HOUSTON – The day after state Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. died, some were working on the task of retaining his Senate seat.
He was running for re-election against Republican Rasuali Bray, who intends to campaign for the State Senate District 6 seat.
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Democrats said they plan to fight hard to hold on to the seat.
"We are continuing to tell people to vote a straight Democratic ticket," said Lane Lewis with the Harris County Democratic Party. "We have every confidence that Sen. Gallegos is going to win re-election and after that happens it will be up to the governor to set the parameters of a special election to fill that slot."
Republicans are on the verge of gaining a two-thirds majority in the Texas senate, but Gallegos' district is considered strong for Democrats.
A special election is would likely attract a crowded field of candidates. Lewis said Democrats want someone who will continue Gallegos' legacy.
"A strong fighter, someone who is vocal, someone who, like Sen. Gallegos, never lost sight of the average folk and continued to fight. That's what we need," he said.
The Gallegos family is still working on funeral services. They plan to have a service in Houston and a memorial in Austin.