"My original plan was for my grandson to come in here and ask if he could still tell people I'm a judge," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, referencing his memorable campaign commercial starring some members of his family.

But Emmett's early victory wasn't quite early enough for the young one, and the bit had to be scrapped for bedtime.

There was a relaxed vibe at the Hotel ZaZa where a few dozen Emmett friends and supporters watched election results on two giant screens tuned to Fox News while a band played jazzy standards and people noshed and mingled.

Emmett was introduced by his daughters just after 8 p.m. and emerged onstage with his wife Gwen.

"It feels kinda funny to be up here declaring victory before any of the precinct results have even come in," said Emmett, but the early votes were numerous and decisive enough to declare the incumbent the victor over Democrat Gordon Quan, with the early total giving him 64 percent of the vote to Quan's 36 percent.

Emmett described the Republican wellspring of support in this midterm election as a "Watergate in reverse" and promised his supporters that his overwhelming victory would be the exception rather than the rule. "This is still a competitive county," he said.

It may be a competitive county, but no one at this party seemed to notice.