This was expected, and now it’s official.
State Sen. Steve Ogden, a Bryan Republican and one of the Senate’s most powerful members as its chief budget writer, announced Thursday that he will not run for re-election next year.
The decision had been widely rumored for months.
Ogden’s departure promises an open seat that could attract several candidates, and could be a target for Democrats who would like to gain Senate seats, although the district is considered GOP territory. State Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, has been mentioned repeatedly as a likely candidate. He did not return phone calls Thursday.
Gattis is generally considered to be the heir apparent for this seat. He doesn’t start out with a huge financial advantage – he had $81K on hand as of July. He would be a strong favorite to win if he’s the nominee, as would any decent Republican candidate – it’s a fairly red district, though not a hopeless one. A good Democrat with enough resources could make a race of it, and as open Senate seats are precious things, I feel confident that whoever does run will have the opportunity to get those resources. BOR and EoW have more.
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What about the rumor that Ogden is quitting to run against Chet Edwards?
The Statesman suggests that he’s more interested in Lite Guv if Dewhurst winds up not running again. No real indication at this point that he’s interested in CD17, but of course that can change.
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Pingback: Gattis to run for Ogden’s seat – Off the Kuff
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