by Nicole Bradford
Former Pearland City Councilmen Alex Kamkar and Jeffrey Barry are headed to a runoff after none of the four candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Texas House District 29 received a majority of votes.
Kamkar and Barry both resigned from the city council in December to run for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Ed Thompson.
Runoffs are not uncommon in races with three or more candidates since one of them must secure at least 50 percent of the vote to win.
Barry came in just under with 48 percent, and Kamkar was right on his heels at 44 percent, according to unofficial election results released Tuesday night.
Kamkar was endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, while Barry was endorsed by Thompson, who served six terms.
Abbott has traveled the state in recent weeks to back candidates supporting his school voucher program and has campaigned robustly against House members who voted against it.
The two other District 29 candidates, Trent Perez and Edgar Pacheco Jr., drew 2.8 percent and 4.7 percent of ballots, respectively.
The winner of the May 28 runoff will face Democrat Adrienne Bell in November. Bell ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The 29th District encompasses the north and east portions of Brazoria County.
Brazoria County Sheriff L. “Bo” Stallman cleared his path to reelection with 73.4 percent of Republic primary ballots against challenger Richard Foreman, who had 26 percent. He will not face an opponent in November.
Precinct 3 County Commissioner Stacy Adams and Precinct 3 Constable Buck Stevens were both unopposed in the primary, with no Democrats on the November ballot.
