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Abbott, GOP Best Davis and Democrats in Texas Elections

Mengwen Cao/KUT
Republican Greg Abbott celebrates his victory in the 2014 Texas Gubernatorial election.

Updated throughout with Final Totals.

Republicans swept statewide offices on Election Day, with Attorney General Greg Abbott assuming the Governorship over Fort Worth State Sen. Wendy Davis. The final total was 59.28 percent for Abbott and 38.88 percent for Davis.

The Governor's Office was up for grabs after Gov. Rick Perry decided not to seek re-election last July. Lieutenant Governor was also for the taking this year; Houston State Senator Dan Patrick defeated Democratic State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte by a healthy margin – 58.16 percent to 38.68 percent.
 
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Update: Abbott Victory Speech (10:44pm)

Credit Veronica Zaragovia/KUT
Governor-elect Greg Abbott addresses supporters at the Moody Theater in downtown Austin.

Governor-elect Greg Abbott addressed a crowded but subdued Moody Theater in downtown Austin tonight and congratulated his supporters. He spent about ten minutes hitting most of the Texas conservative highlights: education spending, limited government, and support for industry. "Contrary to what some people say, businesses do, in fact, create jobs." Abbott also made a point to introduce his wife, Cecilia, who, as he put it "has now made Texas history as the first Hispanic First Lady in the history of the great state of Texas."

Update: Van De Putte's Concession Speech 

Democrat Leticia Van De Putte has also conceded in the race for Texas Lt. Gov. Republican Dan Patrick enjoys a wide lead over his current Senate colleague.

Van De Putte said she takes pride in what the campaign accomplished.

"This election has always been about the future of this state, it has been about our children and our grandchildren and it will always be about our children and grandchildren."

Update: Wendy Davis: 'Being disappointed is OK, but being discouraged is not" (9:19 pm)

Wendy Davis is currently delivering a concession speech in her race for Texas Governor.

"This was never about Wendy Davis or Greg Abbott," she said. "This has always been and forever will be about each and every one of you." Davis went on to cite the themes of campaign – issues like justice for sexual assault victims, and the disclosure of Texas' hazardous chemicals.
"The only way we will have lost tonight is if we stop fighting," Davis said.

Update: U.S. Senate Race Called for Cornyn (8:18 pm)

Just after 8 pm, CNN is  calling Texas' contested U.S. Senate seat for incumbent and senior Texas Senator John Cornyn. With just under half of the precincts in the state reporting, Cornyn has tallied about 60 percent of the vote. His Democratic opponent in the race was Dallas businessman Dr. David Alameel. The final results: 61.58 percent for Cornyn, 34.34 percent for Alameel.

UpdateEarly Voting in Texas' Five Biggest Counties (8:11 pm)

Democrats' election night hopes hinge on high margins in big Texas cities. So how so the numbers stack up?

In Harris County, GOP candidates hold narrow leads: Abbott over Davis, 28,756 to 26,967 (51% to 48%) and Patrick over Van De Putte, 28,089 to 26,957 (50% to 48%).

In Dallas County, Davis is up 118,350 (55.22%) to Abbott's 93,637 (43.69%). In the Lt. Gov. race, Van de Putte leads 117,113 (55%) to Patrick's 91,171 (42.82%).

Early numbers indicate a tighter battle in Bexar County. San Antonio native Leticia Van de Putte holds a slight, three percentage point lead after early numbers were tallied. But in the Governor’s race, Abbott leads Wendy Davis by a couple of percentage points.   

Up near Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Abbott leads Davis by about 17 percentage points. Patrick leads Van De Putte by about the same margin.

Travis County remains a Democratic stronghold, with Davis and Van De Putte putting up sizable leads over their GOP opponents. 

Update: Most Polling Places Closed (7:22 pm)

With polling hours over in all major Texas cities but El Paso, early voting results are beginning to trickle in. (That said, you can still vote if you were in line before 7 p.m.)

You can see early, incomplete results as the Texas Secretary of State's website.    

Original post (6:37 pm):It's election night in Texas.

For state Democrats, it’s the culmination of a journey that began when State Sen. Wendy Davis' launched her historic filibuster last year – launching with it hopes the Fort Worth politician could turn Texas blue.

For Republicans, it’s almost business as usual: While Gov. Rick Perry is stepping down after a record 14 years in office, the state GOP seeks to continue their winning streak across all statewide offices, starting at the top with gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott on down.

KUT and Texas Standard are covering the following statewide races: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Senator, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Office Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner and Railroad Commissioner. That said, we'll also bring you news on other interesting Texas races of note.

Voting ends throughout most of Texas at 7 pm. Refresh this page for updates. And catch up by reading our primers on the races here:

Wells has been a part of KUT News since 2012, when he was hired as the station's first online reporter. He's currently the social media host and producer for Texas Standard, KUT's flagship news program. In between those gigs, he served as online editor for KUT, covering news in Austin, Central Texas and beyond.
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