Upshur County bucks state, national trends; votes circa 80 percent GOP across the board

Unofficial Upshur County Election Returns

By Phillip Williams

Upshur County was an exception to the statewide trend in the mid-term election for statewide and federal offices Tuesday, voting solidly Republican in races which Democrats easily won for United States senator, governor and lieutenant governor, among others.

All three of those offices are now held by Republicans, two of whom are longtime incumbents. Nationwide, Democrats took control of both houses of Congress from the GOP.
All candidates for Upshur County offices on the ballot were unopposed Republicans.

Outcome of the race for U.S. House of Representatives’ newly-redrawn District 32 between Republican Jace Yarbrough and Democrat Dan Barrios was still uncertain Wednesday morning. Some media had projected Yarbrough–who held a slight lead overall in counted votes and overwhelmingly carried Upshur County–as the winner, but the Associated Press had made no projection.

Surviving the national Democratic sweep were the two Republican state legislators who represent Upshur County, District 1 State Sen. Bryan Hughes and District 5 State Rep. Cole Hefner, both of whom were re-elected by landslide margins and won handily here.

The Upshur results below, posted on the county’s website (countyofupshur.com) by Election Administrator Lory Harle’s office, don’t include any mailed ballots received after election day, nor 16 “provisional” votes cast by persons whose eligibility to do so was questioned, pending review.

But Harle said there wouldn’t be enough of such votes to change who carried the county in any race.

Not counting the provisional nor potentially late-arriving mailed ballots, the totals as of election night showed that 15,615 individuals–49.41% of the county’s 31,601 registered voters–cast ballots.

Statewide, Democrats overwhelmingly won the races for U.S. senate, governor and lieutenant governor.

State Attorney General Ken Paxton, who lost the senate race to Democrat State Rep. James Talarico, won Upshur with 11,893 to Talarico’s 3,214. Libertarian Ted Brown drew 385, and a smattering of votes were cast for minor-party candidates.

Paxton had ousted longtime incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican runoff earlier this year. Meantime, Talarico became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in Texas in 38 years.

Longtime Gov. Greg Abbott lost his bid for re-election to Gina Hinojosa, despite carrying Upshur County by 12,228 to her 3,054. Libertarian Pat Dixon received 249 here.

Vikki Goodwin ousted veteran Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, although he won Upshur County overwhelmingly by 12,240 to 2,907.

Hughes carried Upshur County with 12,542 to Democrat Laticia Ambroz’s 2,865 while Hefner had 12,422 and Democrat Hector Garza received 2,915.