AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The special election to fill the Texas Senate seat being vacated by Kirk Watson is being postponed until July in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation calling the election on July 14. Normally, the election would have been held on May 2; Abbott cited the ongoing coronavirus outbreak as a reason for pushing back the election under Chapter 418 of the Texas Government Code.
Candidates who wish to run for the seat must file applications beginning on April 29, with a deadline of May 13. Early voting for the election will begin on June 29.
Watson announced on February 18 that he would be stepping down at the end of April in order to take a position as the first dean of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston.