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State Republicans See Third Flip of Year After Win in Texas District

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  November 03, 2021 7:30 AM

Republicans on Tuesday saw their third flip of a state legislative seat in 2021 special elections after John Lujan pulled off a victory in Texas House District 118, which President Biden won by 14 points in 2020. 

The win comes after flips in a Connecticut district by Ryan Fazio in August and one by Jon Dunwell in Iowa—a district that had been blue for the last 46 years.   

The Republican State Leadership Committee congratulated Lujan on his win over Democrat Frank Ramirez. 

“The RSLC was proud to support John Lujan in this race and we congratulate him and all our partners in Texas for their continued success in recent key legislative elections,” RSLC President Dee Duncan said in a statement. “As a former law enforcement officer, John was able to connect with a community that is fed up with the far-left’s defund the police agenda. The support he was able to garner with the Hispanic community in this district is an encouraging sign for Republicans as we seek to expand our reach this cycle, and is further evidence that the socialist policies being pushed by Democrat-controlled Washington are turning off the very constituencies they claim to be fighting for.” 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also highlighted the win.

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According to The Texas Tribune, Lujan briefly held the seat in 2016. He succeeds former Democrat state Rep. Leo Pacheco, who resigned earlier in the year.

"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 told The Texas Tribune after his election night party, adding that his win is a "big movement ... for conservatism" in the Hispanic community.