Updated at 1:05 p.m. on Sept. 30 with the final results.
AUSTIN — The runoff matchup in the special election for a North Texas state Senate seat was only decided late Tuesday night, but the Republican candidates who survived already have been battling for weeks in dueling attack ads.
GOP upstart Shelley Luther, a Dallas hair salon owner who made national headlines for refusing to close her business during the epidemic, will face state Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, in a runoff to be scheduled soon by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Springer’s campaign already has been blasting Luther for not voting in recent Republican primaries, saying it raises questions about her true convictions. Luther’s allies, meanwhile, contend that Springer hasn’t done enough to advance conservative issues during his time in the Texas House.
The hotly contested race could also gauge voters' backlash to COVID-19 shutdown orders, as Luther also has repeatedly criticized the governor’s pandemic shutdown policies.
Luther finished with a slight edge over Springer in the six-candidate race, and neither got the majority needed to win the seat outright. The pair, who were separated Tuesday by about 164 votes out of more than 68,000 cast, will face off on a later date to be set by Gov. Greg Abbott. The turnout was heavier than expected.
The solid showing by Luther, a political newcomer, signals that her campaign message criticizing COVID-19 shutdown orders is resonating with thousands of GOP voters. And it deals a blow to Abbott, a fellow Republican she has called a “tyrant” over his handling of the epidemic.
“This race in particular generated enthusiasm because it’s really a referendum on Greg Abbott and the politics of COVID-19 in Texas,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “There are a lot of people who want to make their voice heard and this is an opportunity to do it.”
Abbott did not endorse a candidate in the race, and his spokesman did not respond to questions late Tuesday about whether he plans to do so.
Luther celebrated her first-place finish in a Facebook post and said false attacks lodged against her over the last week reveal “how desperate the Austin establishment is to hold their power.” She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Springer, who already represents a portion of the mostly rural Senate District 30, said his strong performance in those areas Tuesday shows that constituents approve of his job performance.
“There’s a clear understanding they know who I am,” said Springer, who has spent four terms in the Texas House. “As we go forward, now we will have more time to visit with the folks in SD30.”
Many expected the speedy time frame for the special election — offering candidates about a month to make their case to voters — would give the seasoned lawmaker an advantage over the competition.
Generally, 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.
Jacob Minter, the lone Democrat, carried the vote in Denton County, followed by Luther and Denton Mayor Chris Watts, a Republican.
Minter, an Anna electrician, grabbed the third-place slot in Tuesday’s election, over Watts. Two other Republicans — business owner Craig Carter of Nocona and software engineer Andy Hopper of Decatur — finished out the pack.
The eventual winner will replace outgoing Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, in the solidly red district, which stretches to the northwest around Dallas-Fort Worth. Fallon is running for Congress.
