State House outcome supported by Buckley’s rural strategy
Results are based on the most current returns at press time, many of which showed less than 100% of precincts reported.
Congressional and state legislative members who represent Lampasas -- all Republicans -- maintained their seats in Tuesday’s general election.
With a few precincts still unreported at press time, it appeared the Republican Party would maintain the majority in the Texas House and Texas Senate.
The Associated Press reported the Democrats holding a 208- 190 edge in the U.S. House with 37 races undeclared. The U.S. Senate balance of power remained close, with the AP calling 48 seats for the GOP, 46 for Democrats, two for independents and four seats still to be determined.
In the U.S. Senate, Democrat challenger M.J. Hegar conceded to incumbent John Cornyn (R), who held a roughly 1.1-million vote advantage (about 10%) early Wednesday morning.
As in every other statewide race since 1994, Republicans took the Texas race for U.S. Senate.
Congressman Roger Williams (R) defended his seat against Julie Oliver (D) by a 56% to 42% margin.
District 24 State Senator Dr. Dawn Buckingham (R) defeated Clayton Tucker (D) 69.6% to 30.4% in her bid for re-election. District 54 State Rep. Buckley won a closer race which, as in his 2018 run, was won on the strength of Lampasas County.
Buckley defeated Democrat challenger "Keke" Williams 53.51% to 46.49%.
In Lampasas County, Buckley took 81.8% of the vote, enough to overcome a slight deficit in Bell County. Williams took 51.2% of the district’s Bell County vote.
Cornyn said on his Facebook page, “It is the honor of my life to serve Texas in the U.S. Senate. Inspired by your trust and your patriotism, I will continue to be a strong voice for our values in Washington. Thank you, Texas!”
“The people of Texas’ 25th [congressional] district have once again sent a clear message that they want a government that abides by the Constitution and empowers the American people to reach their fullest potential,” Williams said. “I'm honored they have once again trusted me to represent them in Congress, and I pledge to spend this next term continuing the fight for lower taxes, defending our law enforcement, taking care of our military and veterans, and protecting the unborn."
Tucker, a Lampasan, was encouraged by voter participation despite his State Senate loss.
“I can’t say enough of how proud I am of my team & supporters,” he posted on Facebook. “In this long-shot SD24 race, we increased Dem turnout by 40%. Movements take time to build. I look forward to us continuing our work to build our progressive movement—all deserve good wages, healthcare & a healthy environment.”
Buckingham stated on Facebook that her victory was a message that constituents “want experience, conservative leadership to represent them in the Texas Senate, and I am honored to be that person. I would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support in this election cycle.”
She also outlined goals for the upcoming legislative term: “increasing access to high-quality, affordable health care, making sure that Texans continue to have a balanced budget, and working to bring back our economy stronger than ever.”
Buckley said he was humbled and honored to have the citizens’ support, and he highlighted rural issues as crucial factors.
“It really is the support of Lampasas County that helps me get over the finish line,” he said. “The relationships we’ve built there are strong friendships. They’re some of our favorite people in the entire district.”
“In the legislature, so much work is done on behalf of urban centers, and that’s important,” Buckley continued. “But rural Texas is the fabric that holds the state together. It’s where we grow food and fiber and raise our kids. It’s important that rural Texans have a voice.”
Those rural issues, Buckley said, include better internet broadband -- especially in focus as more activities were done remotely in 2020 -- property rights, and truth in labeling for agricultural products.
“With innovations in protein, we need to protect the naming of beef as real beef,” Buckley said. “This is important to our cattlemen, who put so much effort into raising quality, wholesome products. We don’t want fake meat to co-opt the name reserved for real beef.”
Education also is a priority for Buckley, in an area in which school districts are among the top employers.
“Lampasas loves our public schools, and we continue to see gains made last session for funding public schools,” Buckley said. “We gave teachers pay raises and more school funding to provide better services to kids. A highquality Texas workforce begins in our schools.”
Notable facts
With about 85% of precincts having reported by late Thursday morning, the presidential race in Texas looks to be the closest since the 1990s. President Trump led Joe Biden by roughly 6%.
Zapata County (on the border with Mexico) appears to have voted Republican for the first time in a presidential race since 1920. Trump’s 52.5% to 47.1% advantage over Biden is a major reversal from 2016, when Hilary Clinton defeated Trump there by a margin of close to 66% to 33%.
Trump made gains in the Democrat stronghold of South Texas, winning Kenedy, Jim Wells, Val Verde and La Salle counties -- which he lost in 2016.
In Starr County, which includes Laredo, Trump picked up about 47% of the vote this year, compared to less than 19% in 2016.