DALLAS -- Republicans will continue to dominate the Texas delegation in Washington, winning 20 seats to the Democrats' 13 with three races too close to call.
Republicans won 22 of 32 seats in 2010, but Democrats hope to switch at least one seat from red to blue in their bid to diminish Republican control of the House.Incumbent Republican Quico Canseco, a 63-year-old Laredo businessman, was in a tight race against state Rep. Pete Gallego, a veteran lawmaker from the tiny town of Alpine, in the 23rd District, which sprawls along the border from San Antonio to nearly El Paso.The race between Canseco and Gallego attracted national attention. Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Gallego as part of the Democratic Party's effort to grab the seat from the Republican Party.Former Democratic congressman Nick Lampson was almost even with state Sen. Randy Weber to replace the retiring Ron Paul. Democrat Rose Meza Harrison was behind in her long-shot bid to oust incumbent Rep. Blake Farenthold in Corpus Christi's 27th District.Paul's retirement and the redrawing of the 14th District opened up an opportunity for Lampson, who has represented that area twice before.Debbie Studebaker, a 53-year-old homemaker from League City, said she voted the straight Republican ticket but considered switching over to cast a ballot for the Democrat "just because of the novelty of Ron Paul being gone, but I decided to vote straight ticket last week."Out of the four new districts, two are minority-dominated, with one stretching across central Forth Worth and Dallas. The other is centered on Brownsville on the Mexican border. Federal judges also created a district in Southeast Texas and substantially redrew a Central Texas district, both of which will easily elect a white Republican.In the new 33rd District in Dallas-Fort Worth, Democratic state Rep. Marc Veasey easily won the election, while in Brownsville, Democratic nominee Filemon Vela defeated Republican Jessica Puente Bradshaw in the 34th District. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman is headed back to Congress to represent the Republican-dominated 36th District, which is centered on Liberty County.In Central Texas, veteran Democratic congressman Lloyd Doggett found himself living outside the redrawn 25th District. He decided to run in the new 35th district, which stretches along Interstate 35 from San Antonio to Austin, which he easily won.Republican Roger Williams coasted to victory in the Republican-dominated 25th District, stretching from Austin to southern Tarrant County.Democrat Joaquin Castro replaced retiring Rep. Charles Gonzalez in San Antonio, and Beto O'Rourke will replace veteran Silvestre Reyes.The incumbentsRepublican incumbents who easily won re-election include Louie Gohmert, Ted Poe, Sam Johnson, Ralph Hall, Jeb Hensarling, Joe Barton, John Culberson, Kevin Brady, Michael McCaul, Mike Conway and Kay Granger.Other re-elected Republicans are Mac Thornberry, Bill Flores, Randy Neugebauer, Lamar Smith, Peter Olson, Kenny Marchant, Michael Burgess, John Carter and Pete Sessions.Democratic incumbents who won re-election include Al Green, Ruben Hinojosa, Sheila Jackson Lee, Henry Cuellar, Gene Green and Eddie Bernice Johnson.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
