1853 Texas' 2nd Congressional District Election

The 1853 Texas' 2nd Congressional District Election were held on August 1st, 1853 to elect a representative from Texas' 2nd Congressional District to the US House of Representatives. The election featured former Texian and US Army Colonel Micah S. Taylor, running as an independent and incumbent Governor of Texas Peter Hansborough Bell, running as a Democrat. The election was tightly contested, as the two war heroes of both the Texas Revolution and Mexican-American War garnered much support. Despite Bell's popularity as Governor of Texas, Taylor's reputation and moderate views, plus a key endorsement from Sam Houston, held greater appeal in an increasingly divisive US House of Representatives, and he was able to secure a narrow victory of just over 700 votes. The election was characterized by the popularity of both candidates, and generated a high turnout of voters. Texas historian Eugene C. Barker said of the election, "The 1853 US House election for the 2nd District featured two highly regarded candidates, and many of the voters would have been happy with either Taylor or Bell in Washington, but only one could be sent to Capitol Hill."