Rep. René Oliveira (D-Brownsville) was charged with a Class B misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated after his vehicle struck another car at a stop light Friday night. In a statement, Oliveira apologized for “a mistake in judgment,” adding he was thankful “no one was injured” in the incident.
“I know that my error in judgment has consequences, and I will accept those consequences,” Oliveira said. “I know that I will not be treated any differently than anyone else.”
Oliveira faces Cameron Co. Comm. Alex Dominguez in the Democratic runoff after failing to win a majority of votes in the March primary. Early voting begins May 14.
Just five incumbents of the last 25 incumbent legislators forced into runoffs have prevailed. The most recent incumbent to win a runoff, Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City), did so despite several legal problems, including having his law license suspended while early voting was underway,
Early voting for the May 5 uniform and special elections ends Tuesday. Turnout is generally low to very low, which is typical for local elections.
GOV: Jolt Texas, a group promoting Latino voter turnout, endorsed Andew White in the Democratic runoff over Lupe Valdez. Both candidates appeared at a town hall organized by the group, as did U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso), who the group also endorsed. Valdez faced, and struggled to answer, several questions about her record of cooperating with federal immigration officials while she was Dallas Co. Sheriff.
HD107: Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) endorsed Deanna Metzger in the Republican runoff over Joe Ruzicka.
CD31: Former Democratic candidate Kent Lester endorsed Christine Mann in the runoff over M.J. Hegar. Lester finished fourth in the four-way primary with 10% of the vote. Mike Clark, the third-place finisher in the primary (11%), has endorsed Hegar.
Haltom City: Trae Fowler, a former mayor and current council member, admitted he has been driving without a license for nearly a decade. The revelation came to light after video of a traffic stop in North Richland Hills showed Fowler’s inability to show the officer his driver’s license. The officer discovered Fowler had arrest warrants there and in McKinney, both related to citations he received for driving without a license.
Fowler is currently running for re-election, and early voting is still ongoing.
The video was posted on YouTube by Haltom City Firefighters for Responsible Government, which opposes Fowler’s re-election.
©2018 Texas Election Source
