Texas House of Representatives, District 137
District 137 of the Texas House of Representatives, is located in southwestern Houston, Texas. The population of this district is 170,652, of which 57.5% are considered Hispanic.[1]
In the 2010 general election, 15,057 Total Ballots were cast, out of a registered voter base of 48,859 Registered Voters, 9,715 of which were Spanish-Surnamed Registered Voters. At the top of the ballot, Democratic candidate for Governor, Bill White, obtained over 60% of the vote. In the 2002 general election, Democratic candidate for Governor, Tony Sanchez, obtained only 49.2%of the vote, losing in the district to Rick Perry.[1]
District 137 is represented by Gene Wu. The seat was previously held by Scott Hochberg Scott Hochberg, known as the "man who knows more about public school finance than anyone in the Texas House". In announcing his decision to retire, Hochberg pointed to a $5 billion cut in public school funding, which he found very discouraging.[2]
Four candidates were listed on the May 2012 Democratic primary ballot.[3]
The candidates are:
- Gene Wu, Prosecutor with Harris County District Attorney's Office
- Sarah Winkler, Alief ISD School Board Trustee
- Jamaal R. Smith, Former Executive Director for Harris County Democratic Party
- Joseph Carlos Madden, Legislative Staffer for Garnet Coleman
In the nomination election for the Texas Democratic Party, Gene Wu and Jamaal Smith wenr to a runoff election on July 31, 2012. In the runoff, Gene Wu won with 61.6% of the vote. In November 2012, Wu was to face Republican nominee, M.J. Khan who was unopposed in the Republican Primary.
May 29 Democratic Primary
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Carlos Madden | 391 | 21.8% |
| Gene Wu | 773 | 43.1% |
| Jamaal Smith | 431 | 24.1% |
| Sarah Winkler | 197 | 11.0% |
| Total Votes | 1,792 |
July 31 Democratic Primary Runoff
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Gene Wu | 695 | 61.6% |
| Jamaal Smith | 433 | 38.4% |
| Total Votes | 1,128 |
References
- 1 2 "Texas Political Almanac". TXPoliticalAlmanac. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ↑ "Houston state lawmaker Hochberg calling it quits". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ↑ "2012 Democratic Party Primary Election Candidates". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved 23 March 2012.