Republican incumbent Roger Williams won his fifth term to the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas’ 25th Congressional District on Tuesday night, fending off challenger Democrat Julie Oliver, according to a race call by Decision Desk.
At the time of publication, 391,146 votes were counted. Williams won 56% of the vote, also beating out Libertarian candidate Bill Kelsey who won 1.96% of the vote, according to the Texas Secretary of State. Oliver took 42.03% of the vote.
Williams and Oliver faced off in the 2018 election, where Williams won with a 9-point margin 54-45 across 304,553 votes counted.
“I'm honored to once again represent you in Congress,” Williams said in a tweet. “I pledge to spend this next term continuing the fight for lower taxes, defending our law enforcement, taking care of our military and veterans and protecting the unborn. Thank you, TX-25!
Williams is Christian, pro-life and a Second Amendment supporter, according to his campaign website. A former Texas Secretary of State, Williams said in his campaign biography that he is running to support President Donald Trump and make America great again.
“We’ve got a lot of things we want to do, but we’re going to drive home our conservative values,” Williams said in a video. “We will work with everyone, even those that did not vote for us.”
Oliver conceded the race to Williams on Twitter Tuesday evening.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work that the thousands of volunteers who sacrificed for this campaign poured into fighting for a better future for Texas,” Oliver said in the concession. “Gerrymandering sucks. And Texas deserves better.”
TX-25 spans 13 counties across the state, stretching 220 miles from the suburbs of Austin to Fort Worth, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The southern part of the district touches North Campus and Dripping Springs, an area southwest of Austin, while the northern end reaches southern Fort Worth.
Oliver, the former healthcare finance lawyer, ran on a progressive platform that includes policy proposals such as Medicare for All and a Green New Deal, according to her campaign website.
In the last quarter leading up to the election, Williams raised $571,301, compared to the $917,672 Oliver raised, according to Federal Election Commission data.
National Democrats hoped Oliver could squeeze out a win, as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added TX-25 to its target list in late August, according to The Texas Tribune.
Williams declined to debate Oliver in the leadup to the election. He said to the Statesman that the two don’t agree on anything, and voters therefore shouldn’t have trouble choosing their candidate.
In a virtual volunteer call before the election was called, Oliver said her volunteers and supporters helped her have the best campaign in Texas. Oliver said her campaign was never about getting herself in Congress but to encourage better representation. She said young volunteers and voters give her hope for change in the future.
“The level of questions that young people are asking of me are so much more thoughtful — so far more engaged than any of my contemporaries,” Oliver said. “Young people, y’all have it. This is what gives me hope.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include new voting tallies and comments from Williams.
