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Texas, House of Representatives, District 61

Texas House of Representatives District 61
Current incumbentPhil King Republican Party
Population176,054
Race83.4% White, 14.5% Black/Hispanic, 2.1% Other
Ethnicity87.2% Not Hispanic, 12.8% Hispanic
Voting age72.3% age 18 and over

Texas' sixty-first state house district is represented by Republican Representative Phil King.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 176,054 civilians reside within Texas' sixty-first state house district. Texas state representatives represent an average of 167,637 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 139,012 residents.

About the office

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).

Qualifications

To be eligible to serve in the Texas House of Representatives, a candidate must be:

  • A U.S. citizen
  • 21 years old before the general election
  • A two-year resident of Texas before the general election
  • A district resident for 1 year prior to the general election

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$7,200/year$190/day. Set by the ethics commission.

Pension

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. .

Vacancies

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

2020

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.

2018

General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Phil King (R) won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 61 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Phil King (R)
100
66,735

Total votes: 66,735
Democratic primary election

No Democratic candidates ran in the primary.

Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Phil King advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 61 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Phil King (R)
100
20,140

Total votes: 20,140

2016

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 Phil King ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 61 general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 61 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Phil King Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 70,708
Total Votes 70,708
Source: Texas Secretary of State


Incumbent Phil King ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 61 Republican Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 61 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Phil King Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

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 Phil King was unopposed in the Republican primary. Matthew Britt was unopposed in the Democratic primary. King defeated Britt in the general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 61 General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngPhil King Incumbent 83% 36,504
Democratic Matthew Britt 17% 7,458
Total Votes 43,962

2012

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 Phil King (R) defeated Matthew Britt (G) in the general election. King was unopposed in the Republican primary election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 61, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngPhil King Incumbent 88.9% 55,737
Green Matthew Britt 11.1% 6,954
Total Votes 62,691

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Texas House of Representatives District 61 raised a total of $3,374,621. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $259,586 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Texas House of Representatives District 61

Year Amount Candidates Average
2014 $339,967 2 $169,984
2012 $296,675 1 $296,675
2010 $239,123 2 $119,562
2008 $1,197,016 3 $399,005
2006 $570,737 1 $570,737
2004 $269,559 1 $269,559
2002 $338,400 2 $169,200
2000 $123,144 1 $123,144
Total $3,374,621 13 $259,586