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5 candidates file for special election in San Antonio to replace former state Rep. Leo Pacheco

The field for the Sept. 28 contest has attracted three Democrats and two Republicans.

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A voting console on a desk in the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol on June 21, 2021.
House District 118 is friendly territory for Democrats, though Republicans have set their sights on it as they try to make South Texas a new battleground in 2022. Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune

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Five candidates have filed for the Sept. 28 special election to fill the seat of former state Rep. Leo Pacheco, D-San Antonio, according to the secretary of state's office.

The deadline was 5 p.m. Monday.

Pacheco gave up his seat in House District 118 last month to take a job at San Antonio College. The district is friendly territory for Democrats, though Republicans have set their sights on it as they try to make South Texas a new battleground in 2022.

The candidates who filed include three Democrats and two Republicans. They are:

  • Democrat Katie Farias, an elected member of the Southside Independent School District Board of Managers
  • Republican John Lujan, former HD-118 representative
  • Democrat Desi Martinez, prominent trial attorney
  • Democrat Frank Ramirez, former zoning and planning director for District 7 on the San Antonio City Council
  • Republican Adam Salyer, the 2020 GOP nominee for the seat

Early voting for the special election starts in a week.

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Disclosure: San Antonio College has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Correction, : A previous version of this story misidentified Frank Ramirez's title based on his own campaign materials at the time. Ramirez is the former zoning and planning director for District 7 on the San Antonio City Council, he is not the former zoning and planning director for all of San Antonio.

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