1998Final results
1998 election for Texas's 2nd District
U.S. House · Texas
James Turner (D) won with 58.4% of the vote, defeating Brian Babin (R) by 17.7 points.
James TurnerDemocrat · winner
58.4%81,556
Brian BabinRepublican
40.8%56,891
Wendell DryeLibertarian
0.8%1,142
139,589 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1998
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
James TurnerBrian Babin
$834K
Raised by the campaign
$293.2K
$575.1K
Spent by the campaign
$287.3K
$273.4K
Cash on hand
$6.3K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1998.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1998