LTGOV: Mike Collier, a Houston accountant and Texas Democratic Party finance chair, announced he would challenge Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Collier, who received 38% of the vote in his 2014 race for COMP against Glenn Hegar, had also been mentioned as a potential gubernatorial candidate. Collier raised nearly $1.2M for his COMP campaign, which was third in the race behind Hegar ($5.0M) and then-Rep. Harvey Hilderbran ($1.8M), who Hegar defeated for the Republican nomination. Former Rep. Allen Vaught (D-Dallas) filed paperwork in January indicating a run against Patrick, as did former gubernatorial candidate Miriam Martinez, who received 3% in the 2014 Republican primary against Greg Abbott.
AG: U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant again dismissed the federal securities fraud case against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Mazzant ruled the federal Securities and Exchange Commission failed to prove that Paxton had a legal duty to disclose that he would make a commission if investors bought stock in McKinney-based Servergy. This latest dismissal is “with prejudice,” which means the charges cannot be brought again. The SEC is not expected to appeal the decision. In a statement, Paxton said, “These charges were baseless when the SEC initially brought them, and they were without merit when the SEC re-filed them.” Paxton still faces state fraud charges, and a criminal trial is scheduled to begin May 1.
CD24: Carrollton accountant Jan McDowell, a Democrat, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission for a rematch against U.S. Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Carrollton), who defeated McDowell, 56%-39%, in 2016. Marchant outraised McDowell, $897K to $22K, during the 2015-16 election cycle.
Corpus Christi: Previously announced candidates Jonathan Garison and Larry White filed for the special mayoral election, joining former Mayor Nelda Martinez and at-large council member Joe McComb. Garison is an educator. White is a city ethics commissioner and engineer. At least four other candidates have announced plans to run: attorney Mark Di Carlo, business owner James Hernandez, former council and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ray Madrigal and former council member Mark Scott. Filing continues through March 27 for the May 6 special election.
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