Texas Senate runoff between Shelley Luther, Drew Springer set for Dec. 19

The runoff matchup in the Texas state Senate special election between GOP upstart Shelley Luther and Republican state Rep. Drew Springer will be held on Dec. 19, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Saturday.

Early voting the race for Senate District 30 will start Dec. 9.

Luther and Springer were the top two vote-getters in a special election on Sept. 29 for the seat, which includes parts of Collin and Denton counties and stretches to Wichita Falls. The seat is considered solid Republican. It became open when state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, was nominated by Republicans in Congressional District 4 after John Ratcliffe resigned to join the Trump administration.

Shelley Luther, the Dallas hair salon owner who made national headlines for refusing to close her business during the pandemic, and Springer, R-Muenster, who already represents part of the district, waged an expensive battle to get into the runoff.

Springer’s campaign blasted Luther for not voting in recent Republican primaries, saying it raises questions about her true convictions. Luther’s allies contend that Springer hasn’t done enough to advance conservative issues during his time in the Texas House.

Abbott did not endorse a candidate in the race.

In the September contest, Luther led the pack in the most populous counties, including Collin, Grayson, Parker and Wichita. Springer held an edge in more rural counties, including the four he already represents in the House.