Party control of Texas state government
| Party control in Texas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor | Republican |
| Senate | Republican |
| House | Republican |
| Click here for party control in all 50 states |
Texas has a Republican trifecta and a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and both chambers of the state legislature.
As of January 4, 2024, there are 22 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.
As of January 4, 2024, there are 24 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and 6 divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.
A state government trifecta is a term to describe when one political party holds majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office. A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. To learn more about trifectas and triplexes, click here.
Current leadership of key offices
Historical party control
Texas Party Control: 1992-2024
Three years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Legislative party competitiveness score
Professors of Political Science Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser, University of Rochester and University of California San Diego, respectively, claim that states with competitive party systems spend more on education, health, and transportation. They base this on a study of each state's party competitiveness from 1880 (or year of statehood) to 2010. They assigned each state legislature a competitiveness score, which "can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."[1]
The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. The chart offers a look into competitiveness prior to Ballotpedia's 1992 analysis.
See also
- Texas
- Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government
- Who runs the states
- Who runs the states, Texas
Footnotes
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