AUSTIN, Texas – Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation Wednesday ordering an emergency special election in State Senate District 19 following the resignation of Sen. Carlos Uresti.
The emergency special election will be held July 31, with early voting to begin July 16.
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Candidates who wish to have their names placed on the special election ballot must file their applications with the secretary of state no later than 5 p.m. Monday.
"The indictment and ultimate conviction of Senator Uresti for fraud and money laundering has already left District 19 without effective representation in the Texas Senate for over a year," Abbott said in a news release. "With the 86th Legislative Session approaching, and ongoing interim legislative committee hearings, it is imperative to fill this vacancy to ensure that Senate District No. 19 is fully represented as soon as possible."
State Rep. Rolando Gutierrez, of San Antonio, announced his intentions to run for the seat in March.
Pete Gallego, a former congressman who lost in the 2016 election against Will Hurd for a U.S. congressional seat, also announced he plans to run for the state senate seat.
The Texas Association of Broadcaster released a political bulletin stating that Pete Flores, who lost to Uresti in 2016, is also interested in the post.
District 19 consists of Brewster, Crockett, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Kinney, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Real, Reeves, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde and Zavala counties and parts of Atascosa and Bexar counties.
Uresti resigned Monday following his conviction in February on federal charges involving a Ponzi scheme. He will be sentenced June 28. His last day in office is Thursday.
The Democrat surrendered his license to practice law.