Special election Saturday to find out who will succeed Ron Wright for 6th Congressional District
Saturday is Election Day in Texas, and some national politicians are keying in on a North Texas congressional race.
There are 23 candidates vying for a chance to fill the late Congressman Ron Wright’s seat in the Texas 6th Congressional District.
Wright died after a battle with COVID-19 and cancer in February.
RELATED: North Texas Congressman Ron Wright dies after contracting COVID-19
If none of the 23 candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff with the top two vote getters.
There are lots of layers in the crowded race.
"This is the only remotely competitive congressional special election around the country right now," SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson said. "I’m looking to see what kind of runoff we end up with because almost certainly there will be a runoff."
The spot opened up in February when Republican Congressman Wright passed away.
His widow, Susan Wright, is among the large crowd of candidates seeking to fill his seat.
Former President Donald Trump recently endorsed her.
Meanwhile, other candidates, like Michael Wood, are running against Trump.
Some believe the race will provide clues to which way the Republican party is moving, but Wilson believes it’ll be too complicated to tell.
"The problem is this race is not a great test for that because you have the factor of widow who is seeking her late husband’s seat. That creates a different dynamic than you might see in a normal race," he explained.
And while the seat most recently belonged to a republican, it may be in play.
President Joe Biden was able to flip Tarrant County blue in 2020.
"This is definitely a two-party competitive district. It’s one where the Republicans clearly have an advantage, but it’s not one that they dominate the way they might have 10 years ago, 12 years ago," Wilson added.
Wilson predicts a Democrat will likely make it into a runoff race, but he added that it'd be a surprise if Democrats finish first.
"I would expect for the most likely outcome to be there is a Democrat in the runoff, but I would be very surprised if finally, when all is said and done, if Democrats win this seat. This is still a seat that should stay in the Republican count," he said.