Skip to main content

Gov. Greg Abbott sets Feb. 23 special election runoff date for race to succeed Drew Springer in Texas House

The race for the solidly red seat in Northwest Texas pits David Spiller against fellow Republican Craig Carter.

by Patrick Svitek

A young women wearing a face covering votes inside the polling location at University Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, on Nov. 3, 2020.
Gov. Greg Abbott has picked Feb. 23 as the date for the House District 68 runoff election. Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune

Gov. Greg Abbott has picked Feb. 23 as the date of the special election runoff to replace former state Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, who is now in the Texas Senate.

Early voting for the House District 68 runoff will begin Feb. 16.

The runoff candidates are David Spiller, a Jacksboro attorney and school board trustee, and Craig Carter, a former candidate for overlapping state Senate District 30. Spiller finished first in the five-way special election last month, getting 44% of the vote. Carter was the runner-up with 18%.

Since the Jan. 23 special election, the two other Republicans who ran in that contest, John Berry and Jason Brinkley, have thrown their support to Spiller.

For Carter, the period since the special election has been marked by tragedy. He lost his 4-year-old daughter and mother-in-law in a car accident Sunday that also left his 3-year-old son critically injured.

HD-68 is a safely Republican district in rural northwest Texas. Springer gave up the seat after winning the special election runoff late last year to replace Pat Fallon in the state Senate following the Prosper Republican's election to the U.S. House.

The race to fill Springer's House seat is happening on an expedited timeline because the biennial legislative session is already underway. It began Jan. 12.

Information about the authors

Patrick Svitek’s staff photo

Quality journalism doesn't come free

Perhaps it goes without saying — but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Do you value our journalism? Show us with your support.

Yes, I'll donate today