The 2024 Election and What it Means for Texas

TXCPA Government Affairs Update

By Kenneth Besserman, JD

On November 5, 2024, and for many weeks before, the American and Texas electorate went to the polls to cast ballots for the President, Senators, Representatives, state officials, and a myriad of other local races. While elections seasons seem to be never-ending as of late, the 2024 election seemed especially long. The 2024 presidential race was in the news almost daily since the last election in 2020 and the change at the top of the Democratic Party ticket further cemented the 2024 election as one of the most newsworthy and important elections in decades.

On the national level, the election saw many close elections that will determine which party controls the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. While control of the Texas House and Texas Senate were not in jeopardy this election, there were still some significant races and issues taking shape. Statewide elected offices – Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General – were not on the ballot in 2024; those races will be on the ballot in 2026. In November 2024, the full Texas House (150 districts) and half of the Texas Senate (16 districts) were on the ballot.

The most significant news in the Texas Senate going into the 2025 legislative session will be that former Senator John Whitmire – the longest serving Texas Senator and the former Dean of the Texas Senate – retired from his Houston Senate seat to become Mayor of Houston. The new Dean of the Texas Senate will be Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo).

The Texas House of Representatives is where the action has been in 2023 and 2024 and will be during the 2025 legislative session. At the end of the 2023 legislative session and for the remainder of 2023, the issue in the Texas legislature, and especially the Texas House, was centered around the impeachment and trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton and the issue of school choice/vouchers. Those two issues were centerpiece during the Republican primaries and runoffs in early 2024.

Over 40 incumbent members of the House were challenged by members of their own party. Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Paxton took an active role in the Republican primary targeting many sitting members of the House on their impeachment and school voucher votes. Over 20 Republican incumbents were defeated in the primary or runoff elections. This has created an experience vacuum in the Texas House as many long-term leaders and committee chairs were defeated.

Most significantly in the Texas House, there was a challenge to Speaker Dade Phelan. It is very unusual for a sitting House Speaker to be challenged in their primary election. Speaker Phelan came in second in a three-way primary forcing a runoff. In the runoff, Speaker Phelan prevailed by 366 votes. As for Speaker Phelan’s continuing as Speaker of the House in 2025, while that is in question, most Austin insiders think that he will prevail in his run for Speaker. With at least 30 new members of the Texas House entering office in 2025, it will be a different legislature in 2025.

Important Issues in the Upcoming Legislative Session

The state budget, infrastructure, property taxes, school choice, and water will be front and center in 2025. TXCPA’s agenda will address CPA pipeline issues and other issues that are important to you. Stay tuned for a lot more information about TXCPA’s legislative initiatives and please reach out to us if you have any legislative, election or advocacy information you would like to share.

About the Author: Kenneth Besserman is TXCPA's Director of Government Affairs and Special Counsel. Contact him at kbesserman@tx.cpa.

Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's CPA Magazine