
Voters in Houston's District K will soon choose a successor to the late Larry Green on Houston's City Council. Early voting for the special election ends Tuesday, and Election Day is Saturday, May 5.
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Nine people are running to represent District K, which stretches across southwest Houston into Fort Bend County. The candidates include Martha Castex-Tatum, who served as Green's director of constituent services, and teacher Pat Frazier, who previously ran for the seat in 2011. Rice University political science professor Bob Stein said Castex-Tatum has the edge.
"I wouldn't rule her out winning this outright," Stein said. "I think it would be unlikely but not a shock. With nine people on the ballot, you say, ‘Well, it's certainly a runoff,' but not necessarily. She is well known, in part, I think, because of her work she did with Councilman Green, and she was as much a part of that operation as, I think, he was."
If no candidate wins at least 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two vote-getters will take place June 16.
Larry Green was the first council member elected from District K after its creation seven years ago. He died March 6.
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