Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos (D-Dallas) and the Texas Democratic Party have filed suit (PDF) in Travis Co. against Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan and an “unknown named political committee.”

The suit alleges the June 12 meeting between Sullivan, Speaker Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton) and Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) “amounted [to] a coordination meeting between political actors intended to influence the election or defeat of specific candidates.” The meeting “resulted in the formation of a political committee” that must be registered with an appointed treasurer. The plaintiffs seek discovery, including Sullivan’s recording of the meeting, and injunctive relief “to prohibit any planned or ongoing campaign finance violations.”

In a tweet, Sullivan said the Democrats “are trying to victimize me with a frivolous lawsuit.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R-Fredericksburg) became the third member to call for Bonnen’s resignation, joining Reps. Phil Stephenson (R-Wharton) and Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford).

CD11 open: Midland council member J. Ross Lacy announced he would seek the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Midland) as a Republican, and he also formed a campaign committee for the race.

CD20: San Antonio resident Eldon Dan McQueen established a campaign committee for a potential challenge of U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) as a Republican. This may be former Corpus Christi Mayor Dan McQueen, who resigned after serving just 37 days and attempted a primary challenge of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018 before withdrawing. He also lost a November 2018 race for Corpus Christi mayor, finishing last in a five-candidate field with 4% of the vote.

Meanwhile, a Facebook group has been established for San Antonio real estate agent Dominick Andrew Dina to explore support for the race as a Republican. He has not yet formed a campaign committee as far as we can tell.

©2019 Texas Election Source LLC