TribBlog: Averitt's Out

Outgoing state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco, says he fully intends to retire and will withdraw his name from Senate District 22's November ballot.

Averitt retired and dropped his reelection bid earlier this year, but still managed to win his primary race without lifting a finger.  The Democrats didn't run a candidate, so Averitt was essentially a shoe-in to win an undesired reelection. Before yesterday's special runoff election to determine his replacement for the remainder of the current term, Averitt floated the possibility of staying on the ballot if Brian Birdwell won.

Birdwell won, defeating Averitt-backed former state senator David Sibley with a decisive 58 percent of the vote.  Averitt fears that Birdwell may be ineligible to run because some doubt that he has been a Texas resident for five years — the constitutional requirement for a state senator. Still, he says he will withdraw his name in "the next day or two."

"The people have spoken," he said, "and I respect the people."