In addition to all the conservative victories within the states of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio on Tuesday, one victory that has been overlooked is a State House race in Texas District 118.
Hispanic Republican John Lujan defeated Democrat opponent Frank Ramirez Tuesday night, effectively flipping San Antonio’s State House seat red. The seat was held by Democrats for years.
“Thank you to the people of HD 118! I am honored and excited to be your State Representative-Elect. We made history last night,” Lujan told his followers on social media.
What was once considered a heavily blue district with Joe Biden winning it by over 14 percentage points in 2020, the elected Republican won the special election by 51.2 percent of the vote, challenging the narrative that the district should remain blue any longer.
This is not the first time Lujan has run for the position. The recently-elected District 118 Representative ran and won the seat in 2016 during a special election, but then lost it during the 2016 general election to Democrat Tomas Uresti. He ran again in 2018’s general election, but was defeated by Democrat Leo Pacheco.
Pacheco decided to resign earlier this year, which opened up not only the State House seat, but also another opportunity for Lujan to run.
With a third time being the charm, Lujan won.
Lujan is the only Republican that has consistently won election in the 118th district that is also 73 percent Hispanic. He is considered a Republican candidate beating the odds in what was viewed as a Democrat stronghold for years.
The State Representative-elect spoke with Texas Tribune shortly after his win, saying “I’m a blessed man to win this for the second time, and to be the only Republican ever to win this seat, I think, is really important for us down here.”
Lujan received the endorsement and support of high-profile politicians including Governor Greg Abbott, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, all staunch supporters of President Trump.
Gov. Abbott celebrated his victory on Tuesday night, saying he won “an open seat that had been held by a Democrat,” further proving a potential shift in local and state politics with minority groups moving at increased rates toward the right.
Lujan’s victory brings the total number of Republicans in the Texas House up to 83 now.
According to his campaign website, Lujan intents to focus on creating safer communities, reducing taxes, supporting public schools and troops, as well as improving health care and border security, which are all issues most Americans, especially conservatives, care about. It seems he is hoping to accomplish much during his upcoming tenure.
