If there was a winner in the Texas con­gres­sional races, it was gerrymandering. With neither Senate seat up for grabs, there could have been extra energy in the lower chamber races. Yet with Texas districts so chopped and packed, there was little leeway for change. On Nov. 7, there were 25 Repub­lic­ans and 11 Democrats in the state’s House delegation. When the results came in on Tuesday night, it was still 25 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

Statewide, the closest approximation to a competitive race was Congressional District 23, where Republican Will Hurd saw off a challenge from Pete Gallego. But that may be the only competitive congressional seat in the state. Everything else was either uncontested, or a race in which the incumbent faced only minimal third party challenges – or the district was drawn to be uncompetitive. That’s a core reason why U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, beat Republican Jeff Martin by more than 60 percentage points, and Greenville Republican Kay Granger beat Dem Bill Bradshaw by almost 33 points.

Results also left the Travis County delegation unchanged. In the five seats with at least a toe in the area, Republicans Mike McCaul, Bill Flores, Lamar Smith, and Roger Williams – and sole Democrat Lloyd Doggett – all return to D.C. next year. With the GOP easily holding the House and Sen­ate, it could be hard times for Dems hoping to derail a Trump agenda.

With the GOP easily holding the House and Senate, it could be hard times for democrats hoping to derail a Trump agenda.

This article appears in November 11 • 2016.

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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.