Political People and their Moves

Rep. Stefani Carter, R-Dallas, dropped out of the race for Texas Railroad Commission, saying she will instead run for reelection in HD-102. But her contest got busy while she was out, and three of the contestants quickly let the world know they will remain the race. The RRC contest is crowded too, with former state Reps. Ray Keller, R-North Richland Hills, and Wayne Christian, R-Center; Becky Berger of Schulenburg, a geologist; Malachi Boyuls, a Dallas attorney; Joe Pool Jr. of Austin, an attorney; and Ryan Sitton of Friendswood, an engineer.

Former state Rep. Tommy Merritt, R-Longview, will run for agriculture commissioner. Other Republicans in that contest include former Rep. Sid Miller, Uvalde Mayor J Allen Carnes and Eric Opeila, a lawyer and former staffer at the Texas GOP. On the Democratic side? Kinky Friedman. And there is this: Miller announced that Ted Nugent will be his campaign treasurer.

Linda Vega, an attorney from Houston, announced she will challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary.

Judge Carlo Key of Bexar County Court #11, swapped his red flag for a blue one, announcing he is leaving the Republicans for the Democrats.

Glenn Hegar picked up an endorsement from Comptroller Susan Combs in his race to succeed her in that office. Combs decided not to seek another term, or another office.

The Texas Restaurant Association endorsed Greg Abbott for governor.

Pete Geren of Fort Worth and Dr. Cynthia Mulrow of San Antonio to the board of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Oversight Committee. Geren (brother of Charlie, a state rep.) is president of the Sid Richardson Foundation and a former congressman. Mulrow is senior deputy editor of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Deaths: Grant Jones, an Abilene Democrat who served for eight years in the House and 16 in the Senate, where, among other things, he chaired the Finance Committee. He was 90.