Seguin Republican John Kuempel won the House District 44 Special Election with 66% of the vote on Tuesday against nine opponents. He will fill the seat left vacant when his father, former Rep. Edmund Kuempel (R-Seguin) passed away in early November after suffering a heart attack.
On Tuesday, Rep. Allan Ritter (D-Nederland) and Rep. Aaron Pena (D-Edinburg) announced that they will switch from the Democratic to the Republican Party, giving Republicans a super majority of 101 seats in the Texas House.
The Mexican-American Legislative Caucus elected its officers: Trey Martinez-Fischer (D-San Antonio), chairman; Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin), vice chairman; Armando Martinez, (D-Weslaco), secretary; Roland Gutierrez, (D-San Antonio), treasurer; and Veronica Gonzales, (D-McAllen), general counsel.