Four Republicans and one Democrat have filed for the special election to replace state Sen.-elect Drew Springer, R-Muenster, in the Texas House.

The filing deadline for the Jan. 23 election was 5 p.m. Monday.

The four GOP candidates for the seat in rural northwest Texas, which is safely Republican, are:

  • John Berry, a Jacksboro financial planner
  • Jason Brinkley, Cooke County judge
  • Craig Carter, a former candidate for overlapping Texas Senate District 30
  • David Spiller, a Jacksboro attorney and Jacksboro school board trustee

The sole Democratic candidate is Charles D. Gregory, a retired postal worker from Childress, according to the secretary of state’s office.

They are competing for Springer’s seat after he won a special election runoff last month to succeed Pat Fallon in the Texas Senate after the Prosper Republican’s promotion to Congress. Fallon was sworn into the U.S. House on Sunday.

The special election for Springer’s seat is happening on an accelerated schedule with the start of the legislative session — Jan. 12 — looming. Abbott announced the special election a week ago, and early voting begins Jan. 11.

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Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously...