The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry ran successfully for election to a third consecutive term. He won the Republican primary against U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. The former Mayor of Houston, Bill White, won the Democratic nomination. Kathie Glass, a lawyer from Houston and previous candidate for Texas Attorney General, won the Libertarian nomination. Deb Shafto was the nominee of the Texas Green Party. Andy Barron, an orthodontist from Lubbock, was a declared write-in candidate.
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is elected on a separate ticket. As a result, the Governor-elect and Lieutenant Governor-elect may be, and have in the past been, of different political parties. For that race, Linda Chavez-Thompson won the Democratic Party nomination and avoided a runoff; incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst won re-election. Scott Jameson was the Libertarian nominee.
Perry's fourth inauguration was held on January 18, 2011 at the Texas State Capitol grounds. Exit Polls showed Perry winning whites (71% to 29%), while White performed well among blacks (88% to 12%) and Hispanics (61% to 38%)
The Governor of Texas and Lieutenant Governor of Texas are both sworn-in on the third Tuesday of January every four years. Perry's fourth inauguration for a third full four-year term began on January 18, 2011 on the State Capitol South Grounds.
Video Texas gubernatorial election, 2010
Election rules
Texas does not have term limits for its governors; thus, gubernatorial incumbents are free to run as often as they want if they are eligible for the office.
The Republicans and Democrats chose their gubernatorial nominees based on the results of primary votes held on March 2, 2010 (the first Tuesday in March). Both parties' candidates received at least 20 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 election; thus, they must nominate their candidates via primary election.
Any third-party which obtains ballot access must nominate its candidates via a statewide convention, which by law must be held on June 12, 2010 (the second Saturday in June). The Libertarian Party obtained ballot access automatically due to its 2008 showing, in which one of its nominees attracted over one million votes.
In the primary election the party's winning candidate must garner a majority (over 50%) of votes cast; otherwise, the top two candidates face each other in a runoff election. However, in the general election, the winning candidate needs only a plurality of votes to be elected Governor (as was the case with the 2006 election and the 1990 election, in which Libertarian Jeff Daiell attracted over 129,000 votes).
Independent and write-in candidates may seek ballot access; however, the criteria for such access are quite strict (see "Ballot Access" below). Nevertheless, in the 2006 election, two independent candidates, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the Republican State Comptroller, and Kinky Friedman, a popular Texas country musician, obtained enough signatures to qualify. The Libertarian nominee, James Werner, was on the ballot automatically because of that party's Texas showing in the 2004 general election.
Maps Texas gubernatorial election, 2010
Ballot access
Political party candidates
Any political party whose candidate for governor, during the 2006 election, garnered at least 20 percent of the total votes cast, must nominate all its candidates for all offices sought via primary election. In the 2006 election, both the Democratic candidate (Chris Bell) and the Republican candidate (Rick Perry) received this many votes; thus, both parties must hold primary elections using the two-round system. The primary elections must be held on the first Tuesday in March, and a candidate must receive a majority of votes cast in the primary election; otherwise, a runoff election between the top two finishers must be held on the second Tuesday in April.
A political party whose candidate for governor, during the 2006 election, received at least two percent but less than 20 percent of the total votes cast, may nominate its candidates for all offices sought via either a primary election (using the two-round system) or a state convention. If the party chooses to conduct a primary election, it must notify the Texas Secretary of State at least one year prior to the general election date and must nominate all its candidates via primary election. No third-party candidate met this requirement in 2006; the last to do so was the Libertarian Party in 1990 (when nominee Jeff Daiell polled over 3.3% of the vote).
All other political parties must nominate their candidates via state convention, which by law must be held on the second Saturday in June. In order to qualify for ballot access at the general election, the party must either:
- have had at least one candidate, in the previous statewide election, garner at least five percent of the total votes cast for that office (only the Libertarian Party met this requirement), or
- within 75 days after conducting its precinct conventions, submit lists of said conventions, whose total participant count equals at least one percent of the total votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election.
- If the political party cannot meet the precinct convention count requirement, it may file a supplemental petition, the number of signatures on which, when added to the count from the precinct convention lists, totals the required one percent, but must do so within the 75-day period above. Any person signing a supplemental petition must not have voted in any party's primary election or runoff election, or participated in any other third-party's convention.
Independent candidates
Should an independent gubernatorial candidate seek ballot access in the state of Texas, the candidate must meet the following requirements:
- The candidate must obtain signatures from registered voters, in an amount equalling at least one percent of the total votes cast in the prior gubernatorial election, the same as for third-party access.
- The signatures must come from registered voters who did not vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries or in any runoff elections for governor.
- The signatures must come from registered voters who have not signed a petition for any other independent candidate. If a supporter signed more than one petition, only the first signature counts.
- The signatures cannot be obtained until after the primary election (if either political party primary requires a runoff election, the signatures cannot be obtained until after such runoff election) and the petition must be filed no later than 5:00 pm (Austin time, the filing must be with the Texas Secretary of State) on the 30th day after the scheduled runoff primary election day (even if none is held).
Write-in candidates
In the event a candidate does not qualify for independent status, the person may still run as a write-in candidate. The candidate must either:
- pay a $3,750 filing fee, or
- submit 5,000 qualified signatures. However, the petition must be filed by 5:00 pm of the 70th day before general election day, and cannot be filed earlier than 30 days before this deadline.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Senator
- Debra Medina, political activist
- Rick Perry, Incumbent Governor
Endorsements
Perry
Debra Medina
Hutchison
Polling
Note: polls used different sample sizes and citizen groups. A candidate must have a majority of the vote (>50%) to avoid a runoff with their second place opponent.
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Alma Ludivina Aguado
- Felix Alvarado
- Bill Dear
- Clement E. Glenn
- Farouk Shami
- Tom Schieffer, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan & U.S. Ambassador to Australia
- Bill White, former Houston mayor
Endorsements
White
Shami
Polling
* Dropped out prior to the primary.
Results
Election
Candidates
Major
Candidates who have obtained at least 5% or more in at least one pre-election poll
- Rick Perry (R), incumbent Governor
- Bill White (D), former Houston mayor
Minor
- Kathie Glass (L), Houston Lawyer Ms. Glass was nominated in a race in which five candidates filed, three of whom withdrew before balloting began.
- Deb Shafto (G)
- Andy Barron (Write-in)
Predictions
Polling
Results
References
External links
- Texas Secretary of State - Elections Division
- Texas Governor Candidates at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions for 2010 Texas Governor from Follow the Money
- Texas Governor 2010 from OurCampaigns.com
- 2010 Texas Gubernatorial General Election: Rick Perry (R) vs Bill White (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election 2010: Texas Governor from Rasmussen Reports
- 2010 Texas Governor Race from Real Clear Politics
- 2010 Texas Governor's Race from CQ Politics
- Race Profile in The New York Times
Debate:
- Texas Republican Gubernatorial Primary Debate on C-SPAN, January 14, 2010
Voter resources:
- Am I registered to vote? - Also finds your polling place
- What is on the ballot? - Official lists of candidates (PDF)
- Imagine Election - Look up who will be on your ballot by zip code (includes US Representative, Governor and other state-level races, and state legislature)
Republican candidates for Governor:
- Kay Bailey Hutchison for Governor
- Debra Medina for Governor
- Rick Perry for Governor Republican nominee
Democratic candidates for Governor:
- Alma Aguado for Governor
- Felix Alvarado for Governor
- Bill Dear for Governor
- Clement Glenn for Governor
- Farouk Shami for Governor
- Bill White for Governor Democratic nominee
Libertarian candidate for governor:
- Kathie Glass for Governor Libertarian nominee
Third party/Independent candidates for Governor:
- Fran Cavanaugh for Governor
- Hank Gilbert for Governor
- Kenneth Griffin for Governor
- Larry Kilgore for Governor
- Tom Schieffer for Governor
- Kevin Still for Governor
- Kinky Friedman for Governor
Source of article : Wikipedia
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