Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Thursday that a special election will be held in May to fill the Texas Senate seat left vacant by Brandon Creighton, the Houston-area Republican who will now lead the Texas Tech University System.
Candidates interested in running for Senate District 4 must file by March 3. Early voting will begin on April 20, ahead of the May 2 election, according to Abbott’s office.
The seat has been vacant since October 2, when Creighton formally resigned in a letter to Governor Abbott. Although the district will be without representation for at least seven months, the Legislature is not expected to convene during this period. The next regular legislative session is scheduled to begin in January 2027.
Longtime Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon has launched a campaign for the seat. He has received endorsements from Creighton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick—who presides over the Legislature’s upper chamber—and U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Magnolia.
Senate District 4 covers the majority of Montgomery County and a portion of east Harris County. It also stretches to the Gulf Coast, including all of Chambers County and part of Jefferson County bordering Texas’ eastern edge.
The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of Creighton’s term, which ends in January 2027. Voters will also decide next November who will fill the seat for a full four-year term, running until early 2031.
The district is expected to remain under Republican control, as former President Donald Trump carried Senate District 4 with two-thirds of the vote in 2024.
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