Casar seems to be eligible for Senate race

Council Member Greg Casar told the Austin Monitor Wednesday that he is still thinking about whether to run for the seat being vacated by longtime Austin Sen. Kirk Watson. One local attorney raised a question about Casar’s eligibility over the weekend, leading the Monitor to question whether the Texas Constitution might prevent Casar from running. After all, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party had told Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu that he could not run because he was still a mayor. That changed, however, when a federal judge ruled in January that Cantu could indeed run for the Texas House District 74 seat. Other likely candidates include state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez and Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, although neither has made a definitive statement about the race. Local reps Sheryl Cole, Celia Israel, Gina Hinojosa and Donna Howard have all said they would not join the race. Watch for more news on this next week after the March 3 primary.