AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats say they finally hold a statewide office again in Texas — thanks to a Republican who’s switching sides.
The Texas Democratic Party said Monday that Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Lawrence Meyers has filed as a Democratic candidate for the state Supreme Court in 2014, more than two decades after first being elected as a Republican.
Texas Democratic Party director Will Hailer says Meyers turned in his paperwork hours before the filing deadline for statewide candidates. Meyers didn’t immediately return a phone message.
Party leaders say Meyers isn’t stepping down from the state’s highest criminal court to run, meaning Democrats will have at least one statewide officeholder through next year.
A Democrat still hasn’t won a statewide office in Texas since 1994.