Partisan Control Timeline
Partisan Makeup Summary
Texas House — 150 Seats
Texas Senate — 31 Seats
Session Compare
Raw Data
| Session | Year | House (150 seats) | House | Senate (31 seats) | Senate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | D | O | R | D | O | ||||
Source: Texas Legislature historical rosters, compiled by Texas Policy Research.
Context & Explanation
The Texas Legislature meets in regular session every two years for 140 days. Each numbered session (e.g., 88th Session, 2023) covers that two-year cycle. Special sessions can be called by the Governor, but the partisan makeup shown here reflects the start of each regular session.
- Majority means a party holds more seats than all others combined — 76 in the House, 16 in the Senate.
- Supermajority means holding at least two-thirds of seats (100 House / 21 Senate), which unlocks procedural powers including advancing constitutional amendments and overriding certain delays.
When the House and Senate are controlled by different parties, that is “split control.” It forces more negotiation across chambers and often slows or reshapes legislation. Texas experienced this during the 75th–77th Sessions (1997–2001), when Republicans held the Senate while Democrats held the House.
A “flip” occurs when the majority party in a chamber changes from one session to the next. These are key inflection points in Texas history — the 75th (1997) when Republicans first took the Senate majority, and the 78th (2003) when they flipped the House for the first time since Reconstruction.
- 1923–1973: Texas was a one-party Democratic state. Republicans held only token representation.
- 1970s–1990s: The GOP gained ground gradually, mirroring the broader Southern realignment.
- 2003 onward: Republicans secured majorities in both chambers — a dominance that has continued through the present, though their margins have narrowed somewhat in recent cycles.
- Compare Sessions — Use the dropdowns to line up two sessions side by side.
- Toggle View — Switch between raw seat counts and percentage share in the data table.
- Filter the Table — Type a year or session number into the search box.
- Download Data — Grab the CSV to run your own analysis.
- Hover for Detail — Move over any timeline segment or table row for exact breakdowns.
Key Takeaways & Analysis
From the 38th (1923) through the 63rd (1973) sessions, the Texas Legislature was overwhelmingly Democratic — often with 100% control of the Senate and over 95% of the House. For much of the 20th century, Texas operated effectively as a one-party state, with general elections often serving as mere formalities. Republican representation was negligible to non-existent. The Democratic Party of this era was ideologically diverse, encompassing both conservative Dixiecrats and more liberal reformers.
Republicans didn’t begin gaining measurable ground until the 1970s. They surpassed 10% in the House in the 63rd Session (1973) and captured 25% of the Senate by the 71st Session (1989). The shift paralleled broader national realignments in the South. Conservative Texans began shifting to the GOP in response to national Democratic support for civil rights, the growth of the conservative movement, and figures like Ronald Reagan. Gains were slow and steady, reflecting growing Republican strength in urban and suburban areas.
The 75th Session (1997) marked the first time Republicans captured a majority in the Texas Senate. The 78th Session (2003) marked the first time they gained the majority in the Texas House — the first GOP control of the chamber since Reconstruction. Once Republicans secured majority control in both chambers, they reshaped committee structures, leadership roles, and legislative priorities. The 78th Session also followed a controversial redistricting cycle that consolidated GOP power further.
Since gaining control of both chambers in the 78th Session (2003), Republicans have maintained majority status. Their dominance peaked in the 82nd Session (2011), where they controlled a record 101 of 150 House seats (67%). Since then, the Republican share has edged downward:
- 84th Session (2015): 97 seats (65%)
- 89th Session (2025): 88 seats (59%)
This trend reflects political shifts in suburban and fast-growing urban counties. While Republicans remain solidly in control, their once-expanding majority has narrowed, resulting in more intra-party competition and tighter margins on key votes. The Senate, by contrast, has remained more stable, with Republicans consistently holding 19–20 seats (61–65%) across recent sessions.
In the 89th Session, the Senate stands at 64.5% Republican, while the House stands at 58.7% Republican — a common dynamic over the past two decades. The Senate has consistently shown greater partisan stability than the House. This is due in part to longer terms (4 years), less frequent turnover, and tighter control by leadership. The House, with 150 members and 2-year terms, is more susceptible to electoral swings and internal GOP division.
Why This Matters
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