HD28 special: Rosenberg real estate investor Gary Gates announced he would run in the November 5 special election to succeed Rep. John Zerwas (R-Richmond), who is resigning effective September 30. It would be his third try for the seat. Gates has spent more than $6.3M in several previous unsuccessful attempts at elective office:
- $2.9M on a 2016 race for Railroad Commissioner, losing the 2016 Republican runoff to Wayne Christian, 51%-49%.
- $2.4M on a 2014 special election for SD18, which he lost to then-Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), 56%-34%, wth three others combining for 10%.
- $390K on a 2006 race for SD18, losing the Republican primary to then-Rep. Glenn Hegar (R-Katy), 55%-36%.
- $277K on a 2004 race for HD28, losing the Republican primary to Hegar, 61%-39%; and
- $327K on a 2002 race for an open HD28 seat, losing the Republican runoff to Hegar, 58%-42%.
According to a press release announcing his candidacy, Gates and his family have lived in the district three decades.
HD64: Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R) endorsed Rep. Lynn Stucky (R-Sanger) for re-election, and Stucky announced he would seek re-election.
HD65: Carrollton civil engineer and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD board member Nancy Cline established a campaign committee for a potential challenge of Rep. Michelle Beckley (D-Carrollton) as a Republican. Cline was first elected to the CFBISD board in 2005.
Rep. Brooks Landgraf
HD81: On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) endorsed Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) for re-election even as he considers running for open CD11. Today (Wednesday), Landgraf tweeted his gratitude, adding, “I look forward to continuing working with [Abbott] to promote conservative governance and to keep Texas the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
HD83: Days after resigning as Republican Caucus chair, Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) announced he would seek re-election to a fourth term.
HD98: Southlake attorney Debra Edmondson established a campaign committee for a potential challenge of Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake), likely as a Democrat. Campaign finance records indicate Edmondson gave small donations to Capriglione’s campaign in 2017 and 2018 but has otherwise given small donations to Democratic candidates and PACs.
HD148 special: Houston educator Kendra Yarbrough Camarena re-established her campaign committee for a potential run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Jessica Farrar (D-Houston), who is resigning effective September 30. Camarena lost a 2010 race for HD138, 63%-35%, to Rep. Dwayne Bohac (R-Houston). She was recently a candidate for Houston City Council but appears to have withdrawn from the District C race.
Houston attorney Penny Shaw established a campaign committee for the race, also running as a Democrat. Shaw was the 2018 Democratic nominee for Harris Co. Comm. P4, losing the general election to incumbent Jack Cagle, 54%-46%.
Meanwhile, John Chapa Gorczynski announced he would not seek the seat and would remain chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston).
SC6 open: Houston attorney and 2018 Democratic nominee Kathy Cheng announced she would run in the special election against the justice to be appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to succeed Justice Jeff Brown, who has been confirmed as a federal judge. Cheng lost to Brown, 54%-46%, in the 2018 general election.
CD11 open: San Angelo attorney Jon Mark Hogg established a campaign committee for a potential run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Midland) as a Democrat.
Kathaleen
Wall
CD22 open: Houston technology business developer and significant Republican donor Kathaleen Wall established a campaign committee and announced she would seek the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Pete Olson (R-Sugar Land). Wall spent more than $6M of her own money in an unsuccessful attempt to win the Republican nomination for vacant CD2 in 2018, narrowly missing the runoff behind eventual general election winner Dan Crenshaw (27%).
Meanwhile, former Univ. of Texas and Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens said he has “no interest” in running for the seat, but attorney and former Pearland council member Felicia Harris is considering the race. Harris ran unsuccessfully for CD14 in 2012, losing the Republican runoff to then-Rep. Randy Weber (R-Pearland), 63%-37%.
CD23 open: The campaign of Democratic candidate Gina Ortiz Jones announced she has surpassed $1M in contributions in just under 100 days since declaring her candidacy. She reported raising $571K during the second quarter, which means she has raised at least $429K since July 1. She raised $5.2M during her 2018 campaign, which included a Democratic runoff election and a narrow loss to U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-San Antonio) in the general election. Hurd is not seeking re-election.
Harris Co.: Former Rep. Kristi Thibaut (D-Houston) announced she will challenge P3 Co. Comm. Steve Radack (R), becoming at least the fourth Democrat to do so. Diana Alexander, Erik Hassan and Michael Moore are already in the race.
Houston: Pending the review and final applications of write-in candidates, 124 candidates have been certified for mayor, city council and city controller. Every position is contested. Mayor Sylvester Turner has 11 challengers, including council member Dwight Boykins, attorney Tony Buzbee, 2015 runoff opponent Bill King, council member and former council member Sue Lovell.
Incumbent Dave Martin (Dist. E) faces Sam Cleveland. Incumbent Greg Travis (Dist. G) faces Tom Baker and Crystal Pletka. Incumbent Karla Cisneros (Dist. H) has three challengers. Incumbent Robert Gallegos (Dist. I) faces Rick Gonzales. Incumbent Martha Castex- Tatum faces Kim Sauke and Gerry Vander-Lyn. At-large incumbents Mike Knox, David Robinson and Michael Kobosh face four, four and three challengers, respectively. City Controller Chris Brown faces former Controller Orlando Sanchez.
Open-seat races drew more interest. Fifteen candidates are seeking open Dist. D, 14 people are running for open Dist. B, and 13 are running for open Dist. C. A complete list of candidates can be found here.
©2019 Texas Election Source LLC
