Texas 72nd State House District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 (partial returns from 1876) · 38 presidential cycles · 38 with a vote-share denominator · 34 with a national benchmark
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Samuel J. Tilden1876
100.0%
123 votes · D+100.0 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 · 90.7%
Republican
Donald Trump2024
77.7%
53,936 votes · R+56.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · George W. Bush, 2004 · 76.3%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Jimmy Carter1976
25,163votes
51.4% of the vote · D+3.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964 · 24,400 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
53,936votes
77.7% of the vote · R+56.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 53,355 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
John W. Davis1924
+90.7pts D vs U.S.
Place D+65.5 · U.S. R+25.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Alton B. Parker, 1904 · +88.3 pts
Republican
Donald Trump2020
+57.5pts R vs U.S.
Place R+53.0 · U.S. D+4.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Mitt Romney, 2012 · +57.1 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
RDrew DarbyState House · 72
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
U.S. House elections · 2 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row is a county-allocated estimate of U.S. House votes for this district — county returns apportioned onto its boundary, not precinct-counted. “Vote lead” is the estimated local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
Source · Akashic county-allocated estimate from certified county returns, House; not precinct-counted.
Year
Vote lead
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
R
0.2%119
99.8%57,746
57,865
2018
R
20.7%10,825
79.3%41,511
52,336
District 72 recorded a 56.2-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, placing it among the most lopsided state house districts in Texas. Its sprawling West Texas geography anchors a consistently low-competition electoral environment.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 100.0 points in 1876 and a Republican high of 56.2 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 3.2 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 56.2 points.
A population of 186,421, a 53% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $66,483 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 88 and State House District 83.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons → · Or open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Texas 72nd State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/48072/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Texas 72nd State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Texas 72nd State House District voted Republican by 56.2 points (R+56.2), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 69,434 votes cast, 14,883 went Democratic and 53,936 went Republican.
When did Texas 72nd State House District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Texas 72nd State House District voted Democratic was 1976.
How many people live in Texas 72nd State House District?
Texas 72nd State House District has a population of 186,421 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Texas 72nd State House District?
Median household income in Texas 72nd State House District is $66,483 — below the national median of $80,734. The Texas state median is $78,476.
What is the political history of Texas 72nd State House District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Texas 72nd State House District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 21 went Democratic and 17 went Republican.