Texas gubernatorial election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

, who will serve a four-year term beginning on January 18, 2011, and ending on January 20, 2015. Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

 ran successfully for re-election to a third term. He won the Republican primary against U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....

. The former Mayor of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, Bill White, won the Democratic nomination. Kathie Glass, a lawyer from Houston and previous candidate for Texas Attorney General, won the Libertarian nomination. Deb Shafto is the nominee of the Texas Green Party. Andy Barron, an orthodontist from Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...

, is a declared write-in candidate.

The Lieutenant Governor of Texas
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...

 is elected on a separate ticket. As a result, the Governor-elect and Lieutenant Governor-elect may be, and have in the past been, of different political parties. For that race, Linda Chavez-Thompson won the Democratic Party nomination and avoided a runoff; incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst
David Dewhurst
David Dewhurst is the 41st and current Lieutenant Governor of Texas, serving under Governor Rick Perry since January 21, 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Texas Land Commissioner from 1999 to 2003. Dewhurst announced on July 18, 2011, that he was running for the...

 was unopposed in his re-election bid. Scott Jameson was the Libertarian nominee.

The Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

 and Lieutenant Governor of Texas
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...

 are both sworn-in on the third Tuesday of January every four years.

Election rules

Texas does not have term limits for its governors; thus, gubernatorial incumbents are free to run as often as they want if they are eligible for the office.

The Republicans and Democrats chose their gubernatorial nominees based on the results of primary votes held on March 2, 2010 (the first Tuesday in March). Both parties' candidates received at least 20 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 election; thus, they must nominate their candidates via primary election.

Any third-party which obtains ballot access must nominate its candidates via a statewide convention, which by law must be held on June 12, 2010 (the second Saturday in June). The Libertarian Party obtained ballot access automatically due to its 2008 showing, in which one of its nominees attracted over one million votes.

In the primary election the party's winning candidate must garner a majority (over 50%) of votes cast; otherwise, the top two candidates face each other in a runoff election. However, in the general election, the winning candidate needs only a plurality of votes to be elected Governor (as was the case with the 2006 election
Texas gubernatorial election, 2006
The 2006 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006 to select the next governor of the state of Texas, who is serving a four year term that began on January 16, 2007. The Republican and Democratic Parties chose their candidates by primaries and convention. Primaries were held on...

 and the 1990 election, in which Libertarian Jeff Daiell attracted over 129,000 votes).

Independent and write-in candidates may seek ballot access; however, the criteria for such access are quite strict (see "Ballot Access" below). Nevertheless, in the 2006 election, two independent candidates, Carole Keeton Strayhorn
Carole Keeton Strayhorn
Carole Keeton Strayhorn is the former Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts....

, the Republican State Comptroller, and Kinky Friedman
Kinky Friedman
Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American Texas Country singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election...

, a popular Texas country musician, obtained enough signatures to qualify. The Libertarian nominee, James Werner, was on the ballot automatically because of that party's Texas showing in the 2004 general election.

Political party candidates

Any political party whose candidate for Governor, during the 2006 election, garnered at least 20 percent of the total votes cast, must nominate all its candidates for all offices sought via primary election. In the 2006 election, both the Democratic candidate (Chris Bell
Chris Bell (politician)
Robert Christopher "Chris" Bell is a Democratic Party politician. He last served as a one-term congressman in the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 25th congressional district in Houston from 2003 to 2005 before being defeated in the Democratic primary by Justice of the Peace Al...

) and the Republican candidate (Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

) received this many votes; thus, both parties must hold primary elections using the two-round system
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...

. The primary elections must be held on the first Tuesday in March, and a candidate must receive a majority of votes cast in the primary election; otherwise, a runoff election between the top two finishers must be held on the second Tuesday in April.

A political party whose candidate for Governor, during the 2006 election, received at least two percent but less than 20 percent of the total votes cast, may nominate its candidates for all offices sought via either a primary election (using the two-round system) or a state convention. If the party chooses to conduct a primary election, it must notify the Texas Secretary of State at least one year prior to the general election date and must nominate all its candidates via primary election. No third-party candidate met this requirement in 2006; the last to do so was the Libertarian Party in 1990 (when nominee Jeff Daiell polled over 3.3% of the vote).

All other political parties must nominate their candidates via state convention, which by law must be held on the second Saturday in June. In order to qualify for ballot access at the general election, the party must either:
  • have had at least one candidate, in the previous statewide election, garner at least five percent of the total votes cast for that office (only the Libertarian Party met this requirement), or
  • within 75 days after conducting its precinct conventions, submit lists of said conventions, whose total participant count equals at least one percent of the total votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election.
  • If the political party cannot meet the precinct convention count requirement, it may file a supplemental petition, the number of signatures on which, when added to the count from the precinct convention lists, totals the required one percent, but must do so within the 75-day period above. Any person signing a supplemental petition must not have voted in any party's primary election or runoff election, or participated in any other third-party's convention.

Independent candidates

Should an independent gubernatorial candidate seek ballot access in the state of Texas, the candidate must meet the following requirements:
  • The candidate must obtain signatures from registered voters, in an amount equalling at least one percent of the total votes cast in the prior gubernatorial election, the same as for third-party access.
  • The signatures must come from registered voters who did not vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries or in any runoff elections for Governor.
  • The signatures must come from registered voters who have not signed a petition for any other independent candidate. If a supporter signed more than one petition, only the first signature counts.
  • The signatures cannot be obtained until after the primary election (if either political party primary requires a runoff election, the signatures cannot be obtained until after such runoff election) and the petition must be filed no later than 5:00 PM (Austin time, the filing must be with the Texas Secretary of State) on the 30th day after the scheduled runoff primary election day (even if none is held).

Write-in candidates

In the event a candidate does not qualify for independent status, the person may still run as a write-in candidate. The candidate must either:
  • pay a $3,750 filing fee, or
  • submit 5,000 qualified signatures. However, the petition must be filed by 5:00 PM of the 70th day before general election day, and cannot be filed earlier than 30 days before this deadline.

Candidates

  • Kay Bailey Hutchison
    Kay Bailey Hutchison
    Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....

    , U.S. Senator
  • Debra Medina
    Debra Medina
    Debra Medina was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2010 Texas gubernatorial election. She participated in the January 14 televised debate with incumbent Governor Rick Perry and challenger U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison...

    , political activist
  • Rick Perry
    Rick Perry
    James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

    , Incumbent Governor

Perry



Debra Medina


Hutchison


Polling

Note: polls used different sample sizes and citizen groups. A candidate must have a majority of the vote (50%) to avoid a runoff with their second place opponent.
Poll Source Date(s)
administered
Rick
Perry
Kay Bailey
Hutchison
Debra
Medina
Other Unde-
cided
Rasmussen Reports (report) February 23, 2010 48% 27% 16% 9%
Public Policy Polling (report) February 19–21, 2010 40% 31% 20% 9%
Research 2000 (report) February 8–10, 2010 42% 30% 17% 11%
Public Policy Polling (report) February 4–7, 2010 39% 28% 24% 10%
University of Texas (report) February 1–7, 2010 45% 21% 19% 16%
Rasmussen Reports (report) February 1, 2010 44% 29% 16% 11%
Rasmussen Reports (report) January 17, 2010 43% 33% 12% 11%
Rasmussen Reports (report) November 13, 2009 46% 35% 4% 14%
University of Texas (report) November 3, 2009 42% 30% 7% 4% 18%
Rasmussen Reports (report) September 16, 2009 38% 40% 3% 19%
Rasmussen Reports (report) July 15, 2009 46% 36% 5% 14%
Texas Politics (report) June 11–22, 2009 38% 27% 8% 26%
38% 26% 9% 27%
Texas Lyceum (report) June 5–12, 2009 33% 21% 1% 41%
Rasmussen Reports (report) May 7, 2009 42% 38% 7% 13%
Texas Politics (report) February 24–Mar. 6, 2009 29% 37% 10% 24%
Public Policy Polling (report) February 18–20, 2009 31% 56%
Texas Lyceum (report) June 12–20, 2008 22% 35%

Results

Candidates

  • Alma Ludivina Aguado
  • Felix Alvarado
  • Bill Dear
  • Clement E. Glenn
    Clement E. Glenn
    Clement E. Glenn is a tenured associate professor in the College of Education-Graduate Programs at Prairie View A&M University. In 2010, Glenn became a candidate for the office of governor of Texas.-Education:...

  • Farouk Shami
    Farouk Shami
    Farouk Shami is a Palestinian-American businessman from Ramallah, West Bank, who now lives in Houston, Texas, where he runs the hair-care and spa products company, Farouk Systems....

  • Bill White, former Houston mayor

White



* Dropped out prior to the primary.

Results

Major

Candidates who have obtained at least 5% or more in at least one pre-election poll
  • Rick Perry
    Rick Perry
    James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

     (R), incumbent Governor
  • Bill White (D), former Houston mayor

Minor

  • Kathie Glass (L), Houston Lawyer Ms. Glass was nominated in a race in which five candidates filed, three of whom withdrew before balloting began.
  • Deb Shafto (G)
    Green Party of Texas
    The Green Party of Texas is the state party organization for Texas of the Green Party of the United States.-History:The Green Party of Texas began to organize a serious, statewide, grassroots effort in the late 1990s...

  • Andy Barron (Write-in
    Write-in candidate
    A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...

    )

Predictions

Source Rating As of
Cook Political Report
Cook Political Report
The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five...

Lean R October 30, 2010
Rothenberg Report
Stuart Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst best known for his Washington-based, biweekly, self-proclaimed non-partisan political newsletter The Rothenberg Political Report...

Lean R October 28, 2010
RealClearPolitics
RealClearPolitics
RealClearPolitics is a political news and polling data aggregator based in Chicago, Illinois. The site's founders say their goal is to give readers "ideological diversity." They have described themselves as frustrated with what they perceive as anti-conservative, anti-Christian media bias, and...

Leans R October 30, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball
Sabato's Crystal Ball
Sabato’s Crystal Ball is a free, nonpartisan weekly online newsletter and comprehensive website in the United States that analyzes the current American political scene and predicts electoral outcomes for U.S House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, governors, and U.S. president races...

Likely R October 28, 2010
CQ Politics
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...

Leans R October 30, 2010
New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

R October 30, 2010
Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and...

Lean R October 30, 2010

Polling

Poll
Source
Date(s)
Administered
Sample
size
Margin of
Error
Rick
Perry
(R)
Kathie
Glass
(L)
Bill
White
(D)
Other Unde-
cided
Public Policy Polling (report) October 26–28, 2010 568 ± 4.1% 53% 44% 3%
Lighthouse Opinion and Polling Research (report) October 15–17, 2010 1200 ± 2.9% 48% 3% 37% 1% 11%
Public Policy Polling (report) September 2–6, 2010 538 ± 4.2% 48% 42% 10%
Rasmussen Reports (report) August 22, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 49% 41% 3% 7%
Rasmussen Reports (report) July 13, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 50% 41% 2% 7%
Public Policy Polling (report) June 19–21, 2010 500 ± 4.4% 43% 43% 14%
Rasmussen Reports (report) June 16, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 48% 40% 5% 8%
Rasmussen Reports (report) May 13, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 51% 38% 4% 6%
Rasmussen Reports (report) April 14, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 48% 44% 2% 6%
Rasmussen Reports (report) March 3, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 49% 43% 3% 6%
Rasmussen Reports (report) February 22, 2010 1,200 ± 3.0% 47% 41% 5% 7%
Public Policy Polling (report) February 4–7, 2010 1,200 ± 2.8% 48% 42% 10%
Rasmussen Reports (report) February 1, 2010 1,000 ± 3.0% 48% 39% 5% 8%
Rasmussen Reports (report) January 17, 2010 1,000 ± 3.0% 50% 40% 4% 6%

Results

External links



Debate:
  • Texas Republican Gubernatorial Primary Debate on C-SPAN
    C-SPAN
    C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...

    , January 14, 2010


Voter resources:

Republican candidates for Governor:

Democratic candidates for Governor:

Libertarian candidate for Governor:

Third party/Independent candidates for Governor:
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