AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The Democratic primary battle for Texas' 35th Congressional district has drawn a second challenger, with State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez announcing his candidacy Wednesday morning.
"I'm honored to announce that I'm running for Congress in TX-35," said Rodriguez in a Twitter post. "In East Travis, Hays, Comal, and Bexar County - working families, like the one I grew up in, need progressive leadership that will fight for educational and economic opportunities."
Rodriguez is in his tenth term in the Texas House, serving District 51. In Nov. 2020, he defeated Republican challenger Robert Reynolds with nearly 83% of the vote. He also ran as a candidate to fill the Texas Senate District 14 seat vacated in 2020 by Kirk Watson, coming in second behind former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt.
Rodriguez is the second candidate to officially announce his campaign, joining Austin City Council member Greg Casar in the race. David Anderson and Claudia Zapata have also expressed an interest in running, but have yet to make any official announcements.
The District 35 seat has long been held by Austin Democrat Lloyd Doggett, who has announced he'll seek re-election in the newly created District 37, which encompasses much of west Austin.
The official filing period for the 2022 election cycle opens on Nov. 13 and closes on Dec. 13.
District 35 covers a wide swath of east Austin and eastern Travis County, continues south along Interstate 35 to cover a portion of Hays County and Comal County, into Bexar County and a portion of northeast San Antonio.
Following Rodriguez's announcement, Casar quickly released a statement. “Welcome to the race,” said Casar. “I am eager for the conversation with voters about who will truly fight and deliver on raising wages, passing Medicare for All, protecting reproductive health care, and fixing our grid.”
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