HOUSTON – State Sen.Mario Gallegos posthumously won re-election Tuesday against Republican challenger RW Bray.
However, Gallegos' victory means Gov. Rick Perry will have to call for a special election to determine who will represent the voters in State Senate District 6.
Gallegos passed away in October.
"It was very important to him and to my family, my children, because he worked so hard to get where he was," said Gallegos' widow, Theresa Gallegos.
Gallegos' family worked until the last vote was counted to ensure a victory. Gallegos' family provided the late state senator a well spring of support for every election since he was first elected to the state Senate in 1994. This was an emotional victory for the family, all acknowledging this would be the last time they would vote for him.
"It's been very bittersweet the last couple of weeks, the loss of my husband and all the people coming out to support him," said Theresa Gallegos.
State Senate District 6
Theresa Gallegos said her husband asked his supporters to help keep his legacy alive and to help keep the district in the hands of a Democrat. Gallegos' supporters said they already know who they want to run in the special election.
"Before he passed away, he acknowledged to me, that he was wanting the family to endorse Ms. (Carol) Alvarado," said Theresa Gallegos.
That would be state representative and former Houston City Council member Carol Alvarado, who ran unopposed in this election. Alvarado declined to speak about the family's endorsement out of respect for the late state senator's victory.
"I think everything with Mario was sometime out of the norm, in the way he was an activist for his community and the way he fought on so many issues, so many battles, which is why the people of this district came out to support him," said Alvarado.
Perry will now have to appoint someone to serve the rest of Mario Gallegos' term and he has 20 days to call for a special election.