Republicans picked up a seat in the Texas House of Representatives on Nov. 2. In a special general runoff election in District 118, John Lujan (R) defeated Frank Ramirez (D) 51.2 percent to 48.8 percent. Once Lujan is sworn in, Republicans will hold an 84-66 majority in the chamber.
District 118 is located in San Antonio and is about 75% Hispanic, according to The Texas Tribune. In previous federal and statewide races, the district had voted for Democrats. Joe Biden won by 14 points in 2020, Hillary Clinton won by 15 points in 2016, and Barack Obama won by 12 points in 2012. Beto O’Rourke carried the district in the 2018 U.S. Senate election by 20 points and Lupe Valdez carried the district in the 2018 gubernatorial election by 7 points.
Lujan represented the district following his victory in a special election in 2015 before losing his re-election bid in 2016. Lujan also ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2018.
As of Nov. 2, 65 state legislative special elections were scheduled or had taken place in 2021. Including this race, five seats have changed partisan hands in 2021. Two seats flipped from Republican control to Democratic control, while three seats flipped from Democratic control to Republican control.