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Texas, House of Representatives, District 15

Texas House of Representatives District 15
Current incumbentSteve Toth Republican Party
Population167,349
Race74.9% White, 19.6% Black/Hispanic, 5.5% Other
Ethnicity84.8% Not Hispanic, 15.2% Hispanic
Voting age72.0% age 18 and over

Texas' fifteenth state house district is represented by Republican Representative Steve Toth.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 167,349 civilians reside within Texas' fifteenth 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 15

Steve Toth (R) defeated Lorena Perez McGill (D) in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 15 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Steve Toth (R)
67.2
52,975

Lorena Perez McGill (D)
32.8
25,915

Total votes: 78,890
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 15

Lorena Perez McGill advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 15 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Lorena Perez McGill (D)
100
4,873

Total votes: 4,873
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 15

Steve Toth defeated Jackie Waters in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 15 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Steve Toth (R)
78.4
13,044

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Jackie Waters (R)
21.6
3,602

Total votes: 16,646

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 Mark Keough ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 15 general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 15 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Mark Keough Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 65,439
Total Votes 65,439
Source: Texas Secretary of State
Incumbent Mark Keough ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 15 Republican Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 15 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Mark Keough 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. Mark Keough defeated Bruce Tough in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.

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. Steve Toth (R) defeated Sterling Russell (L) in the general election. Toth defeated Rob Eissler in the Republican primary election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 15, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Toth 86.6% 57,520
Libertarian Sterling Russell 13.4% 8,872
Total Votes 66,392

Texas House of Representatives District 15 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Toth 56.5% 9,630
Rob Eissler Incumbent 43.5% 7,420
Total Votes 17,050

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Texas House of Representatives District 15 raised a total of $2,118,628. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $151,331 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Texas House of Representatives District 15

Year Amount Candidates Average
2014 $269,208 2 $134,604
2012 $381,971 3 $127,324
2010 $384,667 1 $384,667
2008 $323,196 1 $323,196
2006 $237,090 2 $118,545
2004 $174,192 1 $174,192
2002 $232,018 3 $77,339
2000 $116,286 1 $116,286
Total $2,118,628 14 $151,331