No Timetable From Texas Governor On Filling Late Democratic Congressman's Vacant Seat

The race to fill a Texas congressional seat has candidates but no election date more than three weeks after Rep. Sylvester Turner's death left a vacancy in a stronghold for Democrats, who are eager to cut into Republicans' narrow U.S. House majority.

Turner, a former Houston mayor, died March 5 just weeks into his first term in Congress. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has the sole authority to call a special election but has not said when he might do so, drawing criticism from some Democrats who have accused him of trying to help protect the GOP's margins.

The seat is one of four vacancies in Congress, including two in Florida, where voters next week will choose successors in special elections for a pair of GOP-held districts. Republicans currently hold 218 seats, while Democrats hold 213 seats.

"An announcement on a special election will be made at a later date," Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said in an email, in response to whether the House majority is factoring into the governor's decision-making.

Elections in Texas are typically held in May and November.