Democrat Angie Carraway led Republican incumbent Candy Noble in unofficial early voting returns for Texas House District 89 on Nov. 3.
Carraway held 37,432 votes to Noble's 34,921 in early voting tallies released at 7 p.m. by Collin County Elections, according to the Murphy Monitor. Those figures reflect early votes only. Election Day ballots were still being counted, and results are unofficial until canvassed.
The Associated Press had not called the District 89 race as of election night. The AP reported that Democrats won control of both the U.S. House and Senate. Democrat James Talarico won the Texas U.S. Senate seat, the AP reported, and Democrat Gina Hinojosa won the Texas governor's race, flipping a GOP-held office. Democrats flipped Senate seats in Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the AP. In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen districts, the AP reported.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Collin County election officials encountered minor equipment problems and delays on Election Day. Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux said some polling locations experienced equipment delays when they opened. A technician was sent to Collin College's McKinney campus to clean a ballot scanner around 3 p.m. In Collin County, 43,610 voters had checked in as of about 2:20 p.m., Breaux said.
The district covers parts of Collin County. Property taxes, school funding and infrastructure were among the issues both candidates addressed in their campaign questionnaires.
The candidates
Candy Noble has represented District 89 since 2019, according to her candidate questionnaire. She said she serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Human Services Committee. Noble also said she serves as president of the Texas Conservative Coalition, a legislative caucus she described as having more than 70 House and Senate members.
In a candidate questionnaire, Noble said she filed a proposal to use excess state revenue to reduce school district maintenance and operations property taxes.
On school funding, Noble said she supported a House plan that would have increased the basic allotment, the foundation amount used in calculating school funding. She said the final legislation increased public school funding by more than $8.5 billion but did not include the basic allotment increase. Noble said she wants a further increase in the next legislative session.
On growth, Noble said she is fighting for transportation dollars for the district, citing thousands of homes built along small two-lane roads.
Angie Carraway is a public school teacher in her 15th year, according to her candidate questionnaire. She said she taught for 10 years in Lovejoy ISD and now teaches in Princeton ISD. She ran unopposed in the March Democratic primary, according to NBC DFW's primary coverage.
Carraway said the state's school funding formula does not adequately support public schools. She argued the basic allotment is too low and said funding should be based on enrollment rather than attendance. On property taxes, Carraway said eliminating them without a sustainable replacement would create challenges for schools and local services.
On infrastructure, Carraway said the state should invest in roads and expand public transportation options while holding transit authorities accountable through audits.
What's next
All 150 Texas House seats were on the ballot. The Murphy Monitor reported that four Republicans in area Texas House seats sought reelection, with Democratic challengers in each race.
Collin County will canvass the results to make them official. Updated totals, including Election Day ballots, will be posted at collincountytx.gov/elections.
