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Texas, House of Representatives, District 5

Texas House of Representatives District 5
Current incumbentCole Hefner Republican Party
Population160,253
Race70.1% White, 28.3% Black/Hispanic, 1.6% Other
Ethnicity82.9% Not Hispanic, 17.1% Hispanic
Voting age75.0% age 18 and over

Texas' fifth state house district is represented by Republican Representative Cole Hefner.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 160,253 civilians reside within Texas' fifth 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 5

Incumbent Cole Hefner (R) defeated Bill Liebbe (D) in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Cole Hefner (R)
79.3
44,604

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Bill Liebbe (D)
20.7
11,610

Total votes: 56,214
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5

Bill Liebbe advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Bill Liebbe (D)
100
2,105

Total votes: 2,105
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5

Incumbent Cole Hefner advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 5 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Cole Hefner (R)
100
16,008

Total votes: 16,008

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 Bryan Hughes (R) did not seek re-election.

Cole Hefner ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 5 general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 5 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Cole Hefner (unopposed) 100.00% 51,428
Total Votes 51,428
Source: Texas Secretary of State
Cole Hefner defeated Jay Misenheimer in the Texas House of Representatives, District 5 Republican primary runoff.

Texas House of Representatives, District 5 Republican Primary Runoff, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Cole Hefner 60.77% 7,184
Republican Jay Misenheimer 39.23% 4,637
Total Votes 11,821

Cole Hefner and Jay Misenheimer defeated Randy Davis, Philip Hayes and Holly Coggins Hayes in the Texas House of Representatives District 5 Republican Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 5 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Cole Hefner 46.03% 12,917
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Jay Misenheimer 26.98% 7,571
Republican Randy Davis 13.52% 3,793
Republican Philip Hayes 7.45% 2,091
Republican Holly Coggins Hayes 6.03% 1,693
Total Votes 28,065

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 Bryan Hughes was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hughes defeated Ron Walenta (L) in the general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 5 General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBryan Hughes Incumbent 92.3% 30,779
Libertarian Ron Walenta 7.7% 2,552
Total Votes 33,331

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. Bryan Hughes (R) was unchallenged in the general election. Hughes defeated Mary Lookadoo in the Republican primary election.

Texas House of Representatives District 5 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBryan Hughes Incumbent 77.7% 13,094
Mary Lookadoo 22.3% 3,766
Total Votes 16,860

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Texas House of Representatives District 5 raised a total of $1,989,681. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $153,052 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Texas House of Representatives District 5

Year Amount Candidates Average
2014 $150,510 2 $75,255
2012 $286,710 2 $143,355
2010 $129,388 1 $129,388
2008 $107,167 1 $107,167
2006 $69,629 1 $69,629
2004 $458,759 3 $152,920
2002 $449,639 2 $224,820
2000 $337,879 1 $337,879
Total $1,989,681 13 $153,052