But it won't take much to give either the Democrats or Republicans bragging rights just before lawmakers convene in January to redraw the state's political map. Texas Republicans control all 29 statewide offices, but the GOP's advance in the Legislature has slowed. Everything else out there would be a tough race. Black blames districts drawn for the 1990s by Democrats. But with Gov. George W. Bush running for president, Black said a Republican majority in the House is possible.
Democrats concede nothing.
They expect to maintain their House majority and hope to reclaim the Senate. In East Texas, former state Rep. Todd Staples is facing Democrat David Fisher, a lawyer from Silsbee, a small town north of Beaumont. Money and political attention have been showered on the race as if it were a statewide contest. Teacher groups, unions and trial lawyers are supporting Fisher. Staples, a rancher and real estate appraiser, is backed mostly by business interests.