Early voting for the May 1 general and special elections begins on April 19. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters has released Voters Guides for municipal and other local elections in many areas of Texas.

Correction: In our most recent report, we erroneously identified James Worthen as Chief Justice of the 14th Court of Appeals. He is Chief Justice of the 12th Court of Appeals. We regret the error and have corrected the online version of the report.

GOV: Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is among the nine Republican governors EMILY’s List is targeting in this election cycle, according to the group.

Appellate Districts: By a party-line vote, the Senate gave preliminary approval today (Tuesday) to legislation that would create a statewide appellate district alongside the existing 14 districts. Senate Bill 1529 by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) would give the newly formed Texas Court of Appeals exclusive appellate jurisdiction over most civil cases involving the state or challenging the constitutionality of a statute. The five-member panel would be elected statewide with all five positions on the ballot in 2022.

CD31: U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock) announced he would seek re-election.

SEN: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R) campaign announced he raised $5.3M in the first quarter, including funds raised for two affiliated committees. He has $5.6M on hand. He is not up for re-election until 2024.

Dallas: The Dallas Morning News endorsed council members Tennell Atkins, Paula Blackmon and Cara Mendelsohn for re-election and Jaynie Schultz for an open council seat.

Fort Worth: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram endorsed council members Carlos Flores and Cary Moon for re-election and Michael Crain, the district director for council member Brian Byrd, to succeed him. Byrd is running for mayor.

San Antonio: The San Antonio Express-News endorsed council members John Courage, Adriana Rocha Garcia, Melissa Cabello Havrda, Manny Pelaez and Ana Sandoval for re-election. The paper endorsed challenger Ezra Johnson over council member Clayton Perry, and it endorsed Geremy Landin for an open council seat.

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