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State Senator Kyle Janek (R- Houston) finally resigned. Not a big story. The question was never a matter of if but when. Now we have that answer so there is a new question, when will Rick Perry call the special election?
There are two options, sometime before November or November 4 during the general
election. As Kuff pontificates the only reason Perry would call a special would be aid his favorite Republican candidate.
Currently the crowd is one man, Republican activist Austen Furse. However there is speculation that Craddick Lieutenant, State Rep. Charlie Howard (R- Sugar Land) may enter the race. On the Democratic side, the two men rumored to be looking at the race are Scott Hochberg (D-Houston) and former Congressman and our Democratic Nominee for Governor Chris Bell.
The one constant in this race is if Rick Perry keeps the election set for November 4th, then both Howard and Hochberg would be forced to resign from their House seats. Both are leaders of their party and a resignation from either would be a boon for their opposition. This realization makes Rick Casey's article on this race particularly interesting.
Casey writes in Tuesday's Chronicle about a poll showing Chris Bell with a huge lead in SD-17.
A recent poll shows Bell at 43% and Furse at 29%.
...a poll of the district a couple of weeks ago which provided some enticing numbers in a race between Bell and Furse, whom the poll identified as a conservative Houston businessman who served as a policy advisor to the first President Bush.
[...]
Furse's dismal showing is partly the result of lack of name recognition, which would be cured by a well-funded campaign. If the trial lawyers generously funded Bell, the business community, including Texans for Lawsuit Reform, could be counted on to be at least as generous for Furse, or for some other Republican on the ballot.
Let's be honest here. These results are hugely important. Harris County is poised to over-perform because of the combination of factors- Rick Noriega is from Houston, the Harris County coordinated campaign, and competitive House races through out the county. Having a candidate with strong name ID creates the possibility of having three Senate Seats in play (Wendy Davis vs. Kim Brimer, Joe Jaworski vs. Toxic Mike Jackson, and the open SD-17 seat). In one cycle we are on the brink of having a 17-14 split in the Senate instead of the current 20-11 Republican advantage.
Now we have to wait and see what political games Rick Perry wants to play with Texas voters.
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