Is former state Rep. Silber a former Republican or Democrat? I would hate for the conservative vote to be split and have a RAT win with under 40%.
"Silber was a Democrat in the Texas House from 1970 to 1971 and was chairman of the committee on school finance."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1331383/posts
Runoffs have been required in TX special elections since 1958, after Democrat Ralph William Yarborough won the 1957 special U.S. Senate election for the seat vacated by incoming Governor and outgoing Senator Price Daniel, Sr. Yarborough won his initial election with only 38 percent of the vote without a runoff, then won regular general elections in 1958 and 1964, the latter beating the upstart George Herbert Walker Bush.
I wonder if this Silber is related to the former Boston University President John Silber, the unsuccessful Democrat gubernatorial nominee in MA in 1990, and a mentor of the once popular William J. "Bill" Bennett. I know that the MA Silber had some kind of TX roots.