Excellent.
This article which is apprently from a hostile liberal site says this Section 172.054 of the Texas Election Code required this action.
Sec. 172.054. EXTENDED FILING DEADLINE. (a) The deadline for filing an application for a place on the general primary election ballot is extended as provided by this section if a candidate who has made an application that complies with the applicable requirements:
(2) holds the office for which the application was made and withdraws or is declared ineligible on or after the date of the regular filing deadline and on or before the 79th day before general primary election day; or...
(c) An extension of the filing deadline under this section applies only to the primary election of the political party for which the withdrawn, deceased, or ineligible candidate applied for a place on the ballot.
The article seems to imply that GOP wouldn’t have wanted to extend the deadline, I can’t imagine why. I assume they are just engaging in Republican bashing.
It’s obvious why the GOP didn’t want to extend the filing deadline: the party is deathly afraid of former Congressman Jim Turner making a comeback and reclaiming the district for the Democrats. /s/
I think what this statute is intended to do is prevent a current office holder to withdraw and set up on of his buddies to get a clear path to an election win by misleading other viable candidates into not running.
For all his positives, Stockman is pretty sleazy.