Galveston Co. votes Republican for fourth straight presidential race

GALVESTON - On Election Day 2008, Galveston County residents took time out from cleaning up after Hurricane Ike to cast their votes. 

Four years later, many of those same voters went to the polls Tuesday morning to learn that the computers were not on, prompting a local district judge to extend the hours at the county's polling stations.

Cumulative voting figures as of 12:40 a.m., Wednesday morning reveal that Galveston County once again leaned Republican in the presidential election as well as in several key local and state races.

According to the Elections Division of the Office of the County Clerk, Republican and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney amassed 68,594 votes to best President Barack Obama's tally of 39,162.

Romney, who won Texas's 38 electoral votes, accumulated his highest figure during the early voting period from Oct. 22 to Nov. 2 with 49,608 votes, unofficial results show.

A majority of local voters also sided with the GOP when it came to selecting those who will represent them on Capital Hill.

Republican and Tea Party star Ted Cruz earned 66,455 votes from the county to beat relatively unknown Democrat Paul Sadler’s total of 39,115 in the race to take over U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat.

Hutchison, who hails from La Marque, chose not to seek reelection.

Democrat Nick Lampson's comeback attempt into politics was thwarted by Republican Randy Weber, who defeated the former Congressman from Beaumont for the right to succeed Ron Paul as the representative of Texas's District 14 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Weber, whose political experience includes a stint as a state representative in Austin, tallied 62,287 votes countywide to down Lampson, who had 43,734 votes.

The Galveston County District Court will feature two new faces in League City attorney Michelle Slaughter and Kerry L. Neves, a Dickinson City Council member.

Slaughter succeeds Galveston County 405th District Court Judge Wayne Mallia, whom she defeated in the runoff elections last July, while Neves replaces the retiring Galveston County 10th District Court Judge David Garner.

Slaughter and Neves, both Republicans, ran unopposed in the general election.

Galveston County 56th District Court Judge Lonnie Cox was also up for election, but also won by virtue of no opposition.

The votes that are cast during the extended period will provisional ballots, which are counted according to specific mandates.