Republican Brian E. Harrison was sworn in to the Texas House of Representatives on Oct. 12. He was elected to the chamber after winning a special runoff election on Sept. 28. His term will last until January 2023. To keep hold of his seat, Harrison will have to run for re-election in 2022 for a two-year term.
In the District 10 election, Harrison defeated fellow Republican John Wray with 55.4% of the vote. The two candidates advanced from the special election on Aug. 31. The seat became vacant after Jake Ellzey (R) won a special election to Texas’ 6th Congressional District on July 27. Ellzey had represented the district since January 2021.
Republicans have an 83-66 majority in the Texas House with one vacancy. The vacancy in District 118 will be filled in a runoff election on Nov. 2. Texas has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.
As of October, 64 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. Texas held 33 state legislative special elections from 2010 to 2020.
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