In an incredibly quiet election year for Texas Supreme Court races, incumbent Republican justices Nathan Hecht and Al Gonzales glided to victory against underfunded opponents. Hecht topped Valorie Davenport, a Houston commercial litigator, with 65 percent of the vote to her 35 percent. Gonzales snared 58 percent of the vote. His opponent, Houston solo Rod E. Gorman, took in 42 percent. About 900,000 people voted in each race, roughly 7 percent of the registered voters in Texas. Neither victor will face a Democrat in the general election.
The vote tallies would suggest a high approval rating for the incumbent judges, but a central question haunts Supreme Court elections — do average voters know anything about the judges they elect?
