(This legislative update has been assembled by the UH System Office of Governmental Relations and edited by the UH Office of University Relations as a service to the UH System community.)
The filing deadline for the March primary and November general elections in Texas was January 2. Because some of the filings are decentralized and candidates may also file by mail, it can take several days for the parties to verify these filings. However, most of the lists are now complete (please note that candidates may still remove their names from the ballot or be declared ineligible).
Below is a listing of important "dates to remember" plus a listing of the filings (as of January 2, 2002).
Dates to Remember
| Tuesday, March 12, 2002 | Primary Election |
| Tuesday, April 9, 2002 | Primary Run-Off |
| Monday, October 21 2002 | Early Voting Begins |
| Tuesday, October 29, 2002 | Voting by Mail Ends |
| Tuesday, November 5, 2002 | General Election |
| Tuesday, January 14, 2003 | 78th Legislature Convenes |
Governor
Rick Perry - R (incumbent)
Bill Lyon - D
Dan Morales - D
Tony Sanchez - D
John Worldpeace - D
Lt. Governor (open seat)
David Dewhurst - R
Tom Kelly - R
John Sharp - D
Attorney General (open seat)
Greg Abbot - R
Kirk Watson - D
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Carole K Rylander - R (incumbent)
Marty Akins - D
Commissioner of General Land Office (open seat)
David Bernsen - D
Ray Madrigal - D
Jerry Patterson - R
Kenn George - R
Commissioner of Agriculture
Susan Combs - R (incumbent)
Ernesto De Leon - D
Koecadee Melton - D
Tom Ramsay - D
Railroad Commissioner
Michael Williams - R (incumbent)
Sherry Boyles - D
Paul C. Looney - D
State Senate
Eighteen of the 31 state senators are running unopposed—nine Republicans and seven Democrats.
Of those, five are currently committee chairs: Teel Bivins (R-Amarillo) - Education; Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) - Appropriations; Frank Madla (D-San Antonio) - Intergovernmental Relations; Royce West (D-Dallas) - Jurisprudence; Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) - Nominations; and Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) - State Affairs.
Acting Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff, who is seeking re-election to his East Texas senate seat, drew two opponents—one in the primary and another in the general election.
Texas House
Fifty-four incumbents will be returning to the House of Representatives—31 Republicans and 23 Democrats are running unopposed.
Ten current committee chairs will be returning. They are Joe Driver (R-Garland) - Constitutional Revision; Rene Oliveira (D-Brownsville) - Ways & Means; Bob Hunter (R-Abilene) - State, Federal & International Relations; Al Edwards (D-Houston) - Rules & Regulations; Pat Haggerty (R-El Paso) - Corrections; Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) - Environmental Relations; Tony Goolsby (R-Dallas) -House Administration; John Smithee (R-Amarillo) - Insurance; Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) - Judicial Affairs; and Yvonne Davis (D-Dallas) - Local & Consent Calendars.
Eleven committee chairs are either running for another office or retiring, including long-time Appropriations Committee chair, Rob Junell. Although many had been paired in redistricting only four incumbents are ultimately running against each other in two seats—David Counts (D-Knox City) and Rick Hardcastle (R-Vernon) in District 68, and Delwin Jones (R-Lubbock) and Gary Walker (R-Plains) in District 83.
Area U.S. Congressional Races
Incumbents Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands), Gene Green (D-Houston) and Nick Lampson (D-Beaumont) are running unopposed. Two Democrats and one Republican have filed against Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land). Four Democrats and one Republican filed to replace Ken Bentsen, including former State Representative Paul Colbert and Houston City Council members Chris Bell and Carroll Robinson.
Legislators Not Running for Re-election
Texas Senate (6 of 31)
David Bernsen (D-Beaumont) - running for Land Commissioner
Buster Brown (R-Lake Jackson) - retiring
Chair, Natural Resources
Tom Haywood (R-Wichita Falls) - deceased
Mike Moncrief (D-Fort Worth) - retiring
David Sibley (R-Waco) - retiring, possibly resigning before his term expires
Chair, Business and Commerce
Carlos Truan (D-Corpus Christi) - retiring
Dean of the Senate and Chair of Veterans Affairs and Military Installations
Texas House (22 of 150, including 11 committee chairmen)
Clyde Alexander (D-Athens) - retiring
Chair, Transportation
Kip Averitt (R-Waco) - running for Sibley's senate seat
Chair, Financial Institutions
Fred Bosse (D-Houston) - retiring
Chair, Civil Practices
Kim Brimer (R-Fort Worth) - running for open senate seat
Chair, Business and Industry
Bill Carter (R-Fort Worth) - retiring
Chair, Urban Affairs
Harryette Ehrhardt (D-Dallas) - retiring
Kenn George (R-Dallas) - running for Land Commissioner
Patricia Gray (D-Galveston) - retiring
Chair, Public Health
Judy Hawley (D-Portland) - retiring
Paul Hilbert (R-Houston) - deceased
Kyle Janek (R-Houston) - running for Brown's senate seat
Member, Appropriations
Rob Junell (D-San Angelo) - retiring
Chair, Appropriations
Ron Lewis (D-Mauriceville) - retiring
Chair, Energy Resources
John Longoria (D-San Antonio) - retiring
Glenn Maxey (D-Austin) - retiring
Member, Appropriations
Tom Ramsay (D-Mt. Vernon) - running for State Agricultural Commissioner
Chair, County Affairs
Paul Sadler (D-Henderson) - retiring
Chair, Public Education
John Shields (R-San Antonio) - running against Senator Wentworth
Dale Tillery (D-Dallas)
Chair, Pensions & Investments
Bob Turner (D-Voss) - retiring
Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) - running for Bernsen's senate seat
Zeb Zbranek (D-Winnie) - retiring
Running for Speaker
Warren Chisum (R-Pampa)
Tom Craddick (R-Midland)
Pat Haggerty (R-El Paso)
Edmund Kuempel (R-Seguin)
Pete Laney (D-Hale Center)
Brian McCall (R-Plano)
Unopposed Senators (18 of 31)
Todd Staples (R-Palestine)
Steve Ogden (R-College Station)
Mario Gallegos (D-Houston)
Jon Lindsay (R-Houston)
Florence Shapiro (R- Plano)
Chris Harris (R-Arlington)
Mike Jackson (R-Pasadena)
Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound)
Rodney Ellis (D-Houston)
Royce West (D-Dallas)
Frank Madla (D-San Antonio)
Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay)
Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)
Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville)
Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock)
Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso)
Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo)
Teel Bivins (R-Amarillo)
Unopposed Representatives (55 of 150, 54 incumbents)
Mark Homer (D-Paris)
Leo Berman (R-Tyler)
Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie)
Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham)
Joe Deshotel (D-Port Arthur)
Craig Eiland (D-Galveston)
Charlie Howard (R-Sugarland)
Geanie Morrison (R-Victoria)
Kino Flores (D-Mission)
Rene Oliveira (D-Brownsville)
Mike Wise (D-Weslaco)
Roberto Gutierrez (D-McAllen)
Richard Raymond (D-Laredo)
Harvey Hildebran (R-Kerrville)
Suzanna Gratia Hupp (R-Lampasas)
Diane White Delisi (R-Temple)
Mary Denny (R-Denton)
Myra Crownover (R-Lewisville)
Bob Hunter (R-Abilene)
Norma Chavez (D-El Paso)
Pat Haggerty (R-El Paso)
Buddy West (R-Odessa)
Tom Craddick (R-Midland)
John Smithee (R-Amarillo)
Warren Chisum (R-Pampa)
Bob Griggs (R-North Richland Hills) (not an incumbent, open seat)
Todd Smith (R-Bedford)
Kent Grusendorf (R-Arlington)
Glenn Lewis (D-Fort Worth)
Vicki Truitt (R-Southlake)
Terri Hodge (D-Dallas)
Elvira Reyna (R-Mesquite)
Tony Goolsby (R-Dallas)
Ray Allen (R-Grand Prairie)
Yvonne Davis (D-Dallas)
Joe Driver (R-Garland)
Will Hartnett (R-Irving)
Trey Martinez-Fisher (D-San Antonio)
Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio)
Robert Puente (D-San Antonio)
Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio)
Elizabeth Ames Jones (R-San Antonio)
Frank Corte (R-San Antonio)
Peggy Hamric, D-Houston
John Davis (R-Houston)
Bill Callegari (R-Houston)
Joe Nixon (R-Houston) (opponent withdrew)
Beverly Woolley (R-Houston)
Sylvester Turner (D-Houston)
Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston)
Harold Dutton (D-Houston)
Robert Talton (R-Pasadena)
Rick Noriega (D-Houston)
Al Edwards (D-Houston)
Garnet Coleman (D-Houston)
Other Races of Interest
Henry Cuellar, former Secretary of State - running against Henry Bonilla for Congress
Domingo Garcia (D-Dallas) - running for mayor but also filed for reelection