Democrats had hoped to take the House back and make some in-roads in the Senate. The big question: were they succesful?

House: The Dems managed a net gain of three – not enough for a majority, leaving the GOP at 76-74. But they picked up Round Rock’s HD-52 and El Paso’s HD-78 (Pat Haggerty’s old seat, so arguably a moral win for the former Republican incumbent, crowbarred out in the primaries). Every Travis County Dem kept their seat, but since two seats (GOP hold HD-105 and Dem seat HD-11) are facing possible recounts for tiny wins, the numbers could shift.

Senate: In the Dem’s hunt to dislodge incumbents; One win (Wendy Davis in SD-10), one fail (Joe Jaworski in SD-11) and one undecided (Chris Bell topped the SD-17 special election, but with no clear ’50+1′ winner, he faces GOPer Joan Huffman in a run-off).

And the big question: Speaker Tom Craddick. He kept his seat (no shock there) but there’s a lot of maneuvering to get the gavel out of his hands, with Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, now formally asking for Democrats to back him.

This article appears in John McCain.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.