How Texas Could Elect Its First Democratic Senator Since 1993

TEXAS — Incumbent Republican Texas senator John Cornyn and Democratic challenger MJ Hegar are facing off on Election Day in a race that could give Texas its first Democratic senator since 1993. Polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Electing a Democratic senator in Texas is not unlikely. A sizable win in 2018 handed another 12 seats in the Texas House of Representatives to Democrats, giving them 67 of 150 seats.

Democrats need only nine more seats to have a majority in the house, and they are targeting 22 districts on Election Day to make it happen.

What's more, in 2018 Republican incumbent Ted Cruz's senate seat was nearly overturned to Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who lost the election by less than 3 percent of the vote.

Texas Democrats say a change in demographics and an increase in diversity in several historically Republican districts sets the stage for a blue victory in 2020.

To make sure you don’t miss out on the latest from election night, subscribe to our free real-time news alerts for the most up to date results and news.

Democratic nominee Hegar is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Purple Heart and Flying Cross with Valor recipient. After she was honorably discharged following three tours of duty in Afghanistan, Hegar set to work to overturn policies that kept women out of certain military jobs.

The nominee is now a speaker, author and working mother of two. Read more about Hegar via her Patch candidate profile.

Republican incumbent Cornyn's current term in the office he has held since 2002 ends on Jan. 3, 2021. He has served as a Bexar County district judge, a Texas Supreme Court justice and as Texas Attorney General.

Cornyn, a father of two adult daughters, holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Virginia. During his time in office, he has won awards like the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN) Crime Fighter Award and the Children At Risk Founders Award.

During his third senatorial term, Cornyn was elected to serve as Senate Majority Whip.

Cornyn did not submit a Patch candidate profile.

To make sure you don’t miss out on the latest from election night, subscribe to our free real-time news alerts for the most up to date results and news.

Cornyn and Hegar faced off last month during a U.S. Senate debate in Austin.

During the event, Cornyn claimed his opponent's views are too liberal for Texas, saying Democrats want to "make Texas more like California and New York," The Texas Tribune reported.

Hegar countered, saying the Republican is out of touch with Texas after nearly a decade in the senate.

The debate covered several topics including the U.S. Supreme Court, criminal justice reform and the coronavirus pandemic.

Read more:

• Cornyn, Hegar Argue Over Coronavirus Response, Policing And Supreme Court In Debate
• Democrats Battle To Flip Texas House Blue