DALLAS - Democratic State Rep. Vikki Goodwin has won the seat for Texas’ lieutenant governor.
Initial precinct counts show Goodwin received 52 percent of the vote, while Patrick received 46 percent, giving the Democrat a victory.
As the state’s second highest-ranking official, Goodwin will have a considerable influence over state legislation and the budget for the next four years.
Patrick's long tenure comes to an end
The backstory:
Patrick held the position for 12 years, and was a close ally of President Donald Trump. On his campaign website, Paxton called himself a "preeminent voice for principled conservative policies both in Texas and across the nation."
Goodwin was able to unseat him by focusing on issues such as public education, clean water and energy, affordable housing, comprehensive healthcare, and THC regulation.
Controversy on the campaign trail
Dig deeper:
The battle for the position wasn’t without controversy. Goodwin filed a criminal complaint against Patrick in September over two AI attack ads which she claimed violated state law on deepfake videos.
The ads featured AI-generated images portraying Goodwin wearing a shirt that read "taxes" instead of "Texas" at a University of Texas football game.
Patrick later deleted the ads from social media. However, a spokesperson for Patrick told the New York Times they were "obvious parody produced to entertain."
The Source: Results are provided by the Associated Press. Race calls are made by the Associated Press. Information on results comes from the Texas Secretary of State's Office and are preliminary until certified by that office.