#TXLEGE: Following Uresti resignation, Abbott announces QUICK Special Election to fill vacancy

"He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame."
Proverbs 10:5

That didn't take long:

Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled a July 31 special election to replace state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio.

Uresti announced his resignation Monday, four months after he was found guilty of 11 felonies. The resignation is effective Thursday.

The filing deadline for the special election is Monday, and early voting will start July 16, according to Abbott's proclamation. The document also outlines Abbott's reasoning for calling what is known as an emergency special election, noting Uresti's District 19 has been "without effective representation" for over a year due to his legal troubles and it is important to fill the seat as soon as possible.

....

At least two Democrats are already running to finish Uresti's term, which ends in 2021: former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine and state Rep. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio. Pete Flores, a Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Uresti in 2016, has also announced a special election run.

Here's the thing: While this district is rooted in San Antonio, it extends WAY out into West Texas.  This is not friendly territory for the Democrat's positions on guns and babies.  In a special election, a disciplined Republican campaign can win.

[Note: There's a reason why, regardless of the degree to which he was a scumbag, Uresti tended to vote somewhat more conservative than other Democrats.]

Speaking of the Republican, meet Pete Flores:

Pete Flores is running for Texas Senate District 19, which is composed of all or parts of 17 counties running from Bexar west to Brewster and encompassing a long stretch of border with Mexico.

A former leader of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s statewide law enforcement division with strong ties to South and West Texas, Flores sees the Texas State Senate as another way he can serve the region.

“I would bring strong managerial, budgetary, governance and leadership experience to the Texas Senate having been responsible for $60-million budgets, managed more than two dozen field offices, and supervised more than 127 civilian employees and nearly 532 commissioned officers,” Flores said.

As Colonel Game Warden for Texas Parks and Wildlife, Flores built a strong reputation for implementing community-based law enforcement protocols and successfully coordinating law enforcement operations with local, state and federal law enforcement officials.

[Note: You can read the rest of Pete Flores' bio here.]

Bottom Line: In their current form, the Democrats are too liberal for this part of the state; it'll be interesting to see if the Republicans can capitalize.