Special election coming in Montgomery County?

There may be a special election in Montgomery County's near future.

Local attorney Brandon Creighton announced his intention Tuesday to file for the District 16 House of Representatives seat currently held by Ruben Hope, if Gov. Rick Perry appoints Hope to a judicial post. The Quorum Report, a Web site reporting insider information about the Texas Legislature, stated Monday that Perry will soon appoint Hope to a district judgeship in Montgomery County.

However, no confirmation has been forthcoming from Perry's office or from Hope. When asked Tuesday if Perry has appointed him to a judgeship, Hope replied, "Not at the present time." As far as a future appointment, however, "That's a possibility," Hope, 67, said. "I don't fully know just what it's going to be. When it happens, it happens; if it doesn't it doesn't. The announcement in the Quorum Report was premature."

He added that he is hoping for a judicial appointment. The Courier so far has not been able to confirm that any of Montgomery County's five district judges will soon be vacating their post.

Creighton, who ran against Hope in the 2002 primary, is the second person to announce his intentions to run for the seat if Hope wins an appointment and Perry calls a special election. Former Rep. Bob Rabuck, who held the District 16 seat before Hope, told The Courier Monday he will run for the position if or when it becomes open.

Given that the statewide index in 2002 for HD16 was 76.7% Republican, it's not too surprising that no Democrats have announced their intention to run. Nonetheless, as with the recent special election for HD121, I think it's important for both the short term and the long term for someone to step up and run for this seat. It's not that I expect Montgomery County to be competitive some day, but for the state of Texas to be more Democratic, having Montgomery County as, say, 33% Democratic instead of 23% would certainly help, and the only way that's going to happen is if actual Democratic candidates spend time there making the case for themselves. The best place to start for that is at the State House level.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on March 12, 2005 to Election 2005 | TrackBack