SD6: Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) may be planning to remain in her Senate seat until the general election. In a conversation livestreamed on the Texas Tribune’s web site, Garcia told Evan Smith, “I feel strongly that the voters must have the final say.” Garcia is heavily favored to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Gene Green (D-Houston). Reps. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) and Ana Hernandez (D-Houston) are vying for what is expected to be a special election for the seat. If Garcia serves through the general election, then a special election could be held before the Legislature convenes in January, but a runoff would likely not occur until after the session begins. Any special election caused by a sitting state representative winning the seat would necessarily trigger another special election during the legislative session.
HD13 open: In a letter to the Navasota Examiner, former Grimes County Judge Betty Shiflett endorsed Jill Wolfskill in the special and Republican runoff elections.
HD46 open: The Sheryl Cole campaign released a new list of endorsements including Reps. Celia Israel (D-Austin) and Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin), former Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) and Pflugerville Mayor Victor Gonzalez.
HD121 open: Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) endorsed Steve Allison in the Republican runoff over Matt Beebe, who unsuccessfully challenged Straus is the 2014 Republican primary. In a statement released by the Allison campaign, Straus called Allison “the one candidate in this race who has proved himself ready to serve in the Texas House.” In a statement, Beebe said, “Voters are increasingly realizing Steve Allison is out of touch with their values.”
CD23: The political arm of AFSCME union endorsed Gina Ortiz Jones in the Democratic runoff over Rick Treviño.
CD27 open: The Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek reported that Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has asked Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton (R) for guidance on whether he has the legal authority to call an emergency special election to fill former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold’s (R-Corpus Christi) unexpired term. “It is imperative to restore representation for the people of that district as quickly as possible,” Abbott said in the letter, citing the region’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Harvey.
Meanwhile, Farenthold told KIII-TV in Corpus Christi that he timed his resignation so that a special election would occur in November, thus sparing taxpayers the expense of a special election at an earlier date. A successor would still have a two-month advantage in seniority over the rest of the incoming class.
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