AUSTIN — The election for the North Texas seat held by former state Sen. Kelly Hancock will be held Tuesday, Nov. 4, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered on Friday.
Hancock, a Republican from North Richland Hills, resigned his Senate seat on June 19 to serve as chief clerk of the state comptroller’s office. Hancock’s Senate district takes up the northern and western part of Tarrant County.
Hancock had held his seat since he was elected to the Senate in 2012. He launched his campaign for state comptroller – which serves as the state’s chief financial officer – after resigning from the Legislature.
Related:Gov. Greg Abbott endorses former North Texas senator Kelly Hancock for state comptroller
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Conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss launched her campaign for the open Senate seat on Friday. Wambsganss is the chief communications officer of Patriot Mobile, a Christian wireless provider that was tied to a political action committee that spent millions of dollars to help elect conservatives to North Texas school board seats in 2022.
“I am not a career politician — I’m a battle-tested conservative who gets results,” she said in a news release.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Senate president, endorsed Wambsganss. State Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, who is one of the most conservative members of the Texas House dropped his bid for the open Senate seat and endorsed Wambsganss after she launched her campaign. Schatzline had announced his campaign for the seat on Tuesday.
Candidates who wish to run for the vacant seat must file their candidacies with the Texas Secretary of State by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3.