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

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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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