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| Texas House of Representatives District 118 | ||
| Current incumbent | Leo Pacheco  | |
| Population | 164,436 | |
| Race | 23.7% White, 74.6% Black/Hispanic, 1.7% Other | |
| Ethnicity | 28.3% Not Hispanic, 71.7% Hispanic | |
| Voting age | 71.0% age 18 and over | |
Texas' one hundred-eighteenth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Leo Pacheco.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 164,436 civilians reside within Texas' one hundred-eighteenth state house district. Texas state representatives represent an average of 167,637 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 139,012 residents.
Members of the Texas House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Texas legislators assume office at the beginning of the legislative session (January).
To be eligible to serve in the Texas House of Representatives, a candidate must be:
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $7,200/year | $190/day. Set by the ethics commission. |
When calculating a legislators' pension, their normal salary is artificially inflated to $125,000. This goes back to 1981, when lawmakers linked their salaries to those of state judges. Since then, they raised judges' salaries while removing the caps on their own pensions, pushing the maximum benefit up to 100% of a judge's salary.
In 2011, this resulted in an average state employee pension of $17,526 annually. The maximum pension a legislator can earn is $125,000, of which Rep. Tom Craddick (R) will be the first to qualify for when he retires. .
If there is a vacancy in the house, the Governor must call a special election to fill the vacant seat. A Governor's proclamation to a special election must be delivered to local elections authorities representing the vacant seat no later than 36 days before the scheduled election.
The Secretary of State can declare a candidate duly elected in a special election if there is no opposition.
Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for March 3, 2020, and a primary runoff is scheduled for May 26, 2020. The filing deadline was December 9, 2019.
Leo Pacheco (D) defeated John Lujan (R) in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 118 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Leo Pacheco (D) |
58.0
|
24,032 |
|
|
John Lujan (R) |
42.0
|
17,367 | |
|
|
Total votes: 41,399 |
Leo Pacheco defeated incumbent Tomas Uresti in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 118 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Leo Pacheco (D) |
57.3
|
3,517 |
|
|
Tomas Uresti (D) |
42.7
|
2,620 | |
|
|
Total votes: 6,137 |
John Lujan advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 118 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
John Lujan (R) |
100
|
3,525 |
|
|
Total votes: 3,525 |
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.
Tomas Uresti defeated incumbent John Lujan in the Texas House of Representatives District 118 general election.Texas House of Representatives, District 118 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Tomas Uresti |
55.17% | 25,632 | |
| Republican | John Lujan Incumbent | 44.83% | 20,831 | |
| Total Votes | 46,463 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Texas House of Representatives, District 118 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tomas Uresti |
59.17% | 5,115 | |
| Democratic | Gabe Farias | 40.83% | 3,529 | |
| Total Votes | 8,644 | |||
Texas House of Representatives, District 118 Republican Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Lujan Incumbent |
72.80% | 5,320 | |
| Republican | Robert Casias | 27.20% | 1,988 | |
| Total Votes | 7,308 | |||
This district was included in the Republican State Leadership Committee's list of "16 in '16: Races to Watch." Read more »
A special election for the position of Texas House of Representatives District 118 was called for November 3. A special runoff election was held on January 26, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 2.
The seat was vacant following Joe Farias' (D) resignation on August 10, 2015.
Anthony Alcoser (D), Robert A. Casias (R), Gabe Farias (D), Michael Holdman (R), John Lujan (R) and Tomas Uresti (D) faced off in a special election. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Lujan and Uresti, met in a runoff election, which Lujan won.
Texas House of Representatives, District 118, Special Election, 2015
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Lujan (advanced to the runoff) |
29.2% | 1,904 | |
| Democratic | Tomas Uresti (advanced to the runoff) |
21.7% | 1,415 | |
| Democratic | Gabe Farias | 18% | 1,170 | |
| Republican | Michael Holdman | 14.4% | 938 | |
| Democratic | Anthony Alcoser | 11.4% | 741 | |
| Republican | Robert A. Casias | 5.3% | 346 | |
| Total Votes | 6,514 | |||
Texas House of Representatives, District 118, Special Election Runoff, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Lujan |
52.4% | 1,880 | |
| Democratic | Tomas Uresti | 47.6% | 1,709 | |
| Total Votes | 3,589 | |||
Elections for all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. Those candidates who did not receive 50 percent or more of the vote in their party primary on March 4 faced an additional May 27 primary runoff. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Incumbent Joe Farias was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.
Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on May 29, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Joe Farias (D) defeated Robert A. Casias (R) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the primary elections.
Texas House of Representatives, District 118, General Election, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Farias Incumbent |
59.8% | 23,992 | |
| Republican | Robert Casias | 40.2% | 16,095 | |
| Total Votes | 40,087 | |||
From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Texas House of Representatives District 118 raised a total of $2,154,471. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $126,734 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Texas House of Representatives District 118
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $76,350 | 1 | $76,350 |
| 2012 | $202,083 | 2 | $101,042 |
| 2010 | $103,750 | 1 | $103,750 |
| 2008 | $199,146 | 2 | $99,573 |
| 2006 | $1,205,756 | 7 | $172,251 |
| 2004 | $208,238 | 2 | $104,119 |
| 2002 | $80,968 | 1 | $80,968 |
| 2000 | $78,180 | 1 | $78,180 |
| Total | $2,154,471 | 17 | $126,734 |
