Dems May Sue Over Refusal To Call Special Election

Austin’s NBC affiliate reports:

When asked why he has not called for a special election to fill the vacant seat left by the passing of former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Governor Greg Abbott said Harris County will need “adequate time” to conduct the election after “repeated failures” in the past.

But Democratic lawmakers at the state and federal level say the Governor is playing politics as U.S. House Republicans hold a slim majority.

“Had I called that very quickly, it could have led to a failure in that election, just like Harris County has failed in other elections, they need to have adequate time to operate a fair and accurate election, not a crazy election, like what they’ve conducted in the past,” Gov. Abbott said during a live Friday newscast.

Houston Public Media reports:

Five Democratic state lawmakers from Houston are urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special election for the vacancy in Texas’ 18th Congressional District after the Republican governor did not put the seat on the May 3 ballot.

State Reps. Charlene Ward Johnson, Jolanda Jones, Christina Morales and Lauren Ashley Simmons, along with state Sen. Molly Cook, gathered at the Texas Capitol in Austin, where they expressed their concern that residents of the solidly Democratic district in Houston will face repercussions due to a lack of representation in Congress.

The Texas Election Code requires the governor to call a special election to fill a vacant office. Abbott, a Republican, allowed two key deadlines to pass that prevented the seat from being on the May 3 ballot. Jones accused Abbott of intentionally delaying a special election. “The truth is that Governor Abbott is rigging the U.S. Congress to protect Republicans,” Jones said. “My constituents in House District 147 who all reside in the historic 18th Congressional District are without representation.”

NBC News reports:

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is threatening a lawsuit against Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for holding off on calling a special election to fill a vacant House seat in Houston, which Democrats allege is a deliberate move designed to help pad the GOP’s razor-thin majority.

In a response to a question from NBC News, Jeffries said it’s “very likely” that Democrats will pursue litigation against Abbott, who has yet to set a date for an election to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in early March.

Asked whether he thought Abbott was deliberately delaying the special election in Texas’ solidly Democratic 18th District, Jeffries said, “Yes.” Christian Menefee, the Harris County attorney and Democrat who plans to run for the seat, has also said he would sue Abbott if he didn’t call a special election soon.

Watch Abbott’s sputtering excuses.