By Mónica Dávila
The political landscape of Texas is shaped by officeholders in statewide positions, such as our Governor and Lt. Governor, but each local area does have local representatives who go to Austin to be the voice for the constituents in their districts. You have representatives at the local, state, and federal levels. Do you know who represents you at our state and U.S. Capitols? November 8 was Election Day, meaning you may have new representation. This resource can help you find out. Let’s break it down for McLennan County residents at the state and federal levels.
U.S. Senators and Representatives
At the congressional level, we are represented by:
Senator John Cornyn
Senator Ted Cruz
Representative Pete Sessions (TX-17)
U.S. senators represent the entire state and serve for 6-year terms. U.S. representatives represent 1 of the 435 congressional districts in the United States and serve for two-year terms. There are no term limits for either federal congressional seat.
State House Representatives
There are 150 Texas House districts. McLennan County lies within two Texas House districts.
If you live within Texas House District 12, your current representative is Kyle Kacal. However, every ten years, new district maps are drawn based on updated Census data. The newly redistricted maps will go into effect in January 2023. McLennan County will now fall into Texas House District 13, represented by member-elect Angelia Orr.
If you live within Texas House District 56 (which was not affected by redistricting), your representative is State Representative Charles ‘Doc’ Anderson. Representative Anderson assumed office in 2005 and he won his 10th general election again on November 8th, 2022. Each term is two years long and there are no term limits.
State Senator
There are 31 Texas Senate districts. McLennan County falls within Texas Senate District 22, represented by State Senator Brian Birdwell. Senator Birdwell first assumed office in 2010 and he won his 4th four-year term in the general election of November 8th. Similar to the Texas House of Representatives, there are no term limits to the Texas Senate.
State Board of Education
McLennan County falls within Texas State Board of Education District 14. Our current SBOE member is Sue Melton-Malone. However, her current term ends on January 1, 2023. Evelyn Brooks is the member-elect for District 14. She will begin her four-year term on January 10, 2023.
Let’s review
We have locally-elected representatives at both the state and federal levels. Today, we discussed McLennan County’s state and federal elected officials. I encourage you to get to know who represents you; you can always reference this tool as well. Consider this article to be the beginning of a series. Next time, we will dive deeper into the timeline of the Texas Legislature.
Mónica Dávila is the behavioral health policy fellow with Prosper Waco. It is a position funded by the Hogg Foundation.
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