No Majority Needed To Be Elected Governor Of Texas

Dolph Briscoe survived an unusually strong challenge from Republican Henry Grover on Nov. 7, 1972, but the six-percent showing by the Raza Unida candidate made the Democrat the first Texas governor in 78 years elected without a clear majority of the votes.

State law can be confusing when it comes to choosing the chief executive. Since 1918 the two main political parties have been required to hold a runoff, if no competitor receives half of the primary vote. Not so in the general election, which has always been a winner-takes-all contest.

This curious rule has resulted in 11 “minority” governors, who took Texas