Republican State Rep. Phil King of Weatherford announced tentative plans Monday to run for a seat in the Texas Senate in 2022.
Within minutes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick endorsed King.
King said if the currently proposed redistricting map is adopted, he will formally announce a run to represent Senate District 10 in North Texas.
The district currently covers southern Tarrant County, but the Senate’s initial plans redraw the map to include Parker County, where King lives, as well as Johnson County.
First-term Democrat State Sen. Beverly Powell (Burleson) holds the seat now.
King was first elected to the Texas House in 1998.
He represents House District 61, which covers Parker and Wise counties. As of today, the House hasn’t released its proposed new maps, so it’s not yet clear who might run to succeed King if he runs for Senate.
Another Republican, Arlington attorney Warren Norred, launched a primary campaign for the Senate seat in August, saying he wanted a chance to challenge Powell in the general election.
The 2022 primary elections are scheduled for March 1 but could be postponed until late summer, since COVID caused delays in delivering census data used by states in their decennial redistricting process.
