The Austin American-Statesman reports that Democrat Diana Maldonado won the open contest for House District 52, defeating Republican Bryan Daniel.  With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Maldonado led Daniel 49 to 47 percent, according to the Texas Secretary of State.

The race in Williamson County was one of the mostly closely watched in the state.  State Rep. Mike Krusee (R-Round Rock) did not seek re-election. Krusee won his 2006 contest with just 52 percent of the vote, and Democrats hoped Maldonado would be able to make inroads in the historically Republican district.

Maldonado is a former Round Rock school board president. Daniel is an insurance executive and former USDA official. In her campaign, Maldonado stressed her resume and experience in education. Daniel said he reflected the conservative values of the district. He campaigned on border security and lower property taxes. He was also backed by a number of agricultural groups.

The Austin metro area contest was costly, especially for a state House seat. Taken together, Maldonado and Daniel raised more than a million dollars.

Until the last few weeks of the campaign Maldonado had more cash on hand than Daniel. But towards the end of the campaign he received a cash influx from House Speaker Tom Craddick's Stars Over Texas PACS and Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Maldonado also received high-dollar donations from several Democratically-aligned groups such as Blue Texas and the House Democratic Campaign Committee.   

Maldonado's election follows a general trend of Democrats winning Austin-area state House seats in recent cycles.