Five Candidates Will Run for San Antonio State Rep. Justin Rodriguez's Vacant Seat

Five candidates have signed up for the February 12 special election to fill the seat of former San Antonio state Rep. Justin Rodriguez, according to the Texas Secretary of State.

Rodriguez, a Democrat, gave up the seat to represent House District 125 this month to replace Bexar County Commissioner Paul Elizondo. Elizondo, a longtime local power broker, died in December at age 83.

The candidates vying to replace Rodriguez are:

• Steve Huerta, Democrat, a social justice activist
  
• Ray Lopez, Democrat, a former San Antonio council member
  
• Fred Rangel, Republican, a small business owner
  
• Coda Rayo-Garza, Democrat, an education policy expert
  
• Art Reyna, Democrat, who represented the district from 1997 to 2003
  

The 4-to-1 skew toward Democrats probably shouldn't be a surprise for the solidly blue district, which includes parts of West and Northwest San Antonio.

Candidates had until 5 p.m. Monday to file. Early voting in the special election starts January 28. Whoever wins will need to hit the ground running — the Texas Legislature is more than a week into its current session.

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