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Texas, House of Representatives, District 135

Texas House of Representatives District 135
Current incumbentJon Rosenthal Democratic Party
Population172,422
Race40.8% White, 47.3% Black/Hispanic, 11.9% Other
Ethnicity68.1% Not Hispanic, 31.9% Hispanic
Voting age70.3% age 18 and over

Texas' one hundred thirty-fifth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Jon Rosenthal.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 172,422 civilians reside within Texas' one hundred thirty-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 135

Jon Rosenthal (D) defeated incumbent Gary Elkins (R) and Paul Bilyeu (L) in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 135 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Jon Rosenthal (D)
50.8
28,473

Gary Elkins (R)
47.6
26,701

Paul Bilyeu (L)
1.5
867

Total votes: 56,041
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 135

Jon Rosenthal advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 135 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Jon Rosenthal (D)
100
5,273

Total votes: 5,273
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 135

Incumbent Gary Elkins advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 135 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Gary Elkins (R)
100
5,984

Total votes: 5,984

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 Gary Elkins defeated Jesse A. Ybanez in the Texas House of Representatives District 135 general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 135 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Gary Elkins Incumbent 54.85% 32,682
Democratic Jesse A. Ybanez 45.15% 26,905
Total Votes 59,587
Source: Texas Secretary of State

Jesse A. Ybanez ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 135 Democratic Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 135 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jesse A. Ybanez (unopposed)

Incumbent Gary Elkins ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 135 Republican Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 135 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Gary Elkins 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 Gary Elkins was unopposed in the Republican primary. Moiz Abbas was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Abbas was defeated by Elkins in the general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 135 General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGary Elkins Incumbent 65.9% 19,630
Democratic Moiz Abbas 34.1% 10,175
Total Votes 29,805

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 Gary Elkins (R) defeated Paul Morgan (D) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the primary elections.

Texas House of Representatives, District 135, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGary Elkins Incumbent 60.4% 32,023
Democratic Paul Morgan 39.6% 21,030
Total Votes 53,053

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Texas House of Representatives District 135 raised a total of $1,222,947. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $94,073 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Texas House of Representatives District 135

Year Amount Candidates Average
2014 $141,667 2 $70,834
2012 $163,653 2 $81,827
2010 $166,282 1 $166,282
2008 $307,107 2 $153,554
2006 $113,140 1 $113,140
2004 $41,916 1 $41,916
2002 $82,368 2 $41,184
2000 $206,814 2 $103,407
Total $1,222,947 13 $94,073