Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D-Houston) was sworn in today at Houston City Hall. Mayor Sylvester Turner administered the oath of office with Johnson’s new colleague, Rep. Borris Miles (D-Houston), standing nearby. Johnson faces Kimberly Willis in Tuesday’s Democratic primary runoff election.
Early voting for the primary runoff election ends tomorrow. Turnout continues to lag behind the 2012 and 2014 runoffs. In both of those election years, early voting turnout for the Republican runoff exceeded primary turnout through the same number of days. This year, the reverse is true. Early voting turnout is less than primary turnout.
RRC open: Sen. Konni Burton (R-Fort Worth) endorsed former Rep. Wayne Christian (R-Center) and emailed her supporters urging them to vote for him. In a pair of daily pre-election reports (formerly telegram reports), Christian reported receiving $10K each from Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC and the Texas Oil and Gas Assoc. PAC and $5K from Midland gas consultant JL Davis. Empower Texans PAC reported making a $10K donation to Christian’s campaign in a daily pre-election report.
SD24 open: Dawn Buckingham reported receiving $5K from the Texas Ophthalmological EYE-PAC and $2.5K from former Comptroller Susan Combs in a daily pre-election report.
HD18 open: Keith Strahan reported receiving $5K from Houston attorney Mayes Middleton and $2.5K from Houston attorney Jason Webster in a daily pre-election report.
HD33 open: Justin Holland reported receiving $10K from the Texas House Leadership Fund in a daily pre-election report.
HD64 open: Lynn Stucky reported receiving $15K from the Texas House Leadership Fund and $5K from the Texas Medical Assoc. TEXPAC in a daily pre-election report.
HD73: Rep. Doug Miller (R-New Braunfels) reported receiving $25K from San Antonio grocer Charles Butt. $10K from Blackridge and $1.5K each from Fredericksburg attorney Gordon Sauer and the Texas American Federation of Teachers COPE Fund in a pair of daily pre-election reports. Butt has contributed $90K to Miller’s re-election campaign this cycle.
HD128: Harris Co. Judge Ed Emmett endorsed Rep. Wayne Smith (R-Baytown). Former U.S. Rep. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs endorsed Briscoe Cain. In a daily pre-election report, Cain reported receiving a $2.4K in-kind donation (direct mail) from Houston insurance claims attorney Eric Dick.
CD19 open: Jodey Arrington and Glen Robertson tussled on social media over Robertson’s signing of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, something Robertson says Arrington refused to do. Arrington responded that Robertson raised taxes twice while mayor of Lubbock.
