George W. Bush defeats Ann Richards to become Texas governor

George W. Bush defeated incumbent Governor Ann Richards on November 8, 1994, winning 53.5% of the vote in a campaign centered on crime, tort reform, and welfare. Bush's win ended 20 consecutive years of Democratic governors and gave Republicans unified control of state government for the first time since Reconstruction. The election launched a GOP realignment of Texas that would reshape its congressional delegation, legislative maps, and state judiciary over the next three decades.