The special election for Texas House District 2 is being held tomorrow (Tue. Jan. 30). Early voting concluded Friday. The race features Republicans Jill Dutton and Brent Money. The two were the top finishers in a special election held along with the general election last November. Money, a Greenville attorney, finished with the most votes, about 32 percent of ballots cast. Jill Dutton, a Republican activist from Ben Wheeler, received about 25 percent of the vote.
Whoever wins tomorrow’s special election will be the state representative for House District 2, but the seat will be up for grabs once again later this year. The Republican Party primary election is March 5. Both Money and Dutton have filed for that election. The winner of the GOP primary will be the presumptive victor in the November general election.
The seat has been vacant since May, when Republican Bryan Slaton resigned and was later expelled from the House after an investigation determined he had an inappropriate relationship with a 19-year-old woman on his staff. Slaton gave the intern alcohol and had sex with her at his Austin apartment.
Both Brent Money and Jill Dutton have agreed to take part in a Meet the Candidates forum hosted by the Hunt County Economic Development Alliance on Wed. Feb. 7. The forum is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fletcher Warren Civic Center in Greenville. The event is free, but attendees must register at GreenvilleChamber.com.
Texas House of Representatives District 2 is composed of Hopkins, Hunt, and Van Zandt counties.