Coleman, a 30-year veteran of the Texas House, announced he wouldn’t seek re-election back in November. Last week, Coleman announced his resignation effective February 28, creating an immediate vacancy that will need to be filled sooner than November.
Coleman has battled serious health problems during the last year, going so far as requiring amputation of his right leg over the summer.
House District 147 heavily favors Democrats, rated D-79% by The Texan’s Texas Partisan Index.
“I have decided to retire early so I can focus on serving the community in my next stage of life,” Coleman said announcing his resignation. “Additionally, I’m hopeful that my early resignation will allow the next Representative of District 147 to better prepare for next year’s legislative session and build upon the progress we have made.”
Seven Democrats are running for the seat in the primary to be held on Tuesday. If no candidate reaches 50 percent, the top two will advance to a runoff that will occur on May 24.
The timing of the elections could present an interesting situation. It is possible that the Democratic nominee named on Tuesday loses the special election and must wait to attain the office for which an easy path through November exists. It is also possible that the district will see four elections in the span of four months if both the primary and special elections head to runoffs.
###
Disclosure: Unlike almost every other media outlet, The Texan is not beholden to any special interests, does not apply for any type of state or federal funding, and relies exclusively on its readers for financial support. If you’d like to become one of the people we’re financially accountable to, click here to subscribe.
Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a senior reporter for The Texan and an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017. He is an avid sports fan who most enjoys watching his favorite teams continue their title drought throughout his cognizant lifetime. In his free time, you may find Brad quoting Monty Python productions and trying to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
