SD6 “open”: Attorneys representing Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) sent a letter to Harris Co. Clerk Stan Stanart demanding he “immediately order a special election” to coincide with the general election. They point to Art. 3, Sec. 13 of the Texas Constitution, which provides that the “officer of the district in which such vacancy may have happened” is authorized to order an election if the governor does not within 20 days of the vacancy occurring.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has not ordered the election since receiving her letter last month. His office said her letter does not trigger Abbott’s authority to call a special election. Garcia’s office noted that the phrasing of her letter is nearly identical to one filed by former Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) to then-Gov. Rick Perry (R) in 2014. Perry scheduled the special election for December of that year.
An election must be ordered by tomorrow (Friday) in order for it to take place on November 6.
SD19 special: U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-San Antonio) endorsed Pete Flores.
HD52 open: Cynthia Flores and James Talarico, the Republican and Democratic nominees for a full term, were the only candidates who filed for the November 6 special election to fill the unexpired term of former Rep. Larry Gonzales (R-Round Rock).
HD62 open: Reggie Smith, the Republican nominee for a full term, was the only person to file for the November 6 special election to fill the unexpired term of former Rep. Larry Phillips (R-Sherman). Democratic nominee Valerie Hefner and Libertarian nominee David Schaab did not file for the special election.
CD23: The campaign of U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-San Antonio) released a new ad, “No One Left Behind,” highlighting Hurd’s record on veterans’ issues.
Dallas Co.: U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater threw out a lawsuit brought by conservatives seeking to have commissioners court districts redrawn to elect a second Anglo Republican. Fitzwater ruled that plaintiffs “cannot prevail on their claims” because they “failed to prove that, were a second Anglo majority district drawn, Anglos would possess the potential to elect an Anglo Republican.” The suit was brought by the Equal Voting Rights Institute, a conservative entity headed by attorney Dan Morenoff, who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) in the 2016 Republican primary. For what it’s worth, the group’s web site has been hacked and, as of 10 p.m. tonight (Thursday), points to an online pharmacy.
©2018 Texas Election Source LLC
