Special Election Likely Will Be Held To Fill Rep. Blake Farenthold’s Seat

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 6: Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, participates in a press conference with other Texas Republicans following the House vote on Hurricane Harvey relief on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Photo By ... UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 6: Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, participates in a press conference with other Texas Republicans following the House vote on Hurricane Harvey relief on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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There will likely be a special election to fill the seat left by former Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) after the governor reportedly got the attorney general’s support Monday to hold the election as soon as possible to facilitate recovery efforts for a district still on its knees from Hurricane Harvey.

According to the Texas Tribune, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote an opinion stating that courts will likely comply with Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) request to hold the election before November 6 under a state law that allows the governor to override election rules if they interfere with emergency relief.

Farenthold abruptly resigned in early April after being mired in scandal about a taxpayer-funded settlement and general outcry resulting from his habitual sexual harassment, verbal abuse and rage in the workplace.

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  1. Avatar for sanni sanni says:

    How would this work? When are the regular primaries in Texas? So many questions. The biggest being why he waited so long between announcing he would not run again, vs. resigning earlier this month. Feels like there is some angle being gamed (at state level GOP - in Texas - duh). I would be interested on Texan perspectives about what is going on and how it might play out.

    Oh - and duckypjguy - we aren’t going to miss you when your gone.

  2. In MinnesotaWisconsin, Walker refused to hold specials with substantially more time on the clock until he was sued and ordered to do so by a court and the attempts to change the law retroactively to invalidate that court order fell apart.

    Here, they are so eager to hold a special that they want to suspend state law to do it, even though it will result in a special being held so close to the regular election as to be meaningless.

    I wonder what the reason is for the different approaches.

    Edited to correct East Coast Elite view of the world…(sorry, Minnesotans!)

  3. “…the seat left by former Rep. Blake Farenthold…”

    Is Princess Leia still chained to it?

  4. fill the seat left by former Rep

    How many people are being elected?

  5. And that’s a really big handful.

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