Where Are Texas House Members From?
From Northern States to the Texas House: Analyzing the Carpetbagger Phenomenon in Modern Politics.
A few months ago, I published “The Problem With Carpetbaggers,” where I discussed how so many Republicans in Congress and the State Senate were from states other than Texas. It is problematic because these white GOP members have passed legislation targeting minority communities in Texas. With Texas now being a majority-minority state, the optics of it are pretty bad. It appears as if the carpetbaggers white Republicans are moving to Texas to pass and enforce oppressive laws on the majority Black and brown population.
It took some time, but I finally got around to analyzing the Texas House. But first, a recap:
Of out 38 Congresspeople, 25 are Republicans. Of those 25 Republicans, 13 were born and grew up in other states, which is 52%.
In comparison, only 3 of our 13 Democratic representatives hale from somewhere else (or 23%).
In the State Senate, there are 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Four of the 19 Republicans are carpetbaggers (21%). The Democrats only have one transplant on their side (8%).
The Texas House.
Many House members’ state or country of origin is listed on their Wikipedia pages. If it was, I trusted it was right. Next, I went to their websites and old interviews. Most people from Texas are proud, so if they were born in Texas or an X-generation Texan, they brag about it. I took them at their word and didn’t do any further digging. After that, I looked for the members I couldn’t find on Facebook and Ancestry.com.
Out of all 149 members, I found the origins of 144. I couldn’t find the last five, but they are not from Texas. Texas publishes all of its birth records from 1903 - 1997. If they were from here, I would have found them, but they aren’t. The members I couldn’t determine where they came from are Gary Gates (R), Charles “Doc” Anderson (R), Giovanni Capriglione (R), Josey Garcia (D), and Charles Cunningham (R).
The analysis.
There are 150 House seats, but HD2 is currently empty. There are 85 Republicans and 64 Democrats.
Of the 85 Republicans, 22 are not originally from Texas, or 25%.
Of the 64 Democrats, 11 are not originally from Texas, or 17%.
Texas used to be part of Mexico. If you include Mexico with Texas, then:
Of the 85 Republicans, 21 are not originally from Texas or Mexico, or 24%.
Of the 64 Democrats, nine are not originally from Texas or Mexico, or 14%.
Like in Congress and the State Senate, many more Republicans than Democrats don’t initially come from Texas. Even more so, most of the Democrats who aren’t from Texas were born in foreign nations (because Texas is an immigrant state). On the other hand, most of the Republicans born outside of Texas came from Northern states.
Of the 22 Republicans not originally from Texas, three are from other countries, and 19 are from other states.
Of the 11 Democrats not originally from Texas, seven are from other countries, and only four are from other states.
So, if we only count domestic transplants as coming from other American states, in the Texas House:
22% of Republicans are domestic transplants.
Only 6% of Democrats are domestic transplants.
This pattern raises questions about how legislation is informed by the nuanced understanding of local communities and their needs.
With a significant proportion of GOP members hailing from outside Texas, there is a growing concern about the representational integrity of a majority-minority state where the legislative majority does not reflect the state’s complex cultural and historical tapestry.
The data suggests a divergent narrative of migration within the political parties, with Democrats showing a higher proportion of members born in foreign countries, aligning with Texas’s identity as a land shaped by waves of immigration.
This analysis reflects the dynamics of representation and the importance of ensuring that the voices shaping the laws resonate with the lived experiences of all Texans. As the state continues to evolve, the conversation about the origins and perspectives of its lawmakers remains critical to fostering a reflective and inclusive government for its diverse population.
It’s all just food for thought. I’ve listed all of my findings below. As always, remember to vote.
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The list.
HD01: Gary VanDeaver (R) - Texas
HD02: vacant
HD03: Cecil Bell Jr. (R) - Texas
HD04: Keith Bell (R) - Texas
HD05: Cole Hefner (R) - Texas
HD06: Matt Schaefer (R) - Texas
HD07: Jay Dean (R) - Louisiana
HD08: Cody Harris (R) - Texas
HD09: Trent Ashby (R) - Texas
HD10: Brian Harrison (R) - Texas
HD11: Travis Clardy (R) - Texas
HD12: Kyle Kacal (R) - Texas
HD13: Angelia Orr (R) - Texas
HD14: John Raney (R) - Texas
HD15: Steve Toth (R) - New York
HD16: Will Metcalf (R) - Texas
HD17: Stan Gerdes (R) - Texas
HD18: Ernest Bailes (R) - Texas
HD19: Ellen Troxclair (R) - Texas
HD20: Terry Wilson (R) - Texas
HD21: Dade Phelan (R) - Texas
HD22: Christian Manuel (D) - Texas
HD23: Terri Leo-Wilson (R) - Minnesota
HD24: Greg Bonnen (R) - Texas
HD25: Cody Vasut (R) - Texas
HD26: Jacey Jetton (R) - Texas
HD27: Ron Reynolds (D) - Texas
HD28: Gary Gates (R) - Not Texas
HD29: Ed Thompson (R) - Texas
HD30: Geanie Morrison (R) - Texas
HD31: Ryan Guillen (R) - Texas
HD32: Todd Hunter (R) - Oklahoma
HD33: Justin Holland (R) - Texas
HD34: Abel Herrero (D) - Texas
HD35: Oscar Longoria (D) - Texas
HD36: Sergio Munoz Jr. (D) - Texas
HD37: Janie Lopez (R) - Texas
HD38: Erin Gamez (D) - Texas
HD39: Mando Martinez (D) - Texas
HD40: Terry Canales (D) - Texas
HD41: Bobby Guerra (D) - Texas
HD42: Richard Raymond (D) - Texas
HD43: J. M. Lozano (R) - Mexico
HD44: John Keumpel (R) - Texas
HD45: Erin Zwiener (D) - Texas
HD46: Sheryl Cole (D) - Texas
HD47: Vikki Goodwin (D) - Texas
HD48: Donna Howard (D) - Texas
HD49: Gina Hinojosa (D) - Texas
HD50: James Talarico (D) - Texas
HD51: Lulu Flores (D) - Texas
HD52: Caroline Harris Davila (R) - Texas
HD53: Andrew Murr (R) - Texas
HD54: Brad Buckley (R) - Texas
HD55: Hugh Shine (R) - Texas
HD56: Charles “Doc” Anderson (R) - Not Texas
HD57: Richard Hayes (R) - Texas
HD58: Dewayne Burns (R) - Texas
HD59: Shelby Slawson (R) - Texas
HD60: Glenn Rogers (R) - Texas
HD61: Frederick Frazier (R) - Texas
HD62: Reggie Smith (R) - Texas
HD63: Ben Bumgarner (R) - Ohio
HD64: Lynn Stucky (R) - Kansas
HD65: Kronda Thimesch (R) - Texas
HD66: Matt Shaheen (R) - Virginia
HD67: Jeff Leach (R) - Texas
HD68: David Spiller (R) - Texas
HD69: James Frank (R) - Georgia
HD70: Mihaela Plesa (D) - Texas
HD71: Stan Lambert (R) - Texas
HD72: Drew Darby (R) - Texas
HD73: Carrie Isaac (R) - Texas
HD74: Eddie Morales Jr. (D) - Mexico
HD75: Mary Gonzalez (D) - Texas
HD76: Suleman Lalani (D) - Pakistan
HD77: Lina Ortega (D) - Texas
HD78: Joe Moody (D) - Texas
HD79: Claudia Ordaz (D) - Texas
HD80: Tracy King (D) - Texas
HD81: Brooks Landgraf (R) - Texas
HD82: Tom Craddick (R) - Wisconsin
HD83: Dustin Burrows (R) - Texas
HD84: Carl Tepper (R) - New York
HD85: Stan Kitzman (R) - Texas
HD86: John Smithee (R) - Texas
HD87: Four Price (R) - Texas
HD88: Ken King (R) - Texas
HD89: Candy Noble (R) - Texas
HD90: Ramon Romero Jr. (D) - Texas
HD91: Stephanie Klick (R) - Texas
HD92: Salman Bhojani (D) - Pakistan
HD93: Nate Schatzline (R) - California
HD94: Tony Tinderholt (R) - Minnesota
HD95: Nicole Collier (D) - Texas
HD96: David Cook (R) - Texas
HD97: Craig Goldman (R) - Texas
HD98: Giovanni Capriglione (R) - Not Texas
HD99: Charlie Geren (R) - Texas
HD100: Venton Jones (D) - Texas
HD101: Chris Turner (D) - Texas
HD102: Ana-Maria Ramos (D) - Texas
HD103: Rafael Anchia (D) - Florida
HD104: Jessica Gonzalez (D) - Texas
HD105: Terry Meza (D) - Texas
HD106: Jared Patterson (R) - Texas
HD107: Victoria Neave Criado (D) - Texas
HD108: Morgan Meyers (R) - Texas
HD109: Carl Sherman (D) - Texas
HD110: Toni Rose (D) - Texas
HD111: Yvonne Davis (D) - Texas
HD112: Angie Chen Button (R) - Taiwan
HD113: Rhetta Bowers (D) - Texas
HD114: John Bryant (D) - Texas
HD115: Julie Johnson (D) - Alabama
HD116: Trey Martinez Fischer (D) - Texas
HD117: Philip Cortez (D) - Texas
HD118: John Lujan (R) - Texas
HD119: Liz Campos (D) - Texas
HD120: Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D) - Michigan
HD121: Steve Allison (R) - California
HD122: Mark Dorazio (R) - Pennsylvania
HD123: Diego Bernal (D) - Texas
HD124: Josey Garcia (D) - Not Texas
HD125: Ray Lopez (D) - Texas
HD126: Sam Harless (R) - Texas
HD127: Charles Cunningham (R) - Not Texas
HD128: Briscoe Cain (R) - Texas
HD129: Dennis Paul (R) - Texas
HD130: Tom Oliverson (R) - Minnesota
HD131: Alma Allen (D) - Texas
HD132: Mike Schofield (R) - New Jersey
HD133: Mano Deayalla (R) - Texas
HD134: Ann Johnson (D) - Texas
HD135: Jon Rosenthal (D) - California
HD136: John Bucy III (D) - Texas
HD137: Gene Wu (D) - China
HD138: Lacey Hull (R) - Texas
HD139: Jarvis Johnson (D) - Texas
HD140: Armando Walle (D) - Texas
HD141: Senfronia Thompson (D) - Texas
HD142: Harold Dutton (D) - Texas
HD143: Ana Hernandez (D) - Mexico
HD144: Mary Ann Perez (D) - Texas
HD145: Christina Morales (D) - Texas
HD146: Shawn Thierry (D) - Texas
HD147: Jolanda Jones (D) - Texas
HD148: Penny Morales Shaw (D) - Texas
HD149: Hubert Vo (D) - Vietnam
HD150: Valoree Swanson (R) - Texas