As the share of white Texans continues to shrink, the Legislature remains mostly white and male

Opening day of the 2023 Texas Legislature at the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023. (Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune)

The Texas Legislature has reached an overdue milestone in its history: Enough women lawmakers have now been elected over the course of 177 years to fill all 181 seats of a single legislative session, and then some.

The Legislature that convened Tuesday for its 2023 session is still mostly white and male. Seventy percent of lawmakers are men. At least 54% of lawmakers are white and nearly half are white men. But the incoming Legislature also has the highest number of women lawmakers in at least the last five sessions.