole and not a true reflection of the will of the people. San Antonio must do better! We need your support in urging your colleagues, friends, family members and employees to make their voices heard by hitting the polls. We cannot let candidates be elected by very few voters. To help communicate the importance of voting and encourage participation in the political process, the Chamber will be launching its 2018 Voter Engagement Plan. This plan will give the business community the opportunity to partner with the Chamber and play an instrumental role in helping to increase voter turnout. Expect more on the plan in the coming weeks. You can count on your Chamber to keep you posted on the upcoming midterm elections, and we will be your primary resource for information on candidates’ positions on the critical economic issues facing our business community and community overall. The Chamber, in partnership with the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, will be hosting a series of debates leading up to the November 6 Election. To learn more about the November election visit the Bexar County Election website http://www.bexar.org/1568/Elections-Department.