A major poll by Reform Austin News released Tuesday shows Texas House Republicans in danger of losing their seats.
The polling surveyed 400 likely voters in 22 competitive state House districts.
“In the contests for the State House, only one of the 22 districts shows the Republican candidate with support from more than 50% of respondents,” wrote Reform Austin. “All Democratic incumbents hold comfortable leads, with Democratic candidates in Republican-held districts polling at or above 50% in five districts and holding a lead in six more. Republican incumbents and candidates lead in six districts, but have less than 50% support in five of the six districts. If these polling advantages materialize on Election Day, Democrats would gain 11 seats and win control of the Texas House.”
The same poll shows the approval rating of Gov. Greg Abbott and President Trump polling weakly in those competitive districts.
The news comes a week after a report by the Texas Tribune showing Democrats outraised Republicans in competitive districts in the latest fundraising quarter.
Democrats would need to win nine statehouse seats to gain a majority in the lower chamber.
Doing so would give them a seat at the table during a high-stakes legislative session. In 2021, the Texas Legislature will convene to decide federal and state district lines that will last for the next decade.
Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
