Filing for a place on the 2018 continues until 6 p.m. local time on Monday. About two thirds of all federal, statewide, legislative and Board of Education seats on the 2018 ballot are being contested by candidates of both the Republican and Democratic Parties, the highest such figure in at least 25 years and likely at or near historic levels.
As far as we can tell, four incumbents have not yet filed for re-election: Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Barbara Hervey; Reps. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) and Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin); and State Board of Education member Erika Beltran (D-Dallas). These incumbents may have already filed and we simply have not seen confirmation.
HD128: Challenger Terry Sain announced he was ending his primary challenge against Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park). “For someone who has spent his career, basically, making sure that all the hatches were secure before sailing, I don’t believe my candidacy is sea ready,” Sain said in a statement. “I am sorry to have let so many down.” We previously reported that Sain canceled a fundraiser scheduled for next week. Cain has no other known opponent. Former Rep. Wayne Smith (R-Baytown), who Cain defeated in the 2016 Republican runoff, reported having $37K on hand as of June 30. Smith was one of the hosts of Sain’s canceled fundraiser.
SD7: Houston paralegal Dave Romero filed in the Democratic primary to challenge Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston).
SD15: Houston attorney Hank Segelke established a campaign committee for a potential challenge of Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston). We were unable to determine his political affiliation.
SD17: Houston resident Rita Lucido re-established her campaign committee for a potential general election rematch against Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston).
HD10: Ovilla resident Kimberly Faith Emery filed in the Democratic primary to challenge Rep. John Wray (R-Waxahachie). She is the first Democrat to seek the seat since 2006.
HD14: College Station resident Alex Vidal filed in the Democratic primary to challenge Rep. John Raney (R-College Station).
HD30: Yoakum geospatial analyst Robin Hayter filed in the Democratic primary to challenge Rep. Geanie Morrison (R-Victoria). She established a campaign committee for the race in August. At the time, we expected her to run as a Libertarian because she was a former Victoria Co. chair.
HD37: Cameron Co. Comm. Alex Dominguez filed in the Democratic primary and Brownsville political operative Arnoldo Alonso established a campaign committee for a potential primary challenge of Rep. Rene Oliveira (D-Brownsville). Dominguez, a Brownsville attorney, was appointed to the court after winning the 2014 Democratic primary runoff, then secured a full term in that year’s general election. Alonso is the state director of the progressive Texas Victory Project.
HD103: An individual named Jerry Fortenberry filed in the Republican primary to challenge Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas). We were unable to identify him conclusively. He is the first Republican to seek the seat since 2002.
HD109 open: Former DeSoto Mayor Carl Sherman filed in the Democratic primary for the seat being vacated by Rep. Helen Giddings (D-Dallas). Sherman was first elected mayor in 2010, becoming the first African-American to do so, and was re-elected until he became term-limited. Sherman has since served as the city manager for Hutchins.
HD129: Houston public policy professional Alexander Jonathan Karjeker filed in the Democratic primary to challenge Rep. Dennis Paul (R-Webster).
CD5 open: Jason Wright, a regional director for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R), filed in the Republican primary for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Dallas).
CD21 open: A Cygnal poll shows “unsure” leading a passel of current and potential Republican candidates looking to succeed the retiring U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-San Antonio), but former U.S. Rep. Quico Canseco leads that field with 22%. Canseco had the highest name ID of the polled candidates, but he was the only polled candidate whose approval rating was negative (22/28). Former Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville), who is not a candidate as far as we can tell, is second at 14% and 2016 candidate Matt McCall is third at 11%. Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) is fourth at 7% followed by Robert Stovall (5%) and former San Marcos Mayor and three-time Congressional candidate Susan Narvaiz (3%). The poll was conducted by Fight for Tomorrow, a Super PAC founded by Travis Co. Republican chair Matt Mackowiak. The poll of 419 likely voters was in the field December 4-5.
Wichita Falls: Bobby Whiteley won today’s runoff election for an at-large council seat, 68%-32%, over Penny Miller. Whiteley narrowly missed winning the November general election outright, receiving 49% of the vote.
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