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| Texas House of Representatives District 126 | ||
| Current incumbent | E. Sam Harless  | |
| Population | 169,256 | |
| Race | 43.4% White, 45.1% Black/Hispanic, 11.6% Other | |
| Ethnicity | 69.6% Not Hispanic, 30.4% Hispanic | |
| Voting age | 72.7% age 18 and over | |
Texas' one hundred twenty-sixth state house district is represented by Republican Representative E. Sam Harless.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 169,256 civilians reside within Texas' one hundred twenty-sixth 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.
E. Sam Harless (R) defeated Natali Hurtado (D) in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 126 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
E. Sam Harless (R) |
54.8
|
30,399 |
|
|
Natali Hurtado (D) |
45.2
|
25,035 | |
|
|
Total votes: 55,434 |
Natali Hurtado defeated Undrai Fizer in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 126 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Natali Hurtado (D) |
77.7
|
3,560 |
|
|
Undrai Fizer (D) |
22.3
|
1,023 | |
|
|
Total votes: 4,583 |
E. Sam Harless defeated Kevin Fulton and Gail Stanart in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 126 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
E. Sam Harless (R) |
50.6
|
5,110 |
|
|
Kevin Fulton (R) |
35.9
|
3,621 | |
|
|
Gail Stanart (R) |
13.5
|
1,366 | |
|
|
Total votes: 10,097 |
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 Patricia Harless (R) did not seek re-election.
Kevin Roberts defeated Joy Dawson-Thomas and Eric Moquin in the Texas House of Representatives District 126 general election.Texas House of Representatives, District 126 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Kevin Roberts |
58.00% | 35,528 | |
| Democratic | Joy Dawson-Thomas | 39.17% | 23,991 | |
| Libertarian | Eric Moquin | 2.83% | 1,735 | |
| Total Votes | 61,254 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Texas House of Representatives, District 126 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joy Dawson-Thomas |
60.74% | 3,366 | |
| Democratic | Cris Hernandez | 39.26% | 2,176 | |
| Total Votes | 5,542 | |||
Texas House of Representatives, District 126 Republican Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Roberts (unopposed) |
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 Patricia Harless was unopposed in the Republican primary. Harless defeated Cris Hernandez (L) in the general election.
Texas House of Representatives, District 126 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Patricia Harless Incumbent |
86.3% | 23,899 | |
| Libertarian | Cris Hernandez | 13.7% | 3,791 | |
| Total Votes | 27,690 | |||
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 Patricia Harless (R) was unchallenged in the general election. Harless was unopposed in the Republican primary election.
From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Texas House of Representatives District 126 raised a total of $1,997,931. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $142,709 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Texas House of Representatives District 126
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $209,579 | 2 | $104,790 |
| 2012 | $209,461 | 1 | $209,461 |
| 2010 | $214,129 | 2 | $107,065 |
| 2008 | $233,392 | 2 | $116,696 |
| 2006 | $848,359 | 3 | $282,786 |
| 2004 | $123,090 | 2 | $61,545 |
| 2002 | $102,044 | 1 | $102,044 |
| 2000 | $57,877 | 1 | $57,877 |
| Total | $1,997,931 | 14 | $142,709 |
