HD10 special: Brian Harrison (R), the first-place finisher in yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) special election, called on former Rep. John Wray (R-Waxahachie) to “not pursue a costly and unnecessary runoff.” Harrison finished five points ahead of Wray, 41%-36%, because a strong Election Day performance overcame Wray’s early voting advantage.

Since 1996, candidates who finished first in a special election by fewer than 10 points have lost their respective runoffs 40% of the time. Earlier this year in a district that includes Ellis Co., Susan Wright lost a runoff for CD6 after winning the first round by slightly more than Harrison’s margin over Wray.

LTGOV: Fort Worth businessman Aaron Sorrells announced he would challenge Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) in the primary, running to his right. In an Instagram post, attorney Paul Davis indicated he may manage Sorrells’s campaign. Davis was fired from a Houston-based insurance firm shortly after posting a video of himself participating in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to his Instagram account.

CD30: U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Dallas) reauthorized her campaign committee for the 2022 election. At least five Democrats have taken a formal step of entering the race, at least several with the intent of running upon Johnson’s retirement. This reauthorization could be merely procedural and not an indication she will seek re-election, but it is nonetheless a move that visibly keeps that prospect open.

Redistricting Lawsuit: Sens. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) and Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) have filed a federal suit to prevent new districts from being drawn by the Legislature until the next regular session. The Texas Constitution requires the Legislature to draw new districts in “the first regular session after the publication” of the Census data needed to draw them. The data were not released until last month, well after the end of the regular session.

The suit argues that the federal court needs to draw an interim map to account for congressional reapportionment, the process that awarded two additional U.S. House seats to the state. The case hinges on whether the Constitution’s requirement that the Legislature take up redistricting in the “next regular session” precludes it from taking it up in a prior special session.

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