Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott is facing sharp criticism for delaying a special election to fill the seat of a Democratic U.S. Representative in a solid blue district who died in March. With the U.S. House of Representatives nearly evenly split, Democrats argue that waiting until November—eight months after the congressman’s death—to hold the election is a deliberate move that borders on corruption.
U.S. Representative Sylvester Turner (D-TX) died on March 5. He represented about 800,000 Texans. One month later, Governor Abbott had still not scheduled a special election.
“Had I called that very quickly, it could have led to a failure in that election, just like Harris County has failed in other elections, they need to have adequate time to operate a fair and accurate election, not a crazy election, like what they’ve conducted in the past,” Gov. Abbott claimed in an interview with Nexstar’s KXAN last week.
Democrats have been pushing back.
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“People not only deserve fair representation in these policies that are affecting them, they need constituent services, and right now they are being denied the person who can run point for that district to make sure that folks are drawing down the federal dollars that they need,” said Democratic State Senator Molly Cook at a press conference.
After outcry from state and national Democrats, Gov. Abbott on Monday set the special election date: November 4.
Now, Democrats are furious and threatening legal action over the lengthy timeline.
“Governor Abbott is openly conspiring with House Republicans to rig the system and disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Harris County residents,” Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a statement on Monday.
He said Abbott “intentionally delayed calling a special election for nearly five weeks – or three more than he has historically taken – in order to avoid having to hold the special election in May.”
“House Republicans know their billionaire-first agenda is entirely out of step with the American people. That’s why they’re doing everything they can to salvage their razor-thin majority in order to enact the largest Medicaid cut in American history. House Democrats remain committed to giving a voice to the people of TX-18 and we are actively exploring legal options to compel Governor Abbott and his House Republican co-conspirators to do the right thing.”
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The Texas Tribune reported last month that “Turner’s death — in addition to the death … of an Arizona Democrat, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva — comes at a critical moment for Republicans, who hold a razor-thin majority in the House and can afford few defections on any votes if all Democrats remain united in opposition.”
The election to replace Congressman Grijalva is not until September 23.
“With Turner’s seat vacant, the House breaks down to 220 Republicans and 213 Democrats, allowing the GOP to win a majority on the floor even with three defections from their ranks,” the Tribune also reported. “If Turner’s seat were filled, likely by a Democrat, the GOP could withstand only two defections.”
To make matters worse for the people of Texas’s 18th district, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, their former member of Congress and also a Democrat, died last year on July 19. The seat remained open until November 12, nearly four months, when her daughter, Erica Lee Carter, was elected to complete her mother’s term. Turner was elected to replace Carter.
The Atlantic’s Dr. Norman Ornstein, the well-known political scientist, wrote: “Greg Abbott. Corrupt sadistic monstrous partisan hack.”
One of the candidates to replace Turner, Isaiah Martin, posted a video calling Abbott a “wuss” and declaring “TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!”
Former Obama administration official Brandon Friedman also levied the “taxation without representation” charge.