Texas Six Pack
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The Texas Six Pack was a group of six freshmen Republican congressmen from Texas who were elected during the 1984 Ronald Reagan landslide victory over Walter Mondale. With their victories the Texas congressional delegation shifted from a 21-6 Democratic advantage to only 17–10.
Four of the six new congressmen would go on to long and powerful careers in Washington. Beau Boulter, Mac Sweeney and Dick Armey upset three incumbent Democratic congressmen. Larry Combest won an open seat being vacated by retiring Democrat, later Republican Kent Hance, while Joe Barton and Tom DeLay won seats vacated by retiring Republicans Phil Gramm and Ron Paul, respectively. For Sweeney, Combest, and Armey it was the first time their districts had ever elected a Republican to congress. In 1988; Boulter relinquished his seat after two terms to wage an unsuccessful race against U.S. Senator Lloyd M. Bentsen, who ran the same year for Vice President of the United States; while Sweeney was defeated in his bid for re-election by Greg Laughlin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe Barton | 131,482 | 56.60 | |
| Democratic | Dan Kubiak | 100,799 | 43.40 | |
| Total votes | 232,281 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Beau Boulter | 107,600 | 53.01 | |
| Democratic | Jack Hightower (incumbent) | 95,367 | 46.99 | |
| Total votes | 202,967 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mac Sweeney | 104,181 | 51.30 | |
| Democratic | Bill Patman (incumbent) | 98,885 | 48.70 | |
| Total votes | 203,066 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Larry Combest | 102,805 | 58.13 | |
| Democratic | Don Richards | 74,044 | 41.87 | |
| Total votes | 176,849 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom DeLay | 125,225 | 65.31 | |
| Democratic | Doug Williams | 66,495 | 34.68 | |
| Total votes | 191,751 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dick Armey | 126,641 | 51.25 | |
| Democratic | Tom Vandergriff (incumbent) | 120,451 | 48.75 | |
| Write-in | Others | 2 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 247,094 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
References
[edit]Sources
[edit]- The Almanac of American Politics 1986
- Texas Monthly Dec 8, 1984
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