Dallas citizens turned out in record numbers at polling locations throughout the city to cast their votes yesterday and throughout early voting. The results were as expected, with Republicans sweeping all major seats in the SMU area.

Rick Perry (R) beat out Bill White (D) and will serve a third term as governor, extending his stay as the longest serving governor in Texas’ history.

White conceded to Perry in a speech before an audience in his hometown of Houston, where he spent three terms as mayor.

Rick Perry won comfortably statewide, although White led in Dallas County by a 10 percent margin.

The race between the two contenders for governor was a heated one. Both White and Perry spent millions of dollars campaigning across the state, airing television ads and shaking hands with supporters.

In a message to all Texans, White said, “Please understand that all of our leaders, including our national leaders, deserve respect.” He said that having respect for diversity also meant having “respect for those with a different point of view.”

In a post-announcement interview with The Daily Campus, Mike Ogulnick, the Texas regional communications director for the Democratic Party said that the results were “unfortunate, but not shocking,” and said that though Bill White ran a good race, the results were “a reflection on the country.”

Perry took advantage of the country’s feelings during his race, repeating the nationwide anti-Washington sentiment in his speeches and ads.

In interviews leading up to yesterday’s race, Perry rarely mentioned White, instead choosing to nationalize the race by remarking on Obama’s failures in office and his declining national popularity.

Perry also touted Texas’ relatively stable economy as compared to the rest of the nation.

In his post-election speech just south of Austin at an exotic game ranch, Perry said, “There is a reason that our economy continues to lead the nation, and it’s not just because the good Lord put a lot of oil and gas under our land.”

This is a sentiment he repeated throughout his campaign, saying that Texas’ economy depended on low taxes and predictable laws.

In his campaign ads, he placed suspicion that White would raise taxes, even going so far as to suppose that White would instate an income tax.

These tactics seemed to have worked, as this will mark another win for Perry, who has never lost a race since beginning his political career over 25 years ago. This marks the first loss for White, who began his political career in 2003.

Both Perry and White have been pinned as potential candidates for national positions. Perry is considered a possible 2012 presidential candidate, although he has repeatedly denied that he will run. Such a run would cut Perry’s third term short.

Bill White has been pegged as a possible candidate for senate, as it is widely speculated that Kay Bailey Hutchison will not seek another term.

Republican Pete Sessions won a comfortable victory over his Democratic opponent, Greer Raggio, for Texas’ 32nd congressional district. The 32nd district represents suburban areas of northwestern Dallas, including SMU. Pete Sessions has represented the district since 2002.

Pete Sessions has taken on a national presence in his most recent term in office. In 2008, he was elected by the House Republican Conference to serve as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Though Sessions is outspoken on the benefits of small government and low taxes, he has created a reputation for being one of the more moderate Republican leaders. Sessions was one of the first Republicans to vote for the $787 billion bailout package early in 2008, and has continued to defend that decision against harsh criticism.  

This was Raggio’s first time to run for elected office. His main appeal to voters was that he would not have been a “career-politician,” though he failed to create a presence in Dallas large enough to secure him a majority.  

This race was named one of the “Emerging Races” by the Democratic National Campaign Committee, and garnered national attention because of the strong fundraising campaigns by both candidates.

In expected fashion, Dan Branch won reelection in a landslide against his Democratic opponent Pete Schulte with more than a 30 percent margin. Branch will continue to serve the 108th district in the Texas House for a fifth term.

Branch has become extremely popular in the 108th district for his moderate ideals. His district, which includes the Park Cities, Uptown, downtown and most of Old East Dallas, is largely moderate Republican. Branch has been very successful in representing their interests, earning praise from several non-partisan groups as one of Texas’ most successful legislators.

Schulte is considered a good future candidate for office but may not be ready to serve right now. In its endorsement of Branch, The Dallas Morning News said of Schulte: “Bright and well-spoken, Schulte is not unprepared and might one day grow into a top legislator.”

Nationally, Republicans fulfilled expectations and took control of the House. The results suggest that the House, which has been largely supportive of Obama’s policies thus far, will now begin to work against him.

The Republicans easily took the 39 seats that it needed to take the lead in the House, and at the time of press looked likely to exceed the 52 seat gain that propelled the GOP into the majority in 1994.

This also marks the largest pick up of seats since the Democrats took 75 seats in 1948.

“While our new majority will serve as your voice in the people’s House, we must remember it is the president who sets the agenda for our government. The American people have sent an unmistakable message to him tonight, and that message is: Change course,” said Rep. John A. Boehner, current House minority leader, to a crowd of supporters in Washington D.C. Boehner is likely to become majority leader in the  Republican-controlled House.

At the time of press, Democrats still held on to a slight lead in the Senate.

Sarah Kramer and Meredith Carlton contributed to this report.