Hakeem Jeffries threatens lawsuit over delayed Texas special election

Source: NBC News

Hakeem Jeffries threatens lawsuit over delayed Texas special election

One month after Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner's death, Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has yet to call a special election to fill his seat.

April 2, 2025, 3:44 PM EDT / Updated April 2, 2025, 6:42 PM EDT
By Melanie Zanona, Ben Kamisar, Scott Wong and Ryan Nobles

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is threatening a lawsuit against Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for holding off on calling a special election to fill a vacant House seat in Houston, which Democrats allege is a deliberate move designed to help pad the GOP’s razor-thin majority.

In a response to a question from NBC News on Wednesday, Jeffries said it’s “very likely” that they will pursue litigation against Abbott, who has yet to set a date for an election to replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, after he died in early March.

Asked if he thought Abbott was deliberately delaying the the special election in Texas' solidly Democratic 18th District, Jeffries said "yes."

Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday: “An announcement on a special election will be made at a later date.”

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/hakeem-jeffries-threatens-lawsuit-delayed-texas-special-election-rcna199362