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Amid frantic wooing of Democratic precinct chairs, the unconventional sprint to succeed state Sen. Rodney Ellis is boiling down to an argument over tenure: Is it better to move a seasoned legislator to the Senate, or preserve House experience by sending a relative newcomer to the upper chamber?
State Rep. Senfronia Thompson argues the former, touting her 44 years in Austin, as former Houston City Controller Ron Green makes a case for the latter.
Ten-year state Rep. Borris Miles casts himself as the Goldilocks of the bunch, seeking to leverage his experience while asserting that Democrats would lose too much in the House by promoting Thompson.
Houston's Senate District 13 opened up nearly three weeks ago after local precinct chairs tapped Ellis to replace late Precinct 1 Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee, forcing the 26-year state senator to remove his name from the November ballot for his legislative seat.
The urban district's 95 precinct chairs - 78 from Harris County and 17 from Fort Bend County - are set to meet Saturday to choose the party's replacement nominee.
Ellis was unopposed, meaning Democrats' replacement candidate is all but guaranteed to take office in January.
