Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled the special election for a vacant deep-blue House seat for Nov. 4, drawing swift condemnation from Democrats over the seven-month waiting period and inviting threats of legal action.
Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor, died on March 5 just two months into his term representing Texas’ 18th District. His seat is one of two current Democratic vacancies in the House, where Republicans hold a threadbare majority.
“Governor Abbott is openly conspiring with House Republicans to rig the system and disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Harris County residents,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement Monday.
