SAN ANTONIO – Former Texas District 124 Rep. Jose Menendez was officially sworn in as the state senator for District 26, filling the spot left behind by Leticia Van de Putte.
District 124 covers much of San Antonio's West Side.
"The question here is not so much filling the (District 124) seat, because you can very easily do this by May and it would be logical to have a special election in May to fill the seat, but you have now lost three months of the regular legislative session," said Trinity University political science professor David Crockett.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced late Wednesday afternoon that an emergency special election to fill the District 124 seat will be held on March 31.
Crockett said the problem with a special election could fall mostly on the candidates.
"Who can jump in quickly enough (with) cash on hand and some kind of name from which to run for that seat?" Crockett asked. "It would seem to me that the San Antonio delegation would want that seat filled just so that city is properly represented in this state legislature while we are passing budgets and things like that."
Crockett said he also worries voters will be burned out with so many elections being held back-to-back.
"Then, of course, that means you had an election in January, an election in February and we'll have another one in March and then we'll have the one in May and people will get tired of going to the polls," Crockett said.
While no candidates for the March 31 election have been named, several people have expressed interest.