Monday, former State Sen. Pete Flores announced he will seek election to the Texas Senate again. This time, however, the campaign will be for a different Senate district than the one he previously represented.
“It’s not the old District 19, but it still encompasses the heartland of Texas, the parts of Texas I most closely identify with,” said Flores.
Flores had previously served as the state senator for Senate District 19 from 2018 to 2020. Winning in a surprising upset during a special election, he was the first Republican senator to represent the district since Reconstruction. In 2020, he was narrowly defeated by then-State Rep. Roland Gutierrez (San Antonio).
Senate District 24 is currently represented by State Sen. Dawn Buckingham (R–Lakeway). She announced her campaign for Texas land commissioner in early June. Shortly after Flores’ announcement, Buckingham endorsed his candidacy, saying, “The people of our community can trust Pete Flores to help us secure the border, support law enforcement, and build a more prosperous Texas.”
As the third called special legislative session gets underway, the proposed new Senate district maps were released; among the changes to district boundaries is that of Senate District 24.
Currently, Senate District 24 includes Bandera, Bell, Blanco, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Comanche, Coryell, Gillespie, Hamilton, Kerr, Lampasas, Llano, Mills, and San Saba counties, as well as portions of Taylor and Travis counties. It runs from Abilene to Temple to Kerrville, skirting the west side of the Austin area. In the proposed maps, the district would be significantly geographically smaller; if approved, the district map would include Bandera, Bell, Burnet, Coryell, Gillespie, Kerr, Lampasas, Llano, and Medina counties as well as a portion of Atascosa County.
Flores joins former Austin City Councilwoman Ellen Troxclair, who had previously announced for the seat in June before the proposed redistricting maps were filed. Troxclair does not reside in the proposed new district boundaries. If the proposed map is passed, it is unclear whether Troxclair will continue her campaign in the district she resides in.
Flores was given a rating of 65 out of 100 from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility on their 2019 Fiscal Index. He was rated a 68 on the Young Conservatives of Texas ratings.
