The Independent View: Texas House District 17 Special Election

Early voting starts today in several special elections, for races to be held January 6, including one to fill a State House seat vacated by State Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt, R-Lexington.

Voters in Bastrop, Caldwell, Gonzales, Karnes and Lee Counties are casting a ballot once again. They’re choosing a new Texas House member to represent House District 17, a seat that opened up after Rep. Kleinschmidt resigned to work for the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Candidates vying for that seat include two Democrats, two Republicans and one Independent.

My independent friend, Linda Curtis, is the independent.

She entered this race as an independent because she believes the people of House District 17 must unite outside the political parties to fight for their most valuable asset, groundwater.

Officials in both parties have turned their heads while big real estate interests are making repeated attempts to grab our water, property rights and economic future. Who is to say that the interests of those driving development and hyper-growth along the IH-35 corridor are more important than the economic well being of House District 17 counties.

We talk about how independent Texas is. Isn’t it time we make history and put one in the Texas House?

CLICK HERE for her website. If you are a Texan, give her a chance to make a difference.

UPDATE
The special election for State House, district 17, was on January 6. Five candidates ran. Texas special elections don’t have party nominees; all candidates file and run in the same election, and if no one gets 50%, there is a runoff.

The vote was: Republican John Cyrier 3,515; Republican Brent Goleman 1,866; independent Linda Curtis 1,046; Democrat Ty McDonald 907; Democrat Shelley Cartier 290. Because no one got 50%, there will be a runoff between Cyrier and Goleman.

Linda Curtis, the independent candidate, placed third, ahead of both Democrats. This is probably the first time in decades that an independent out polled major party members in any Texas race for federal or state office. Texas hasn’t elected an independent to the legislature since 1936.