Texas voters will still be sifting through candidates to fill out the legislative roster after the Legislature convenes next week. All three of Tuesday’s special legislative elections are headed for runoffs, according to unofficial numbers from the secretary of state’s website. While a clear leader emerged in each race, no one broke the required 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff in three crowded elections — Senate District 26, House District 17 and House District 123.
In HD-123, Diego Bernal, a Democrat and former San Antonio city councilman, led the pack with 47 percent of the vote. Trailing in second was Republican Nunzio Previtera, who runs an insurance agency with his wife, with 21 percent of the vote. Bernal received a lackluster endorsement from the San Antonio Express-News earlier this week.
“…None of the major party candidates demonstrated thorough enough knowledge of the issues facing the Legislature to show serious preparation for the job,” the paper wrote on Monday. “However, former City Councilman Diego Bernal is obviously the best choice.”
Full Article: Three Elections, No Winners Yet | The Texas Tribune.