Although many incumbents who serve the Spring and Klein community are on their way to another term following the March 4 primaries, the Nov. 4 general election will feature several contested races for state and national officials.
Almost all of the races will see incumbents attempting to serve another term, but with state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, in the thick of a runoff battle for lieutenant governor, District 7 will have a new senator in January.
Paul Bettencourt, business owner and former Harris County tax assessor, dominated the Republican Primary for District 7, earning 89.2 percent of the votes against opponent James Wilson. Bettencourt said he had not run in a primary in 14 years prior to the March election.
"It was a big honor to get nearly 90 percent of the vote after 14 years, because I only got 87 percent of the vote then," he said.
Bettencourt attributed the wide margin of victory to voters' trust in him as the former "tax man." If elected, he said he hopes to help the state find conservative solutions to much of Texas' issues.
"The clear challenges in the state are effectively Obamacare, transportation, water and education," Bettencourt said. "The impact of Obamacare is very important because health and human services is $56 billion of the state budget."
His opponent in the general election will be Jim Davis, a retired air traffic controller from Spring. Davis said he enjoys serving his community. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and volunteers at the Mercer Arboretum.
Davis ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary, receiving 4,564 Harris County votes. He said he wanted to run because of the lack of Democratic candidates in the region, and he looks forward to the upcoming election.
"It's going to be a totally new experience," he said. "It's a long shot, really. I don't foresee any major swings one way or the other, but still it's something to look forward to."
The candidate said he sees several issues he would address if elected to the Texas Legislature.
"As far as what Texas has been doing, I think they've got the wrong attitude about immigration for one thing," Davis said. "They listen to people who aren't that well informed. And we keep making so many cuts in education. That's not where you want to make cuts."
Contested races
Several incumbents in the Spring area will have opponents in the general election, as well.
After defeating opponent Damian LaCroix in the Democratic Primary, incumbent state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, will face Republican opponent Ron Hale in November for the District 15 seat. Hale ran unopposed in the March primary.
State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, also faces an opponent in November in the District 150 race, Democratic candidate Amy Perez. Riddle defeated Tony Noun in the Republican Primary, while Perez was unopposed in the March primary.
U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, ran unopposed in the Republican Primary and will face off against Democratic candidate Niko Letsos, who also ran unopposed in his primary race.
Uncontested races
Some incumbents are set to serve another term after victories in the Republican Primary and no Democratic opponents to run against.
State Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress, and state Rep. Patricia Harless, R-Spring, both ran unopposed in the Republican Primary and have no Democratic opponents for District 130 and District 126, respectively.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, defeated opponent Craig McMichael in the Republican Primary for District 8, which represents parts of nine counties. Brady received more than 68 percent of the votes. He also has no Democratic opponent in November.
"I'm thrilled with the win," Brady said after the victory. "It's an anti-incumbent mood about Congress right now. I'm just excited about getting back."