DALLAS (AP) - Texas Republicans have preserved their firm grip on the state Legislature, but lost their supermajority in the House of Representatives and couldn't knock off an incumbent Democrat in a key Senate race.
Redistricting had all but guaranteed Republicans would lose a few seats in the commanding 102-48 majority they held in the House in 2011 that allowed them to pass any bill they wanted through that chamber.
Democrats rebounded Tuesday to reduce the Republican edge to in the House to 95-55. While the GOP remains the dominant force in the Legislature, the Democrats' small gain could prove important when negotiating combustible issues such as public education funding in the 2013 session.
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