Austin, TX

All 7 Democratic lawmakers from Austin win reelection to Texas House, Senate

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2024

All 7 Democratic lawmakers from Austin win reelection to Texas House, Senate

While Texas Republicans dominated in competitive state House and Senate races Tuesday night, all seven incumbent Democratic lawmakers from Austin emerged with clear victories and secured another term in the Legislature.

All six Texas House incumbents from Austin won reelection last night, with three of them running unopposed. Incumbent state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt was also unopposed for District 14.

Here are each of the legislators from Austin who will serve a term in the state Capitol next beginning January, as per the complete but unofficial election results:

Senate District 14: Sen. Sarah Eckhardt unopposed in reelection bid

State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, will serve in the Capitol for a second four-year term. The former Travis County judge ran unopposed in District 14 — made up of most of Austin, north to Pflugerville and much of Manor — and received over 320,000 votes, results show.

Eckhardt, an attorney who was first elected in 2020, has focused on voters’ rights, health care, water policy and criminal justice, among other issues, during her time in public office. She serves on the Senate committees for Local Government, Transportation, Nominations and Veteran Affairs.

House District 46: Rep. Sheryl Cole sails to reelection

Democratic state Rep. Sheryl Cole edged out Republican Nicki Kosich with more than 73% of the vote for House District 46, which stretches from part of East Austin to a portion of Pflugerville, and borders Elgin.

Cole, the first Black woman elected to the Austin City Council, joined the state House in 2018. The attorney by training was also Austin’s first African American female mayor pro tempore.

House District 47: Rep. Vikki Goodwin bests GOP challenger

A third-term Democrat, state Rep. Vikki Goodwin took 60% of the vote against Republican challenger Scott Firsing to continue representing Bee Cave and some Lake Travis communities in District 47.

The small-business owner and real estate broker passed a drowning prevention law in 2023, and she has also passed legislation creating the Texas Food Security and Resiliency Council.

House District 48: Rep. Donna Howard enjoys definitive victory

Democratic state Rep. Donna Howard won in a landslide against Libertarian opponent Daniel Jerome McCarthy, picking up over 80% of the vote Tuesday. House District 48 encompasses West Lake Hills and Rollingwood, as well as parts of Southwest Austin.

First elected in 2006, Howard has championed abortion rights and health care services for women as the chair of the Texas Women’s Health Caucus. She is also a former critical care nurse.

Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa ran uncontested, receiving over 80,000 votes, results show. House District 49 runs between MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) and Interstate 35, from North Austin to Sunset Valley.

Hinojosa chairs the state House Democratic Campaign Committee. A former civil rights attorney who got her start in politics on the Austin school board, Hinojosa has focused on public school funding and voters’ rights in recent sessions, leading the effort in 2023 against a school voucher proposal.

House District 50: Rep. James Talarico wins fourth term

Democratic state Rep. James Talarico ran unopposed for House District 50, which covers Northeast Austin and Pflugerville, securing over 48,000 votes, results show. A former public school teacher elected in 2018, Talarico has helped pass legislation to reform Texas’ school finance system and to provide funding for student mental health and character education programs.

Born in Round Rock, Talarico is currently training to become a preacher. He has championed a progressive approach to Christianity, ciritizing religious Republicans in the Legislature for legislation he calls “un-Christian.”

Democratic state Rep. Lulu Flores, an attorney who ran unopposed, received over 52,000 votes to continue representing District 51, which spans parts of East and Southeast Austin, for a second term.

Flores’ father helped found the League of Latin American Citizens, and she credits him with instilling in her a commitment to civil rights. She served as chief of staff to the first Mexican American woman elected to the Texas House.

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Austin, TX

Democrats go statewide in Texas House races

Published

11 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Democrats go statewide in Texas House races

AUSTIN — For the first time in modern Texas politics, Democrats will field candidates in every one of the state’s 150 House districts.

It’s a milestone party leaders hope will boost turnout, money and organization up and down the ballot, even as Gov. Greg Abbott enters the cycle with a well-tested ground game of his own.

Democratic leaders say the move is less about flipping deeply red districts and more about expanding the electorate and forcing Republicans to defend territory they have long taken for granted.

Houston Rep. Christina Morales, the new chief of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, said a full slate of candidates creates infrastructure that can benefit statewide races, regardless of the odds in individual districts.

Campaigns that once existed only on paper now bring door-knocking, phone banking and voter registration efforts, she said.

Morales also is coordinating with national Democrats, trying to harness energy from Texas’ high-profile Senate race, marked by a bitter GOP feud.

In that primary, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston.

The Democratic Senate contest, featuring state Rep. James Talarico of Austin and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, has drawn wide voter interest and donor support.

But attention and money only go so far.

Abbott enters the cycle with a major advantage: a mature, statewide voter-mobilization network built over decades of Republican control.

“Abbott has made it his own,” said longtime GOP strategist Thomas Graham, citing sustained relationship-building at the precinct level and focus on local concerns. “Democrats are still rebuilding a statewide party. The ground game heavily favors the governor.”

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Austin, TX

Environmental experts say Texas data centers come with uncertainty

Published

23 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Environmental experts say Texas data centers come with uncertainty

article

The main switchyard at a Midlothian power plant. The federal government is sending Texas more than $60 million to strengthen the state’s power grid. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Texas is home to approximately 400 data centers — some currently operational, others still under construction and a number that are still in the planning stages. Experts say the boom comes with a lot of uncertainty.

Texas data center power demand

What they’re saying:

“Data centers are a relatively large power demand in a small area, something like, you know, 100 or 200 megawatts of power. That’s more than a small city or a small town would be consuming itself,” said Carey King, a research scientist with the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.

Over the past year, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas has received more than 200 gigawatts worth of large load interconnection requests, approximately 73% of which are from data centers. That has led to questions about whether the state’s grid is up to the task of supplying power to the facilities.

“Many of us who suffered through winter storm Uri still have PTSD over, you know, fears that the grid won’t be able to meet demand,” said Luke Metzger, the executive director of Environment Texas, a local nonprofit working to safeguard the state’s natural environment.

Question of infrastructure

That’s not the only question. King points out that there is also a question of whether all the proposed data centers will actually be built. He says if they don’t end up materializing, it could spell trouble for anyone making investment decisions based on the projections. And if infrastructure is built to accommodate the needs of projects that never come to fruition, those costs could be passed off to consumers in the form of higher rates.

Experts say these speculative data center projects have led to uncertainty around how much power will actually be needed to meet the demands of the state’s data centers.

Senate Bill 6, which was signed into law last June, outlined new requirements for data center projects, including stipulating that data centers put up more capital up front for things like transmission studies and interconnection fees. The bill is, in part, intended to reduce some of that uncertainty around speculative power loads.

Potential environmental impact

But concerns still remain around the potential environmental impact of the state’s data centers.

“There are an estimated 130 new gas-powered power plants that have been proposed for Texas, in part to meet this demand for data centers, and if they’re all built, that’s going to have as much climate pollution as 27 million cars,” said Metzger.

Above all, Metzger says the biggest uncertainty is water, as there is no central entity in the state that collects and compiles information on those needs.

On average, a single data center consumes millions of gallons of water annually, according to researchers with the University of Michigan. Metzger says that’s of particular concern here in Texas, where water supply is already being pushed to its limits.

“Texas is a very drought-prone state, and already, you know, you know, according to the Water Development Board, you know, we don’t have enough supply to meet demand,” said Metzger. “There is no way to make more water. And so, I think ultimately, you know that that could be the greatest concern for the state.”

Over the past year, residents across Central Texas have spoken out about data centers in places like Round Rock and Taylor, citing additional concerns including falling property values, noise, and health impacts.

What’s next:

Moving forward, experts recommend that local leaders undergo long-range planning to determine whether they’re able to allocate limited resources to data centers in the long run prior to approving these projects.

The Source: Information in this article comes from FOX 7 interviews with experts.

TexasTechnologyEnvironment

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Austin, TX

Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a Silver Alert for an elderly man who has been missing since Friday afternoon in Austin.

The Austin Police Department is looking for Charles Evans, a 73-year-old man diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. Evans was last seen at 5:37 p.m. on Jan. 9 in Austin.

Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin

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Police describe him as a 6’3″ tall white male, weighing 225 pounds, has gray hair, hazel eyes, and who uses a walker.

Law enforcement officials believe his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000.

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