Special Election in State Senate

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Gulf War vet Brian Birdwell has defeated former state senator and fellow Republican David Sibley in a special runoff to fill the state Senate District 22 vacancy.

In unofficial results reported on the Texas Secretary of State’s website, Birdwell polled 14,198 votes, or 58 percent of the vote. Sibley had 10,333 votes, or 42 percent.

The central Texas seat includes 10 counties stretching from Waco to the outskirts of Fort Worth.

Gov. Rick Perry ordered the special election to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of state Sen. Kip Averitt. Birdwell will serve the remainder of Averitt’s term, which expires in January.

Sibley had captured 45 percent of the vote in a four-candidate special election last month. Birdwell came in second with about 37 percent. It takes 50 percent of the vote to secure the seat.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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