HOUSTON — The governor of Texas responded Friday to calls for a special election to fill the Congressional seat left vacant after the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner, leveling accusations against Harris County.
On Thursday, Democratic lawmakers in Texas spoke out against delaying the election to replace Sylvester Turner, urging Gov. Greg Abbott to “let the people vote!”
“Listen, there’s gonna be time to do it,” Abbott said in an interview with Nexstar Media Group. “Know this, that election is in Harris County and Harris County is a repeat failure as it concerns operating elections. Had I called that very quickly, it could have led to a failure in that election just like Harris County has failed in other elections. They need to have adequate time to operate a fair and accurate election, not a crazy election like what they’ve conducted in the past.
“I will be announcing that sometime soon, but I wanna make sure that Harris County has all the opportunity to get this right, unlike what they’ve done in the past.”
People have asked why I did not immediately call to fill the late Rep. Sylvester Turner’s seat. Here is why: pic.twitter.com/ngl8PHCe1P
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 4, 2025
Teneshia Hudspeth, Harris County Clerk, responded to Abbott’s comments Friday, saying her office has held eight successful elections under her leadership.
“Since the Texas Legislature returned election administration duties to the Harris County Clerk’s Office on September 1, 2023, my office has successfully conducted eight elections — including the 2024 joint primary election — in collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, the Harris County Republican and Democratic parties, Commissioners Court, and others,” read a statement on social media. “We remain fully prepared to conduct the Congressional District 18 election as soon as the Governor issues the order.”
Harris County elections faced scrutiny after a state audit for elections in 2021 and 2022 found issues with training, equipment and supplies.
Turner, who represented the 760,000 people of Texas’ 18th Congressional District, died suddenly on March 5. Abbott missed the deadline, set by Texas law, to hold an election in May. Abbott may call an emergency election, or may announce an election in November.
In a post on X, Menefee called Abbott’s comments “nonsense.”
“Governor, call the election. You’ve had a month. No more excuses,” Menefee said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.