Pub. 60 2019-2020 Issue 5

11 FALL 2020 It looks like the 2020 elections will be one for the ages. A lot is hanging in the balance regarding the direction of our country and our state. With so much riding on the outcome, it is important to remind people that decisions are made by those who show up! Be sure to vote!  All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for grabs in November. Currently, Democrats hold 232 seats, Republicans’ 198 and there is one Libertarian, giving the Democrats a sizable advantage. For those of you keeping score on themath, there are also four vacancies. It is estimated that Re- publicans will need to pick up a net of 17 seats to recapture themajority. Texas has 36 Congressional seats, and this num- ber will grow through the redistrict- ing process next session. The partisan breakdown is currently 23 Republicans and 13 Democrats. Texas Republicans have targeted the two seats captured by Democrats in 2018 — the 7th District in Houston (Rep. Lizzie Fletcher) and the 32nd in Dallas (Rep. Colin Allred). Still, much of their effort is focused on retaining open seats that were previously held by Republicans. The Democrats are targeting seven seats, but the most competitive appear to be in the open seats. These include the 23rd District (Rep. Will Hurd-Helotes) anchored in San Antonio and encompassing much of West Texas; the 24th District (Rep. Kenny Marchant-Coppell), which includes suburbs in northern Dallas and Tarrant counties; and the 22nd District (Rep. Pete Olson-Sugar Land) which makes up nearly all of Fort Bend County and part of Brazoria county. Texas Legislature The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller and most other statewide officials are not up for reelection this year. The current makeup of the Texas Legislature has Republicans holding a 19-12 major- ity in the Texas Senate and an 83-67 majority in the Texas House. Of the 16 seats in the Texas Senate that are up for election, only one is competitive — Senate District 19, which is currently held by Pete Flores- Pleasanton and is anchored in San Antonio, includes much of West Texas. The Texas House is much more dynamic. After Democrats gained 12 seats in the 2018 midterms, they hope to pick up nine more seats to take the House in November. Re- publicans have controlled the Texas House since 2003, but 28 seats are being targeted by both groups — 18 currently held by Republicans, and 10 held by Democrats. Here is a breakdown: (see fig.1, on page 10).