The 2006 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006, to elect the governor of Texas. The election was a rare five-way race, with incumbent Republican governor Rick Perry running for re-election against Democrat Chris Bell and Independents Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman, as well as Libertarian nominee James Werner.
Perry was re-elected to a second full term in office, winning 39% of the vote to Bell's 30%, Strayhorn's 18%, and Friedman's 12%. This was lowest percentage of the popular vote that a Texas governor had received and still won the election since 1861. Perry carried 209 of the state's 254 counties, while Bell carried 39 and Strayhorn carried 6.
Perry was inaugurated for a second full four-year term on January 16, 2007. The ceremony was held inside the House of Representatives chamber at the Texas Capitol after thunderstorms canceled the planned outdoor ceremony. This remains the last time Republicans won a statewide race in Texas with only a plurality.
To date, this is the most recent gubernatorial election where Swisher, Crosby, Fisher, Haskell, Red River, Morris, Marion, Newton, Bee, and Calhoun counties voted for the Democratic candidate, and the most recent in which Cooke, Nolan, Wilson, Goliad, and Wharton counties did not vote for the Republican candidate.
Background
Incumbent Rick Perry became governor in late 2000 when then-Governor George W. Bush resigned following his election as President of the United States. He had been elected lieutenant governor in 1998. Perry was subsequently elected governor in his own right in 2002 and was seeking a second full term in 2006.
Perry's overall poll ratings had plummeted since the 2002 election, plagued by budget woes, battles over school financing reform, and a contentious and controversial redistricting battle. His approval rating dropped to 38% during the latter part of the 2005 legislative session.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Star Locke
- Larry Kilgore, advocate for Texas secession
- Rick Perry, incumbent governor since 2000
- Rhett Smith
Withdrew
- Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Texas Comptroller and former Railroad Commissioner and mayor of Austin (withdrew December 2005, ran as independent)
Declined
- Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. senator since 1993 (ran for re-election)
Campaign
The race was initially expected to be a contentious three-way primary between Perry, Comptroller of Public Accounts Carole Keeton Strayhorn, and U.S. senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Hutchison declined to run for governor in late 2005, instead opting to run for re-election to the Senate. This left Strayhorn and Perry vying for the GOP nomination. Believing her chances to be better running as an independent and appealing directly to voters, rather than those of the Republican Party first, she announced her intent to challenge him in the general election instead. Had she run in the primary, the December 2005 Scripps Howard Texas Poll of match ups had Perry in the lead against Strayhorn by a 55%-24% margin.
Despite weak polling numbers, Perry had the support of the Texas Republican Party. According to Perry's campaign website, he gained 142 separate endorsements. Perry had endorsements from virtually the entire Texas Republican congressional delegation (all but two members), every Republican statewide officeholder (except Strayhorn and judicial officeholders, who by law cannot endorse political candidates), 51 of the 62 members of the Texas Republican Party executive committee, and nearly every major Texas pro-business, fiscal conservative, and social conservative organization and PAC. Perry even managed to gain the endorsement of the Teamsters Union, notwithstanding Texas's strong right to work laws.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Chris Bell, former U.S. representative from Houston and member of the Houston City Council
- Bob Gammage, former justice of the Texas Supreme Court and U.S. representative from Houston
- Rashad Jafer
Chris Bell, a former congressman from Houston, had been defeated in his party's 2004 primary after the controversial mid-decade redistricting in the state. Bell announced his run in July 2005.
General election
Candidates
- Chris Bell, former U.S. representative from Houston and member of the Houston City Council (Democratic)
- James "Patriot" Dillon (Independent) (write-in)
- Kinky Friedman, country singer and mystery author (Independent)
- Rick Perry, incumbent governor since 2001 (Republican)
- Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Texas Comptroller and former Railroad Commissioner and mayor of Austin (Independent)
- James Werner, sales consultant and candidate for U.S. House in 2004 (Libertarian)
Kinky Friedman, an independent candidate, claimed that country-music lovers, college students, animal lovers, ranchers, and anyone who did not vote in the last election were among his supporters.
Campaign
Bell's official strategy was to get Democrats to unite behind and vote for a Democrat, predicting (and betting on) a splintering of the Republican vote among Perry, Strayhorn, and Friedman, giving the Democrats the needed plurality to win the election. Running on a platform of ethics reform and education issues, he stayed with the pack of three candidates with better name recognition. After a good debate performance, his poll numbers improved significantly to where he had taken second place in nearly every poll afterward.
Friedman briefly enjoyed a high standing in the polls, and surpassed Democrat Chris Bell for second place by Independence Day. As election day drew near, the Friedman campaign fizzled out as much of his wide support was among young voters. He finished fourth in the election with under 13% of the vote. His website claimed that "he doesn't put much stock in unscientific political polls among "likely" voters, saying, "It's Kinky Friedman versus apathy". Friedman stated during the campaign that he was going after the 71% who had not made it to the polls in 2002.
Perry's position in polling improved during the campaign, with a 44% approval rating and 51% disapproving as of September 2006.
Endorsements
Individuals
- Wesley Clark, general, 2004 Democratic presidential candidate
Polling
Graphical summary
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Results
Texas election laws for general elections do not require a run-off in the event that a majority is not achieved, so Governor Perry joined only two other Texas governors to achieve the office by a plurality of less than 40%. The Texas gubernatorial elections of 1853 and 1861 were also won with less than 40% of the vote.
Strayhorn was seen as a moderate alternative to Perry, and found support among moderate Republicans and independent voters. Although a few polls had her tied for second going into election day, she finished with 18.13%.
Results by county
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Cass (largest city: Atlanta)
- Cameron (largest city: Brownsville)
- Culberson (largest municipality: Van Horn)
- Kenedy (largest municipality: Sarita)
- Kleberg (largest municipality: Kingsville)
- Hudspeth (largest city: Fort Hancock)
- Pecos (largest city: Fort Stockton)
- Robertson (largest city: Hearne)
- Terrell (largest city: Sanderson)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Independent
- Cooke (largest city: Gainesville)
- Goliad (largest city: Goliad)
- Falls (largest city: Marlin)
- Nolan (largest city: Sweetwater)
- Wilson (largest city: Floresville)
- Wharton (largest city: El Campo)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Bastrop (largest city: Elgin)
- Calhoun (largest city: Port Lavaca)
- Crosby (largest city: Crosbyton)
- Dallas (largest city: Dallas)
- Stonewall (largest city: Aspermont)
- Swisher (largest city: Tulia)
- Red River (largest city: Clarksville)
- Haskell (largest city: Haskell)