Courts
Travis County Democrats did good work to support their candidates for positions on the state’s two highest judicial benches – the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals – not that it made much difference within the scope of the whole state. Republican Debra Lehrmann took Place 3, despite Democrat Mike Westergren taking 57.7% locally. Same went the races for Place 5, where Paul Green earned 54% of the statewide vote yet only took 31% in Travis County, and Place 9, where Eva Guzman got 56% statewide, and 33% in Austin.
The CCA also went Republican across the board; even incumbent Lawrence “Larry” Meyers lost his Place 2 seat at 40% to Mary Lou Keel’s 55%, while Republicans Scott Walker and Michael Keasler each won with a comfortable 55% of the vote. – Chase Hoffberger
State Board of Education
In two local Texas State Board of Education races, incumbent Republican Tom Maynard beat out education data specialist Judy Jennings in District 10. The former teaching instructor and school board member from Georgetown came in with 56% of the vote, despite losing Travis County by 17 points. In District 5, longtime GOP incumbent Ken Mercer also extinguished his Democratic challenger’s chances. While Texas State University professor Rebecca Bell-Metereau stormed to a 110,000-vote margin in Travis County, the right-wing Mercer edged Bell-Metereau by 30,000 votes across all 11 (plus partial) counties. Libertarian Ricardo Perkins made out with 4.7% of the vote.
This was both Democrats’ third attempt for a seat on the 15 member board. Say fourth time’s a charm?
This article appears in November 11 • 2016.