It’s time for the week that was in Texas politics with Patrick Svitek, political correspondent for The Texas Tribune.
The special election to replace Congressman Ron Wright, who passed away in February due to COVID-19, has attracted a large field of candidates. The winner of the May 1 election, or the likely runoff thereafter, will represent the 6th District, located in North Texas. Svitek told Texas Standard the 23 candidates include 11 Republicans, 10 Democrats a Libertarian and an Independent.
Susan Wright, Congressman Wright’s widow, is running for the seat as a Republican, as are former Trump administration official Brian Harrison and state Rep. Jake Ellzey. Leading Democrats in the race include Jana Lynne Sanchez, who ran for the seat in 2018, Lydia Bean, who sought a state House seat in 2020 and Shawn Lassiter, who leads Democrats in fundraising.
On Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz and the Club for Growth, a national conservative group, came out against Ellzey.
“They’re trying to make it seem like he is an opponent of [former] President Donald Trump, based on some campaign contributions he’s gotten in the past,” Svitek said.
Trump has not made an endorsement in the race.
Svitek says that Trump won the district by a slim three-point margin in 2020.
