The 2018 Texas gubernatorial race saw historic shifts and a record-breaking Libertarian performance
In short: On November 6, 2018, incumbent Republican Greg Abbott secured a second term as Texas governor. While Abbott maintained a comfortable victory, the election cycle featured significant milestones, including the first openly gay major-party gubernatorial nominee in the state and a Libertarian candidate who shattered previous party vote records.
The 2018 electoral season began with primaries on March 6, 2018. Greg Abbott secured the Republican nomination with 90% of the vote. On the Democratic side, Lupe Valdez, the former sheriff of Dallas County, advanced through a May 22 runoff against entrepreneur Andrew White, eventually winning with 53.1% of the vote. Valdez’s nomination was historic, marking the first time a major party in Texas nominated an openly gay candidate for governor.
Abbott ultimately won re-election, securing the highest margin of victory among state executive officials on the ballot. Despite his win, the contest was more competitive than the 2014 cycle, a shift attributed by some to the high-profile Senate race occurring simultaneously between Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz. Demographic data from CNN exit polls highlighted a stark divide: Abbott won 72% of white voters, while Valdez captured 80% of African American voters and 63% of Latino voters.
The Libertarian nominee, Mark Tippetts, also achieved a notable result. Nominated at the party's state convention in Houston in April 2018, Tippetts received over 70% approval from delegates. His performance in the general election surpassed the previous record for a Libertarian gubernatorial candidate in Texas, which had stood since 1990. While Abbott won 25 of the state's 36 congressional districts, the election saw localized shifts, with two counties flipping from Republican to Democratic and one flipping from Democratic to Republican.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 2018 Texas gubernatorial election
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