Filing for the 2020 election is underway. Our Crib Sheets have up-to-date filing status of the candidates we are tracking. At least 160 candidates have already filed.
Motor Voter: The Fifth Court of Appeals overturned an April 2018 lower court ruling requiring the state to provide an online means of registering vote because the plaintiffs lacked standing. The district court granted summary judgment and ordered the state to provide voters a means of registering to vote when they update a driver’s license online.
Today’s ruling deals only with the narrow issue of standing (PDF) and does not address whether the state is in fact in violation of the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993. “Although we have no occasion to decide the merits of Plaintiffs’ claims,” wrote Circuit Judge James Ho in a concurring opinion, Plaintiffs’ lack of standing “does not prevent us from acknowledging that Plaintiffs … were unable to exercise their right to vote in past election cycles. And it is a right they will never be able recover.”
About three dozen states offer some form of online voter registration. The states that do not currently offer it are Arkansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.
Rep. Dan
Flynn
HD2: Gov. Greg Abbott (R) endorsed Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Van) for re-election.
HD10 open: Oak Leaf resident Robert “Zack” Rader filed as a Republican for the seat being vacated by Rep. John Wray (R-Waxahachie).
HD74 open: Eagle Pass city attorney Eddie Morales announced he would seek the seat being vacated by Rep. Poncho Nevárez (D-Eagle Pass) as a Democrat.
HD84: Lubbock Democratic Party activist and 2018 nominee Samantha Fields has ended her effort to seek a rematch against Rep. John Frullo (R-Lubbock), reported the Lubbock Avalanche-Journals’s Matt Dotray. “Family comes first,” Fields said in a statement. “Neither the campaign nor my family can afford divided attention.” Fields received 40% of the vote in the 2018 general election. No other Democrat is currently in the race as far as we can tell.
HD88: Perryton insurance agent Jason Huddleston re-established his campaign committee for a potential primary rematch against Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian). Huddleston received 30% of the vote in the 2018 Republican primary against King. Huddleston’s former campaign site and social media are dark, so this may simply be a change in campaign treasurers and not a sign he is running for the seat. We have listed him in our House Crib Sheet until we learn more about his intentions.
HD141: Houston resident Sam N. Smith established a campaign committee for a potential challenge of Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston).
HD149: Houston education consultant and Alief ISD board member Lily Truong has filed to challenge Rep. Hubert Vo (D-Houston) as a Republican. She was first elected to the school board in 2015 and re-elected last week with 61% of the vote.
CD17 open: Waco homebuilder and former Secret Service agent Scott Bland filed and established a campaign committee to run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Bill Flores (R-Bryan) as a Republican. He is at least the 7th Republican to take a formal step toward the race.
CD22 open: Jon Camarillo announced he would seek the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Pete Olson (R-Sugar Land), making him at least the 16th Republican to take a formal step toward entering the race.
CD23 open: Retiring U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-San Antonio) endorsed Tony Gonzales (R) to succeed him.
Meanwhile, Alexandria, Va. resident Jeff McFarlin established a campaign committee for the race as a Republican.
Harris Co.: Term-limited Houston council member Brenda Stardig has established a campaign committee for what would be a primary challenge of P3 Co. Comm. Steve Radack (R). She was first elected to the council in 2009 and was re-elected in 2011 and 2015.
Houston: U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) endorsed Sandra Rodriguez in the Dist. J runoff.
Cibolo: Mayor Stosh Boyle has avoided a runoff by 2 votes. Following the counting of five final absentee ballots, Boyle received 1,540 votes. His two opponents received 1,538 votes combined.
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