By Public Radio Staff
In addition to the presidential election, West Texans will vote for a U.S. Senator and weigh in on a number of state and local races.
Reporters at Marfa Public Radio are tracking some of the most closely-watched political contests throughout the region. You can find results on contested races below.
President & Congressional Races
The big question on Election Night is if Joe Biden can edge out President Donald Trump in Texas. A Democrat hasn’t won the state since 1976 when Texas voters went for Jimmy Carter.
In the Permian Basin, voters are deciding whether Republican August Pfluger or Democrat Jon Mark Hogg will take over for Mike Conaway, the outgoing representative for Texas' 11th Congressional District. In the race for Texas' 23rd Congressional District, voters are deciding between Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones and Republican Tony Gonzales to replace Rep. Will Hurd.
Editor's note: All results are unofficial until certified by the state. These Results were taken from the Secretary of State's Office and were last updated on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 9:00 A.M. CST.
| President | Donald Trump (R) 52.31% Joe Biden (D) 46.27% |
| U.S. Senate | John Cornyn (R) 53.81% M.J. Hegar (D) 43.58% |
| U.S. House Representative, District 11 | August Pfluger (R) 79.71% Jon Mark Hogg (D) 18.3% Wacy Alpha Cody (L) |
| U.S. House Representative, District 23 | Gina Ortiz Jones (D) 46.51% Tony Gonzales (R) 50.66% |
Statewide
Tonight, state Democrats have a shot at taking control of the Texas House of Representatives—something that hasn’t happened in nearly two decades. In the Texas Senate, Democrat Roland Gutierrez is looking to take back District 19, which they lost in 2018. Before then, Texas Democrats had held onto the seat for over 100 years.
| State Senator, Senate District 19 | Pete Flores (R) 46.57% Rolando Gutierrez (D) 49.86% |
| State Senator, Senate District 29 | Cesar Blanco (D) 67% Bethany Hatch (R) 33% |
| State Representative, House District 74 | Eddie Morales (D) 54.1% Ruben Falcon (R) 45.9% |
| Texas Railroad Commissioner | James "Jim" Wright (R) 53.27% |
| Chief Justice Supreme Court | Nathan Hect (R) 53.25% |
| Justice Supreme Court, Place 6 | Jane Bland (R) 55.49% |
| Justice Supreme Court, Place 7 | Jeff Boyd (R) 53.61% |
| Justice Supreme Court, Place 8 | Brett Busby (R) 53.57% |
Brewster County
The most publicized race in Brewster County is the fight to see who will be the county's sheriff. That race is between incumbent Democrat Ronny D. Dodson and write-in candidate Will Drawe.
The county, which is home to Big Bend National Park, also has multiple County Commissioner races along with a few Marathon ISD school board seats.
| Brewster County Sheriff | Ronny D. Dodson 85.77% Will Drawe 14.2% |
| County Commissioner, Precinct No.1 | Jim Westermann (R) 63.75% Johnny Milan (D) 36.24% |
| Marathon ISD Trustee, Place 6 | Jane Gallo |
Ector County
Odessans will go to the polls today to elect a new mayor and weigh in on multiple city council seats. The city's current mayor, David Turner, has already served for eight years, which means he's reached his term limit.
Three candidates, all of whom have worked in politics, have stepped up to take over for Turner, and Turner himself is running for Odessa's at-large city council seat.
| Odessa Mayor | Dewey Bryant 42.92% * |
| Odessa City Council, District 1 | Mark Matta 44.5%* |
| Odessa City Council, District 2 | Steven P. Thompson 54% Rachel D. Minor 45% |
| Odessa City Council, At-Large | David R. Turner 44.52%* |
Correction: Marfa Public Radio incorrectly called the Odessa Mayoral, District 1, and At-Large council races. The City of Odessa's requires candidates to win a majority of votes cast, if that doesn't happen a runoff will be required.
Jeff Davis County
Jeff Davis County residents are electing a new county judge after the sudden death of County Judge Kerith Sproul-Hurley in August.
Voters will also cast ballots for a county commissioner race and for sheriff.
| County Judge | Curtis Evans (R) 660 votes Dusty Rhodes (D) 325 votes |
| County Commissioner, Precinct No. 3 | John Davis (R) 161 votes Tim Roberts (D) 80 votes |
| Sheriff | Bill Kitts (R) 578 votes Robert Garcia (D) 426 votes |
Midland County
Midlanders have several elections tonight up for a vote—many will shape the kind of education children and college students will receive in the Tall City.
Four Midland Independent School District Board of Trustees seats are up for grabs. The school district has had a rough year after a $569-million school bond failed last November. More recently, there's been a contentious fight to rename Robert E. Lee High School and the district's Superintendent, Orlando Riddick, was ousted after failing to improve academic performances.
| Midland ISD Trustee, Precinct 1 | James E. Fuller 1,693 votes* |
| Midland ISD Trustee, Precinct 2 | Robert Marquez 1,968 votes Rachel Davis 1,328 votes |
| Midland ISD Trustee, Precinct 4 | Steve Vargas 2,082 votes* |
| Midland ISD Trustee, Precinct 7 | Joseph Gallegos 2,886 votes Bryan Murry 4,407 votes |
| Midland College Trustee Place 7 | Adrian Carrasco 21,863 votes |
| Midland College Trustee Place 8 | Scott Lynch 32,116 votes Ralph Way 10,104 votes |
*Editors Note: Midland ISD board of trustees are too close to call with a number possibly going to a runoff. Earlier in the night candidates were mislabeled as winners.
Presidio County
Throughout Presidio County, voters are weighing in on several uncontested races, including county attorney and county sheriff. The only competitive races are in the City of Marfa, where residents are electing three at-large city councilmembers.
Additionally, voters within the city's limits are decided whether or not to approve of Proposition A, which will determine whether the city regains control on electric utility negotiations.
| City Councilmember, At-Large* | Yoseff Ben-Yehuda: 359 votes |
| Proposition A | For: 621 votes Against: 117 votes |
*Three at-large seats are currently open on Marfa's city council. So, only one of the four candidates vying to become a council-member will be denied a seat by voters.