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Chip Roy*(R)
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AP: Republican incumbent Chip Roy defeats Democratic challenger Wendy Davis in Congressional District 21 race
1 a.m. : Republican incumbent Chip Roy is the projected winner in the race for Congressional District 21, defeating Democratic challenger Wendy Davis, the Associated Press reports.
Roy’s victory was a blow to Democrats who spent heavily to flip a district that stretches from San Antonio into liberal Austin. They also had a big name in Davis, who catapulted to fame in 2013 after staging a 13-hour filibuster that temporarily blocked an anti-abortion bill in the Texas Legislature. She ran for governor but badly lost to Republican Greg Abbott in 2014.
Roy is a former aide to Sen. Ted Cruz who quickly established himself as one of Congress' most conservative new members in his first term.
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10:15: Republican incumbent Chip Roy has taken a wider lead against his Democratic challenger, Wendy Davis. Roy has 51% of the vote, while Davis holds 47%, with nearly 69% of precincts reporting.
9:40: Republican incumbent Chip Roy has taken a narrow lead against his Democratic challenger, Wendy Davis. Roy has 182,582 votes, while Davis has 181,713 votes with 68% of precincts reporting.
8:40 p.m. - Democrat Wendy Davis' early lead against Republican incumbent Chip Roy in the race for U.S. Congressional District 21 has narrowed to 50% of the vote, compared to Roy’s 48% with nearly 62% of precincts reporting.
8:10 p.m. - Democrat Wendy Davis has taken an early lead against Republican incumbent Chip Roy in the race for U.S. Congressional District 21 with 55% of the vote, compared to Roy’s 42% with nearly 56% of precincts reporting.
Background
The race for U.S. Congressional District 21 has been one to watch since the primaries when election officials announced Wendy Davis won the Democratic nomination and would challenge Republican incumbent Chip Roy on Election Day.
The Candidates
Roy is a former federal prosecutor, advisor to elected officials, and was first assistant attorney general to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Roy recently called on Paxton to resign amid accusations against Paxton of bribery and abuse of office.
Davis is a former state senator for State District 10 (in DFW) who led a 13-hour filibuster to block a bill restricting abortion rights in Texas. She was also the Democratic challenger in the 2014 gubernatorial race against now-Gov. Greg Abbott.
The Area
U.S. District 21 covers a vast area north of San Antonio and many communities along the I-35 North and I-10 West corridors, including parts of Bexar, Hays Travis and Comal counties. The area also covers Real, Kerr, Kendall, Blanco, Bandera and Gillespie counties.
Campaign Funds
As of June 30, Davis has raised more than $4.4. million, while Roy has brought in $2.85 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Voting History
The district has typically voted Republican ever since voters elected former Rep. Lamar Smith in 1986.
Smith held the seat for 16 terms before and announced in 2017 that he would not seek re-election for the next term. Roy has held the seat since 2019 after the 2018 midterm election.
Coronavirus and the Economy
In May, Roy told the Texas Tribune, “We need herd immunity. So we have to work through this together to get reengaged so we can build that up.”
Roy called for economic normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic over the summer.
Davis has pushed for the public to listen to the guidance of public health officials.
“We need to be following it, keeping people as healthy as possible so that our economy can reopen,” Davis said.
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