Austin Environmental Democrats endorse

Even though extreme partisan gerrymandering has meant that Austin does not have its own representative in the U.S. Congress, Austin Democrats are still vying for the chance to take on Texas’ Congressional District 25 Republican incumbent Rep. Roger Williams. On Friday, Austin Environmental Democrats voted to endorse Chris Perri, who is running against Julie Oliver in the May 22 runoff to represent the district, which is anchored in Fort Worth. The group did not endorse in the runoff between Joseph Kopser and Mary Street Wilson, who are vying for the chance to run against the Republican winner of the District 21 runoff between Chip Roy and Matt McCall. Longtime Rep. Lamar Smith is retiring, leaving the seat open. That district stretches from San Antonio through the Hill Country to Southwest Austin, but Austin voters are unlikely to be the deciding factor in the race. The Democrats also failed to choose between former Austin City Council Member Sheryl Cole and her opponent, Jose “Chito” Vela, who are running for Texas House District 46, to replace Rep. Dawnna Dukes, who lost the primary decisively. Neither did they choose between Elaina Fowler and Vikki Goodwin, who are vying to face Republican Paul Workman, the incumbent. Maya Guerra Gamble easily won the group’s support in a runoff for the 459th District Court over her opponent, Aurora Martinez Jones.