In increasingly diverse Texas, the Legislature remains mostly white and male
Every two years, The Texas Tribune compiles the demographics of the Texas Legislature. Every two years, the headline is the same.
Once again, the disparities between the makeup of the Legislature and the people they are elected to represent are stark: In a state where people of color are in the majority, almost two out of every three lawmakers are white. And not even a quarter of them are women.
Meet the 86th Legislature, starting with its newest members:
There are 27 new representatives:
17 Democrats and 10 Republicans
Michelle Beckley Carrollton
Rhetta Andrews Bowers Rowlett
John Bucy Austin
Gina Calanni Katy
Sheryl Cole Austin
Alex Dominguez Brownsville
Jessica González Dallas
Vikki Goodwin Austin
Julie Johnson Carrollton
Terry Meza Irving
Leo Pacheco San Antonio
Ana-Maria Ramos Richardson
Jon Rosenthal Houston
Carl Sherman DeSoto
James Talarico Round Rock
John Turner Dallas
Erin Zwiener Driftwood
Steve Allison San Antonio
Keith Bell Forney
Brad Buckley Killeen
E. Sam Harless Spring
Cody Harris Palestine
Ben Leman Iola
Mayes Middleton Wallisville
Candy Noble Lucas
Jared Patterson Frisco
Reggie Smith Van Alstyne
There are six new senators:
three Democrats and three Republicans
Beverly Powell Burleson
Nathan Johnson Dallas
Carol Alvarado Houston
Pat Fallon Frisco
Pete Flores Pleasanton
Angela Paxton McKinney
More than half of the Legislature’s new members are men. But most of the new members are Democrats. Two of the newest members of the Senate — Democrat Carol Alvarado and Republican Pat Fallon — previously served in the House.
Notably, the addition of Democrats Julie Johnson, Jessica González and Erin Zwiener increased the number of legislators who identify as members of the LGBT community from two to five.
Two incoming House members are not listed above because they previously served in the House.
Only 168 women have ever been elected to the Texas Legislature
History of women in the Texas Legislature
150
In the House, there are
currently 114 men ...
100
The number of women
from both parties
peaked at 37 in 2009
50
There were
20 Republican
women in 2003
... and 33 women.
27 Democrats
6 Republicans
0
1981
1989
1999
2009
2019
30
In the Senate, there
are currently 22 men ...
... and 9 women.
3 Democrats
6 Republicans
0
1981
1989
1999
2009
2019
Note: Three seats in the House are vacant.
Sources: The Center for American Women and Politics and the Legislative Reference Library
History of women in the
Texas Legislature
150
In the
House,
there are
currently
114 men ...
100
The number of women
from both parties
peaked at 37 in 2009
50
There were
20 Republican
women in 2003
... and
33 women.
27 Democrats
6 Republicans
0
1981
1989
1999
2009
2019
30
In the Senate,
there are
currently
22 men ...
... and
9 women.
3 Democrats
6 Republicans
0
1981
1989
1999
2009
2019
Note: Three seats in the House are vacant.
Sources: The Center for American Women and Politics
and the Legislative Reference Library
Even if all of the 168 women who have been elected to the Texas House or Senate were alive today, they still would be unable to fill all 181 seats in the Legislature.
And though their overall count is growing, women remain incredibly outnumbered in the Texas Legislature— just 42 seats in the House and Senate are currently held by women.
The dearth of female legislators is most notable among the Republican ranks. GOP lawmakers control 102 seats in the Legislature but only 12 of those seats are filled by women. Republican women fare far better in the Senate, where they hold almost a third of the GOP-held seats. But their numbers have steadily dwindled in the House in recent years, dropping to six this year.
When House members were sworn in Tuesday, there were more men named “John” than there were Republican women.
The Legislature is far less diverse than Texas as a whole
People of color in the 86th Texas Legislature
People of color includes individuals who are black, Asian and Hispanic.
Democrats* in both chambers
80%
20%
People of color
White
Republicans in both chambers
4%
96%
People of color
White
Entire Legislature
36%
64%
People of color
White
All Texans
58%
42%
People of color
White
* One Democrat declined to disclose their race or ethnicity.
Note: Three seats in the House are vacant.
Sources: Texas Tribune survey of the Legislature, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2017 estimates
People of color in the
86th Texas Legislature
People of color includes individuals who are
black, Asian and Hispanic.
Democrats in both chambers
80%
20%
People of color
White
Republicans in both chambers
4%
96%
People of color
White
Entire Legislature
36%
64%
People of color
White
All Texans
58%
42%
People of color
White
* One Democrat declined to disclose their race or ethnicity. Note: Three seats in the House are vacant.
Sources: Texas Tribune survey of the Legislature, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2017 estimates
Strikingly, the Republican delegation in the Texas Senate this year will not be entirely white.
The GOP added to its modest legislative diversity with the election of Pete Flores, the first Hispanic Republican state senator. But the number of Republicans in the Legislature who are people of color actually dropped from five in the last legislative session to four this time around.
Meanwhile, Texas voters more than doubled the count of white Democrats in the Legislature, halting a years-long decline. Those gains were largely made in the GOP-held seats that flipped to Democratic control in November.
Overall, people of color — long a majority in the state — remain significantly underrepresented in the Legislature.
Age breakdown for the 86th Texas Legislature
Age 20-34
35-49
50-64
65 and older
Legislature
3%
39%
37%
20%
Texans age 20 and older
30%
28%
24%
17%
Note: The categories above reflect age categories used by the Census Bureau. The minimum age to serve in the
Legislature is 21. Three seats in the House are vacant. Numbers may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Sources: Texas Tribune survey of the Legislature, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2017 estimates
Age breakdown for the
86th Texas Legislature
Age 20-34
35-49
50-64
65 and older
Legislature
3%
39%
37%
20%
Texans age 20 and older
30%
28%
24%
17%
Note: The categories above reflect age categories used by the Census Bureau. The minimum age to serve in the Legislature is 21. Three seats in the House are vacant. Numbers may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Sources: Texas Tribune survey of the Legislature, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2017 estimates
Democratic freshman state Rep. James Talarico, 29, was sworn in on Tuesday as the youngest member of the Legislature, but he’s largely an outlier.
Overall, members of the Legislature are more likely to be older. In the House, the median age sits at 50 while in the Senate it’s at 58. There’s a 51-year difference between Talarico and Democratic state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the longest-serving woman in state history, who just turned 80.
Despite the elections of Talarico and other young state representatives, the share of seats held by lawmakers aged 20 to 34 actually dropped compared to the last legislative session, while the share of seats held by senior citizens increased.
Education for the 86th Texas Legislature
No diploma
High school
Some college
Bachelor’s
Postgraduate or law
Legislature
3%
38%
58%
2%
Texans age 25 and older
16%
25%
29%
19%
10%
Note: Three seats in the House are vacant. One representative did not share their educational level.
Numbers may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Sources: Texas Tribune survey of the Legislature, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2017 estimates
Education for the
86th Texas Legislature
No diploma
High school
Some college
Bachelor’s
Postgraduate or law
Legislature
3%
38%
58%
2%
Texans age 25 and older
16%
25%
29%
19%
10%
Note: Three seats in the House are vacant. One representative did not share their educational level.
Numbers may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Sources: Texas Tribune survey of the Legislature,
U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2017 estimates
A quarter of Texans ages 25 or older only have high school diploma, but a vast majority of legislators have a college degree. In the Legislature — where roughly one out of every three lawmakers is an attorney — most have postgraduate degrees.
Religion for the 86th Texas Legislature
39
19
Catholic
10
31
Baptist
8
30
Christian
6
10
Methodist
5
2
Unknown
Episcopalian
2
4
2
Presbyterian
Jewish
2
2
Lutheran
Other
1
Agnostic
1
Note: Three seats in the House are vacant.
Source: Texas Tribune survey of the legislature
Religion for the
86th Texas Legislature
Catholic
39
19
Baptist
10
31
Christian
8
30
Methodist
6
10
Unknown
5
2
Episcopalian
2
4
Presbyterian
2
Jewish
2
Lutheran
2
Other
1
Agnostic
1
Note: Three seats in the House are vacant.
Source: Texas Tribune survey of the Legislature
The religious beliefs of state representatives and senators often guide policymaking at the Capitol, where most lawmakers practice some form of Christianity.
More lawmakers identified as Catholic than any other denomination. One lawmaker said he was agnostic. Another lawmaker said she had no religious affiliation.