Waco will have a new state representative after Leon County Republican Marva Beck upset longtime lawmaker Jim Dunnam in the District 57 House race.

Dunnam, a Democrat and Waco attorney, has held the seat for seven terms. Although he carried McLennan County, winning 64 percent of the 10,752 votes cast, Beck bested him in other parts of the district.

District 57 includes Falls, Leon, Madison and Robertson counties. The parts of McLennan County in the district are east, south and parts of north Waco, as well as Bellmead, Mart and Riesel.

State Rep. Jim Dunnam (left) lost to Marva Beck (right) of Leon County in Tuesday's election.

Beck won 51.67 percent of the total turnout, garnering 14,387 votes. Dunnam received 12,742 votes, or 45.76 percent.

Libertarian Derek Johnson, from Marlin in Falls County, accounted for the rest of the ballots cast.

Beck attributed her win to her outreach to voters in the district. She said she spent a lot of time talking to people and listening to their concerns.

“We put our heart into it and they responded and turned out,” Beck said. “This is a victory for the people. They have spoken. They are tired of not being represented.”

Beck’s number one priority once she is in the Legislature will be passing a more stringent voter identification law, she said Tuesday night.

During the campaign, she said she wanted would-be voters to have to present registration cards, as well as a photo ID, before casting ballots.

Dunnam, who is the Democratic Caucus leader in the House, said he is honored to have represented his hometown for 15 years. He attributed his loss to a general swing toward Republican candidates across both the state and nation.

“I think it’s unfortunate for a lot of good public servants,” Dunnam said of the tide. “. . . But I’m going to walk away real proud.”

The race attracted big money, with Dunnam and Beck collectively raising about $1.5 million. To a large degree, that influx of cash was part of a broader battle between trial lawyers and tort reform opponents.

Much of Beck’s money came from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a group that advocates for limits on lawsuit awards. Beck is a Centerville rancher and former chairwoman of the Leon County Republican Party.

Dunnam got several big donations from law firms. He also received a large amount of money from Texans for Insurance Reform, a group backed by trial lawyers.

cculp@wacotrib.com

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