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| Texas House of Representatives District 123 | ||
| Current incumbent | Diego Bernal  | |
| Population | 175,674 | |
| Race | 23.6% White, 74.4% Black/Hispanic, 2.0% Other | |
| Ethnicity | 29.4% Not Hispanic, 70.6% Hispanic | |
| Voting age | 77.3% age 18 and over | |
Texas' one hundred twenty-third state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Diego Bernal.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 175,674 civilians reside within Texas' one hundred twenty-third 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.
Incumbent Diego Bernal (D) won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 123 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Diego Bernal (D) |
100
|
36,851 |
|
|
Total votes: 36,851 |
Incumbent Diego Bernal advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 123 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Diego Bernal (D) |
100
|
10,847 |
|
|
Total votes: 10,847 |
No Republican candidates ran in the primary.
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.
Incumbent Diego Bernal ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 123 general election.Texas House of Representatives, District 123 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Diego Bernal Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 38,649 | |
| Total Votes | 38,649 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Texas House of Representatives, District 123 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Diego Bernal Incumbent (unopposed) |
Melissa Aguillon (D), Diego Bernal (D), Walter Martinez (D), Nunzio Previtera (R), Paul Ingmundson (G) and Roger V. Gary (L) faced off in the special election on January 6, 2015. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Bernal and Previtera, met in a runoff election on February 17, which Bernal won.
The seat was vacant following Michael Villarreal's (D) resignation to run for Mayor of San Antonio.
A special election for the position of Texas House of Representatives District 123 was called for January 6, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 22, 2014.
Texas House of Representatives, District 123, Special Runoff Election, 2015
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Diego Bernal |
63.7% | 5,170 | |
| Republican | Nunzio Previtera | 36.3% | 2,950 | |
| Total Votes | 8,120 | |||
Texas House of Representatives, District 123, Special Election, 2015
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Diego Bernal |
47.5% | 3,372 | |
| Republican | Nunzio Previtera |
21.3% | 1,512 | |
| Democratic | Melissa Aguillon | 17.7% | 1,257 | |
| Democratic | Walter Martinez | 11% | 780 | |
| Libertarian | Roger V. Gary | 1.4% | 103 | |
| Green | Paul Ingmundson | 1.1% | 81 | |
| Total Votes | 7,105 | |||
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 Michael Villarreal was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Paul Ingmundson was running as a Green Party candidate. Villarreal defeated Ingmundson in the general election. In a letter dated November 6, 2014, Villarreal informed Governor Rick Perry that he would not be accepting his seat in the Texas House of Representatives, and would be resigning his seat effective January 15, 2015, in order to run for Mayor of San Antonio, Texas.
Governor Perry is able to call for a special election to fill the seat as early as December 2014.
Texas House of Representatives, District 123 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Michael Villarreal Incumbent |
86.3% | 20,178 | |
| Green | Paul Ingmundson | 13.7% | 3,210 | |
| Total Votes | 23,388 | |||
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 Michael Villarreal (D) defeated Chuck Robinson (G) in the general election. Villarreal was unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Texas House of Representatives, District 123, General Election, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Michael Villarreal Incumbent |
87.5% | 32,958 | |
| Green | Chuck Robinson | 12.5% | 4,700 | |
| Total Votes | 37,658 | |||
From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Texas House of Representatives District 123 raised a total of $2,211,193. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $138,200 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Texas House of Representatives District 123
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $371,885 | 2 | $185,943 |
| 2012 | $284,907 | 1 | $284,907 |
| 2010 | $334,724 | 1 | $334,724 |
| 2008 | $209,382 | 1 | $209,382 |
| 2006 | $185,014 | 1 | $185,014 |
| 2004 | $189,321 | 2 | $94,661 |
| 2002 | $481,303 | 5 | $96,261 |
| 2000 | $154,657 | 3 | $51,552 |
| Total | $2,211,193 | 16 | $138,200 |
