New Congress Nominee Triggering Special Vote
for State Senate Seat that's Been Stepping Stone

By Mike Hailey
Capitol Inside Editor
August 8, 2020

A group of GOP activists set the stage for a wide open scramble for the Texas Legislature's upper chamber in a special election when they tapped State Senator Pat Fallon of Prosper as the party's November nominee in an open congressional district where he hasn't been a resident.

While several Texas House Republicans represent parts of Senate District 30 where Fallon will be resigning eventually, State Rep. Drew Springer of Muenster has a head start on the potential competition as someone who's been campaigning vigorously in SD 30 without formally announcing for the contest up to now.

But GOP State Rep. Phil King of Weatherford would be a formidable contender in the Fallon replacement derby a veteran lawmaker who's the only House member whose entire district is contained in SD 30. King has served for more than 20 years in the west wing of the Capitol where he's been a committee chairman under three separate Republican speakers.

Springer has been a state representative for seven years. The House Republicans who have parts of SD 30 in their own districts include State Reps. James Frank of Wichita Falls, Reggie Smith of Van Alstyne, Scott Sanford of McKinney, Candy Noble of Lucas, Lynn Stucky of Sanger, Jared Patterson of Frisco, J.D. Sheffield of Gatesville and Justin Holland of Heath.

All of the lawmakers in that particular group will be on the fall ballot for re-election with the exception of Sheffield, who was unseated in the GOP primary runoff election last month.

Former Senate member Craig Estes could consider another run for the SD 30 seat that he held for 18 years before being ousted by Fallon in the primary election in 2018.

A former state representative who served six years across the rotunda, Fallon can start packing the suitcase for a trip to Washington in January as the automatic prohibitive favorite in heavily-Republican Congressional District 4.

Fallon - a wealthy Denton County resident who'd been accused of trying to buy his current position - will be facing Russell Foster of Sherman in the general election as the Democratic nominee who hadn't raised for the CD 4 contest heading into the summer.