Austin, TX
All 7 Democratic lawmakers from Austin win reelection to Texas House, Senate
Election Day 2024: Texas voters help choose next president
Voters in Texas braved long lines at the polling locations as they casted their ballots on Election Day.
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.
Another body was found in the popular Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, where other deceased individuals were found recently.
The latest body found joins the growing mystery after at least 6 additional bodies were found throughout the year in the lake in 2024. On Friday, police were called to investigate reports of a dead person in the water near 1st Street Bridge and the 300 block of Cesar Chavez.
The Austin Police Department (APD) said that they do not suspect foul play as the body showed no signs of trauma, but are investigating the incident.
Despite APD attempting to quell community fears, questions and speculation have run rampant. Police have attributed most of the deaths to accidental drowning due to the lake’s proximity to nightclubs and bars.
BODY FOUND IN SAME AUSTIN LAKE WHERE OTHER DECEASED INDIVIDUALS DISCOVERED IN RECENT MONTHS
Mounted police patrolling down Rainey Street after several bodies appeared in a nearby lake. (Matteo Cina/Fox News Digital)
The most recent body was found on December 1. The victim was recently identified as 73-year-old Thi Lang Nguyen. Austin police said that there is nothing connected to the other deaths this year.
TEXAS PARENTS OF ONLYFANS MODEL IN DEADLY MIAMI STABBING ARRESTED
In September, a man was behaving erratically near East Cesar Chavez and Nueces Streets. He then went into the water and did not resurface. He was later pulled out and pronounced dead.
WATCH:
Back in February, a woman’s body was found in the water about 20 feet from the north shore and in April, a fisherman spotted another person floating in the water.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In July, a man was suffering from blunt force trauma on the trail near Rainey Street. The man was pronounced dead a short time later.
In September, a body was found along a trail near the lake off Pleasant Valley Road.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the APD for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Born and Braised, a food trailer specializing in native wild game meats and seasonal food, recently opened at the Sign Bar in Austin at 9909 FM 969, Building 3. Chef and owner William Woodland, a.k.a. Woody, is looking forward to his new venture and serving wild game meats and other special menu items to Austinites.
Menu items customers will enjoy includes birria tacos, birria ramen, venison frito pie, pulled pork Cubano tortas, venison bratwurst, venison smash burger, and sides like braised greens, beans, and street corn.
Born and Braised started at Lustre Pearl in 2022. The food trailer moved to Sage Brush for over a year. The trailer worked at Bastrop, but now it operates in East Austin at the Sign Bar.
Born and Braised hours include Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 pm to 2 am, and Saturdays from 11 am to 2 am, at Sign Bar Austin (9909 FM 969, Bldg. 3).
Vitals
- Address: 9909 FM 969, Bldg. 3, Austin, TX
- Website: https://bornandbraisedatx.square.site/
Map to Born and Braised
Featured image from Born and Braised Instagram page
Texas-based noise artist Danny Tantrum performed in Austin, TX at the Coral Snake last night alongside Schizing Out and Terminull. However their onstage antics may have rubbed the venue and some attendees the wrong way. During the performance, Tantrum appears to perch themselves up on a stool and proceed to channel their inner GG Allin.
Attendees and venue staff were shocked to witness the solo noise act defecate on the stage and then immediately consume it. There is also a video of the act on Instagram (below) posted by Tantrum. In the video venue staff can be seen trying to somewhat intervene to stop it but to no avail. Finally calling for the set to be cut short.
If you dare, you can watch the video via Instagram Reels if the embed below does not work.
This is seemingly not the first time Tantrum has performed this act, a previous video on their Instagram features a similar shocking performance from several months ago.
Following the incident there seems to be a divide and discourse online either condemning or defending the act.
The venue itself re-shared a message directed at all other Austin venues warning them about booking Tantrum and the extreme show.
The venue shut the show down and forced the act and other members of the crowd to clean up the mess with cleaning supplies. Tantrum would ultimately take responsibility and clean the mess up himself and claim there were no bad intentions towards the venue.
Parking scam targeting Festival of Lights visitors in downtown Riverside
Detroit Mercy visits Wisconsin after Winter’s 20-point outing
Milton's gone, but the political storm keeps raging over federal government's hurricane efforts
Drive-thru turkey drive in San Francisco collects holiday meals families in need
Dallas City Council meltdown over city manager search an embarrassment
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Read Blake Lively’s Complaint Against Wayfarer Studios
Trump announces newest nominations to lead DOJ, regulate US railroads
Iceland says it will put EU membership to referendum by 2027
Video shows scene outside mall after man drives car through store striking customers | CNN
Read the Statement from Justin Baldoni’s Attorney
-
Politics1 week agoCanadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25782636/247422_ChatGPT_anniversary_CVirginia.jpg "Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT")
Technology1 week agoInside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
Technology1 week agoOpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week agoU.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
Technology1 week agoMeta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Politics1 week agoConservative group debuts major ad buy in key senators' states as 'soft appeal' for Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel
-
Business6 days agoFreddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951353/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_3_Meta.jpg "Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age")
Technology6 days agoMeta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age