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Texas, House of Representatives, District 44

Texas House of Representatives District 44
Current incumbentJohn Kuempel Republican Party
Population174,451
Race55.8% White, 41.8% Black/Hispanic, 2.4% Other
Ethnicity63.7% Not Hispanic, 36.3% Hispanic
Voting age72.6% age 18 and over

Texas' forty-fourth state house district is represented by Republican Representative John Kuempel.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 174,451 civilians reside within Texas' forty-fourth 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 44

Incumbent John Kuempel (R) defeated John Rodgers (D) in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 44 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

John Kuempel (R)
68.6
48,704

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

John Rodgers (D)
31.4
22,253

Total votes: 70,957
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 44

John Rodgers advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 44 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

John Rodgers (D)
100
4,281

Total votes: 4,281
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 44

Incumbent John Kuempel advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 44 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

John Kuempel (R)
100
14,547

Total votes: 14,547

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 John Kuempel defeated Robert M. Bohmfalk in the Texas House of Representatives District 44 general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 44 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png John Kuempel Incumbent 72.57% 53,997
Democratic Robert M. Bohmfalk 27.43% 20,411
Total Votes 74,408
Source: Texas Secretary of State

Robert M. Bohmfalk ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 44 Democratic Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 44 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Robert M. Bohmfalk (unopposed)

Incumbent John Kuempel ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 44 Republican Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 44 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png John Kuempel 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 John Kuempel was unopposed in the Republican primary. Robert M. Bohmfalk was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Kuempel defeated Bohmfalk in the general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 44 General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Kuempel Incumbent 75.7% 30,558
Democratic Robert Bohmfalk 24.3% 9,821
Total Votes 40,379

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. John Kuempel (R) was unchallenged in the general election. Kuempel was unopposed in the Republican primary election.

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Texas House of Representatives District 44 raised a total of $2,197,981. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $183,165 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Texas House of Representatives District 44

Year Amount Candidates Average
2014 $327,083 2 $163,542
2012 $149,622 1 $149,622
2010 $483,203 2 $241,602
2008 $217,087 1 $217,087
2006 $189,382 1 $189,382
2004 $143,273 1 $143,273
2002 $337,146 2 $168,573
2000 $351,185 2 $175,593
Total $2,197,981 12 $183,165