While the Texas midterm elections have concluded and the news for conservatives is not at all good, there are still questions that need to be answered concerning a race in Tarrant County that is gaining nationwide attention. A candidate suspended her House campaign and somehow still managed to win. However, that’s not the craziest part.
“Well, there has been an issue, an occurrence with House District 93,” Tarrant County Democratic Party Executive Director Reyne Telles told the media. Telles revealed that the controversy is centered around Ericka Lomick, a Democratic candidate. Unofficial results have her defeating her GOP opponent, Alan Blaylock, a former Fort Worth City Council member, by a single percentage point.
The main issue is that Lomick withdrew from the race after questions arose about her eligibility to serve in September. Federal court documents that were obtained by CBS News Texas reveal that in 2011, Lomick was convicted of three felonies in North Carolina for mortgage fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to CBS News, the records also reveal that she was sentenced to 63 months in prison. “We are working closely with our Tarrant County Democratic Party legal counsel in step with the Texas Democratic Party lawyers, along with the candidate and her team, as well as Tarrant County elections and the Secretary of State’s office, to best interpret the law and determine the best path forward for voters,” Telles explained.
“The law in Texas is pretty clear that anyone who has been convicted of a felony cannot serve in public office unless they were pardoned,” Texas trial lawyer Ruben Garcia went on to say. Garcia then told the network that this could result in a special election. “The election appears to be in favor of the person who might not be eligible, which would mean that it would be left vacant again, which would mean that there would be another election to fill that vacancy.”
“Texas law is different from federal law, whereas a convicted felon can still serve office at the federal level, and we see that with the President of the United States. Texas has different laws,” Telles remarked. Blaylock, the Republican candidate running for the Texas House District 93 seat put out a statement addressing the situation.
“Unofficial results show my opponent ahead. Those results do not settle who will serve this district. Voters deserve a fair contest between eligible candidates. My opponent is a convicted felon who failed to disclose that conviction on her application to run for office, then suspended her campaign. Serious questions remain about her eligibility under Texas law,” the statement read.
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“We are pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure those questions are answered and that the people of HD 93 are represented by someone who meets the requirements to hold office,” Blaylock’s statement said. The election was to fill the seat left vacant by former state Rep. Nate Schatzline. The seat has been vacant since summer. Two votes were held. One was the special election to fill the vacated seat and the other was to fill it moving forward. Lomick won both contests according to the data.
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