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Special election to fill former state Rep. Jake Ellzey's North Texas seat set for Aug. 31

Ellzey, a Waxahachie Republican, is in Congress after winning the special election runoff last month for the 6th Congressional District.

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The House floor on May 7, 2021.
House District 10 is reliably red and covers largely rural areas south and southeast of Dallas. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

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Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that Aug. 31 will be the date of the special election to replace former state Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie, now a member of Congress.

The candidate filing deadline is Aug. 12, and early voting will start Aug. 23.

Ellzey vacated the seat in Texas House District 10 after winning the special election runoff last month for the 6th Congressional District. HD-10 is reliably red and covers largely rural areas south and southeast of Dallas.

John Wray, the Waxahachie Republican who held the seat before not seeking reelection in 2020, has already launched a campaign to win it back and earned the endorsement of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the influential tort reform group. No other credible candidates have emerged yet.

Ryan Pitts, who finished second to Ellzey in the 2020 primary for the seat, was considering running in the special election but announced Wednesday he had decided not to. Pitts is the son of former state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie.

Disclosure: Texans for Lawsuit Reform 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.

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Politics State government Greg Abbott J.K. "Jake" Ellzey John Wray Texas House of Representatives Texas Legislature