Early voting continues for the November 2 constitutional, general and special elections. According to Democratic strategist Colin Strother, 589 people voted early today (Tuesday) in the HD118 special runoff election, bringing the two-day, in-person total to just under 1K. Statewide, turnout for Monday, the first day of the early voting period, was 0.6% for the constitutional amendment election.
AG: Texas Young Republicans endorsed Land. Comm. George P. Bush (R) over Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton (R).
HD19 open: Austin police officer Justin Berry announced he would seek the seat. Berry, who narrowly lost the 2020 general election for HD47 (48%), previously announced he would run for the House again but did not declare a district.
HD60: Aledo retired biochemist and conservative activist Mike Olcott and Weatherford college professor and former Weatherford ISD trustee Joshua Tarbay announced they challenge Rep. Glenn Rogers (R-Graford) in the Republican primary. Since 2014, Olcott and his wife Marika have contributed more than $360K to conservative candidates and PACs. Tarbay’s biography indicates he was “an original member” of what initially was the Parker Co. Tea Party.
HD71: Rep. Stan Lambert (R-Abilene) announced he would seek re-election.
CD3: Former Collin County Judge Keith Self (R) is expected to “make a major campaign announcement” tomorrow (Wednesday) regarding CD3. Self previously established a campaign committee for a potential primary challenge of U.S. Rep. Van Taylor (R-Plano).
CD15 open: Edinburg attorney Ruben Ramirez established a new campaign committee for what would be his third run for Congress as a Democrat. Ramirez unsuccessfully ran for what was then an open CD15 in 2016, receiving 6% of the vote in the Democratic primary, and unsuccessfully challenged former U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Mercedes) in the 2012 primary (5%). In 2015, Ramirez filed for the seat as Ruben Ramirez Hinojosa, but Democratic Party officials removed the Hinojosa surname, arguing that he failed to prove he goes by that name.
CD35 open: Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio) confirmed he was considering a run for the seat. Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) is also considering a run for the seat. The current representative for CD35, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin), is running in adjacent CD37.
Austin council member Greg Casar announced the formation of an exploratory committee. Mayor Steve Adler and council members Paige Ellis, Vanessa Fuentes, Natasha Harper-Madison, Ann Kitchen and Pio Renteria top the list of supporters. Former Democratic congressional candidates Mike Siegel (CD10), Heidi Sloan (CD25) and Rick Treviño (CD23) are also on the list. Casar’s council term runs until 2025, at which point he would be term-limited. He was first elected in 2014.
Austin e-commerce consultant Danielle Fewings and Kyle management analyst and community activist Claudia Zapata are already in the race for the Democratic nomination.
CD37: Austin healthcare finance executive Julie Oliver, who lost the last two general elections for CD25 as a Democrat (45% and 42%, respectively), established an exploratory committee for a potential primary challenge of U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin).
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