Texas State Senator Wins Runoff to Replace Rep. Leland

HOUSTON — State Sen. Craig Washington defeated a city councilman Saturday in a runoff election to choose a successor to Rep. Mickey Leland, who died in a plane crash in Africa four months ago.

With 97% of the vote counted, Washington had 23,364 votes, or 56.8%, to 17,790, or 43.2%, for Anthony Hall.

Washington, who like Hall was a Leland ally, will serve the remainder of the late congressman’s two-year term.

Washington and Hall topped a field of 11 candidates Nov. 7 to qualify for the nonpartisan runoff for Leland’s 18th Congressional District seat. Both men are Democrats in a district that has been described as among the most staunchly Democratic in the nation.

Washington, 48, is an attorney and former law school instructor. He has served in the Texas Senate since 1983 after a 10-year stint in the state House.

Hall, 45, also an attorney, gave up his City Council seat to run for the Leland vacancy. Both men are black.

Washington and Hall agreed on many issues, with both favoring increased money to battle drug trafficking and abuse, and for health care to the poor and elderly and military cutbacks in Central America.

Hall lost a bitter battle to Leland in the congressional race in 1978 when they sought to succeed the retiring Barbara Jordan.