Democrat Chris Jimenez wins Texas House seat redrawn to favor Republicans

Democrat Chris Jimenez has defeated Republican incumbent Caroline Harris Davila in Texas House District 52, according to voting totals, returning the Williamson County seat to Democratic control. His margin of more than 7 percentage points came in a district lawmakers reshaped in 2021 to give Republicans an electoral advantage.

The district was James Talarico's first route to the Texas House. He won the seat in 2018, when its boundaries included his hometown of Round Rock, and was elected there twice. The 2021 redistricting removed about two-thirds of Round Rock from the district while bringing in rural areas and smaller communities. Harris Davila won in 2022 and held the seat for two terms. Talarico moved to Austin and won election in House District 50.

The effect of those boundary changes was evident in an analysis by the Texas Legislative Council. Joe Biden won the former District 52 by nearly 10 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election. Applying those same votes to the boundaries Republicans adopted in 2021 would instead have produced a Donald Trump victory of roughly 4 percentage points. Jimenez also faced an incumbent whose fundraising exceeded his own.

Jimenez, a Marine Corps veteran and small business owner, operates an event company with his wife on part of a pecan farm in rural Williamson County. Speaking to KUT News, he attributed his victory to a focus on concerns shared across party lines. He pointed to funding public schools, making health care affordable, lowering property taxes and improving children's futures as priorities that connected with voters.

He also said he intended to build trust with people who supported Harris Davila, acknowledging that disagreements would remain. Jimenez told KUT News that those voters would still be heard: "But they'll always have a seat at the table, and I will always listen."

Education policy marked a significant divide between the candidates. Harris Davila voted in favor of establishing Texas' private school voucher program. Jimenez supports repealing that program and directing more state funding toward public schools.

The candidates also took different positions on consumable hemp. Harris Davila backed legislation to prohibit products containing THC and most other cannabinoids, a bill Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed. Jimenez favors keeping THC products legal while subjecting them to regulation and taxation.