Changes

Eight candidates, including Uresti's brother, Tomas Uresti, state Representative Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, former state Representative and [[U.S. Representative]] Pete Gallego, former congressional candidate Charles Urbina Jones, and Flores filed for the special election to fill Uresti's seat.<ref name=ksat/><ref>Jasper Scherer, "Pair of Democrats aim for Uresti's Senate seat", ''The San Antonio Express-News'', April 7, 2018, pp. 1, A11.</ref>

Eight candidates, including Uresti's brother, Tomas Uresti, state Representative Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, former state Representative and [[U.S. Representative]] Pete Gallego, former congressional candidate Charles Urbina Jones, and Flores filed for the special election to fill Uresti's seat.<ref name=ksat/><ref>Jasper Scherer, "Pair of Democrats aim for Uresti's Senate seat", ''The San Antonio Express-News'', April 7, 2018, pp. 1, A11.</ref>

A retired game warden from Pleasanton in Atascosa County, Flores had lost to Uresti in the 2016 general election. He narrowly led in the first round of the special election but finished short of a majority. In the forthcoming runoff election, Pete Flores faced Democrat Pete Gallego, who now lives with his wife in [[Austin]] but pays utilities and is still registered to vote in his native Alpine in Brewster County. Flores polled 8,965 votes (34.5 percent) to Gallego's 5,406 (32.5 percent). Roland Gutierrez finished third with a critical 4,4431 votes (26.6 percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us/public/jul31_330_state.htm?x=0&y=0&id=236|title=Election returns|date=July 31, 2018|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|accessdate=July 31, 2018}}</ref> Flores faced daunting prospects because the total Republican vote in the special election, 36.1 percent, was far from a majority of the ballots cast.<ref>Gilbert Garcia, "GOP has special-election hopes for seat held by Uresti," ''San Antonio Express News'', March 11, 2018, p. 2.</ref><ref>Jasper Scherer, "Pair of Democrats aim for Uresti's Senate seat", ''The San Antonio Express-News'', April 7, 2018, pp. 1, A11.</ref>​

A retired game warden, Flores had lost to Uresti in the 2016 general election. He narrowly led in the first round of the special election but finished short of a majority. In the forthcoming runoff election, Pete Flores faced Democrat Pete Gallego, who now lives with his wife in [[Austin]] but pays utilities and is still registered to vote in his native Alpine in Brewster County. Flores polled 8,965 votes (34.5 percent) to Gallego's 5,406 (32.5 percent). Roland Gutierrez finished third with a critical 4,4431 votes (26.6 percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us/public/jul31_330_state.htm?x=0&y=0&id=236|title=Election returns|date=July 31, 2018|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|accessdate=July 31, 2018}}</ref> Flores faced daunting prospects because the total Republican vote in the special election, 36.1 percent, was far from a majority of the ballots cast.<ref>Gilbert Garcia, "GOP has special-election hopes for seat held by Uresti," ''San Antonio Express News'', March 11, 2018, p. 2.</ref><ref>Jasper Scherer, "Pair of Democrats aim for Uresti's Senate seat", ''The San Antonio Express-News'', April 7, 2018, pp. 1, A11.</ref>​

Considered more liberal than Flores, Gallego carried the endorsement of the usually independent ''Laredo Morning Times,'' despite Flores having been reared in [[Laredo]], graduated from Martin High School there, and attended the former Laredo Junior College (since Laredo College). In its support for Gallego, the ''Laredo Morning Times'' noted that Gallego had opposed the 2017 "bathroom bill" that would have required transgender Texans to use the public rest room according to their genitalia at birth. Though the measure was blocked from a vote in the state House by retiring Speaker [[Joe Straus]] of San Antonio, Flores still supports it because numerous crimes have been reported involving transgenders in rest rooms. Gallego also opposes the sanctuary cities bill, which was passed into law. That legislation, he claims, alienates law enforcement from the immigrant community, but Flores supports the sanctuary cities law because law-enforcement officers are sworn to uphold all laws. Governor Abbott dispatched the Department of Public Safety at an estimated cost of $800 million over two years to help federal officials secure the border. Gallego claims that those funds would have been better spent on public education.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lmtonline.com/opinion/editorials/article/Gallego-earns-nod-in-SD19-runoff-race-13213595.php?utm_campaign=hptexas|title=Gallego earns nod in Senate District 19 runoff race|publisher=''The Laredo Morning Times''|accessdate=September 9, 2018}}</ref>

Considered more liberal than Flores, Gallego carried the endorsement of the usually independent ''Laredo Morning Times,'' despite Flores having been reared in [[Laredo]], graduated from Martin High School there, and attended the former Laredo Junior College (since Laredo College). In its support for Gallego, the ''Laredo Morning Times'' noted that Gallego had opposed the 2017 "bathroom bill" that would have required transgender Texans to use the public rest room according to their genitalia at birth. Though the measure was blocked from a vote in the state House by retiring Speaker [[Joe Straus]] of San Antonio, Flores still supports it because numerous crimes have been reported involving transgenders in rest rooms. Gallego also opposes the sanctuary cities bill, which was passed into law. That legislation, he claims, alienates law enforcement from the immigrant community, but Flores supports the sanctuary cities law because law-enforcement officers are sworn to uphold all laws. Governor Abbott dispatched the Department of Public Safety at an estimated cost of $800 million over two years to help federal officials secure the border. Gallego claims that those funds would have been better spent on public education.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lmtonline.com/opinion/editorials/article/Gallego-earns-nod-in-SD19-runoff-race-13213595.php?utm_campaign=hptexas|title=Gallego earns nod in Senate District 19 runoff race|publisher=''The Laredo Morning Times''|accessdate=September 9, 2018}}</ref>