Bob Daemmrich: Gallego/Campaign website
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has picked Sept. 18 as the date of the special election runoff to replace convicted former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, lawyers revealed Monday as they appeared in court for a case challenging the eligibility of one of the candidates.
Early voting will run Sept. 10-14, the lawyers said.
The runoff pits Republican Pete Flores against Democrat Pete Gallego. They were the top two finishers in the first round of the special election, which was held July 31 and included six other candidates. The Republican Party of Texas is suing to remove Gallego from the ballot, alleging he does not live in the district as required by state law. At a court hearing in Travis County Monday, a lawyer for the state party unsuccessfully sought to block the Texas Secretary of State from certifying the candidates for the runoff.
Uresti resigned earlier this year after being found guilty of 11 felonies, including securities fraud and money laundering, prompting a special election to replace him.
The runoff date was shared in court by lawyers for the Texas GOP, Gallego and the secretary of state. Abbott’s office did not immediately confirm the runoff date, and a proclamation was not publicly available.
