Texas Democrats Win $443M Bond Defeat and 48-Year Streak

Texas voters shifted control of the state government and federal representation on Tuesday. The result marked a rare sweep for Democrats in the Lone Star State. The shift also hit local budgets hard.

State Representative Gina Hinojosa defeated Governor Greg Abbott. She won the top statewide race for Democrats. Representative James Talarico beat Attorney General Ken Paxton for a U.S. Senate seat. Representative Vikki Goodwin won the lieutenant governor race. She will preside over a state Senate that remains under Republican control. The Associated Press projected that Democrats would control both chambers of Congress. This gives Senate Democrats control over the schedule for President Donald Trump's nominees.

Local voters rejected large borrowing plans. Dallas voters turned down a $443 million bond for the first time since 1978. The bond included five projects. These included a new 911 facility and $82 million for the police academy at the University of North Texas at Dallas. Voters previously approved $50 million for that academy in 2024. City Hall must now decide how to cover its share of the cost. In Collin County, voters rejected an $817.5 million borrowing plan. The $475 million roads and bridges measure lost by 14,158 votes. The total rejected borrowing between the two areas exceeded $1.26 billion.

CAIR Action saw major success in its endorsed races. The group listed Hinojosa and Talarico as preferred candidates. It fully endorsed Goodwin. At least 37 of its fully endorsed candidates won. This included Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons in the county judge race. Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced a new order on Friday. It directs city police to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they arrest someone for a jailable offense and find an administrative ICE warrant.

Dallas police staffing numbers fell below a previous target. The force counted 3,427 sworn officers on October 27. That number is 573 below the 4,000-officer minimum set by Proposition U. The City Council's Public Safety Committee will review staffing and the Deep Ellum response on Monday. Authorities charged David Yancy with a federal gun count and seven state counts. He is the alleged shooter in a Main Street incident that wounded seven people. Four people died in two separate shootings that night.

Business news included a settlement and airport construction. Lockheed Martin agreed to pay about $29.5 million to resolve federal allegations. The suit included claims of bias against white employees in performance reviews and pay. DFW Airport installed six sections of the Terminal F Skylink station. The airport expects the first 15 gates of its $4 billion terminal to open in 2027. A separate settlement in Keller limits the city's opposition to a proposed Westlake data center. The $1.876 million deal sets noise limits and restricts when the city can fight the project.

The Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11. It will take place in downtown Fort Worth. Arlington and Bonham also hold observances on that day.