San Antonio voters to choose next House representative in special election

Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to date with Texas’ most essential news.

Republican John Lujan and Democrat Frank Ramirez face off Tuesday in a second round of the special election for a Texas House seat in San Antonio that the GOP is determined to overthrow.

Candidates are competing to replace former State Representative Leo Pacheco D-San Antonio, who resigned earlier this year to teach at San Antonio College.

Lujan briefly held the seat in 2016. Ramirez is a former member of San Antonio City Council and the Texas Legislature.

Election results will start arriving after 7 p.m. Central time.

The South Side San Antonio seat is Democrat-friendly, President Joe Biden winning by 14 percentage points last year. But Republicans have focused on it as part of a push to make further forays into South Texas after Biden underperformed in the region last year.

Lujan finished first in the special election at the end of last month, securing 42% of the vote, while Ramirez came in second with 20%. There were two other Democrats in the running, as well as another Republican.

Despite the high stakes, the second round presented little direct conflict between the two candidates. However, Democrats have sought to get Lujan to answer for his support for Governor Greg Abbott and the decidedly conservative turn the state has taken this year under Abbott. Lujan, a veteran firefighter and former deputy to the Bexar County Sheriff, has focused his campaign on less controversial issues like public safety and employment.

Lujan retained a large financial advantage in the second round. As of Tuesday, he had reported $ 446,000 in contributions to the Texas Ethics Commission since September 19, while Ramirez had received $ 254,000 in donations during the same period.

National and national groups on both sides invested money in the second round, and dozens of House members got involved, loaning their time and money to each candidate. Ramirez campaigned with Beto O’Rourke and other leading Democrats, while Lujan enjoyed support from Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan R-Beaumont.

Disclosure: San Antonio College has financially supported The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Financial support plays no role in the journalism of the Tribune. Find a full list of them here.