AUSTIN, Texas — With the Texas Legislature back for its 2023 session, an analysis by the Dallas Morning News found the legislative body will be less diverse than the state's population.
State demographics have continuously shifted over the years, going from majority white to Hispanic Texans and non-Hispanic white Texans taking up about the same share of the population, per the DMN. But that hasn't been reflected in the legislature.
About 62% of lawmakers in both the Texas House and Senate are white even though white Texans make up 40% of the State's population. Meanwhile, 24% of lawmakers are Hispanic even though Hispanic Texans also make up 40% of the population.
The DMN reported that 9% of lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are Black although Black Texans make up 13% of the state's population. Meanwhile, Asian American lawmakers constitute 3% of the lawmakers whereas the Asian American population makes up 6% of the total population.
However, the DMN reported that gains were made in November's election as the number of Republican women doubled in the House, the LGBTQ caucus grew and voters elected the State's first two Muslim lawmakers.
The State's top leaders, those elected in statewide elections, are all white. That changed from 2021 when eight were white and one then-Land Commissioner George P. Bush was the only Hispanic.
See a full breakdown of the Texas House and Senate by reading the Dallas Morning News' article here.