Results Are In: Eastman Defeats LaRotta in Texas House District 148 Runoff Special Election

The Harris County House District 148 runoff special election came to a close Tuesday night with Democrat Anna Eastman on top. 

Democrat and former Houston ISD Trustee Anna Eastman won the runoff for House District 148, receiving 4,527 votes (65.5 percent) against Republican small business owner Luis LaRotta, who received 2,388 votes (34.5 percent).

Voter turnout in the special election was sparse. Just 6,915 (7.8 percent) of House District 148’s 89,225 registered voters cast a ballot in the election, with 1,326 voters (19.2 percent) casting their ballot by mail, while 1,831 (26.5 percent) voted early in person. On Election Day, Tuesday, January 28, 3,758 voters (54.3 percent) cast their ballots.

The special election was first called by Gov. Greg Abbott to replace Jessica Farrar (D-Houston) after she resigned last September.

Once Eastman is sworn in with the two other special election runoff winners in Fort Bend and Dallas, the House complement of members will be brought to 150, with 83 Republicans and 67 Democrats.

Eastman will be back on the ballot for the March 3 Democratic primary for House District 148. She will face Business Development Manager Emily Wolf, former 2019 Houston City Council candidate Cynthia Reyes-Revilla, former 2018 Harris County Commissioner candidate Court Penny Shaw, and paralegal Adrian Garcia, the latter two of whom ran in the first round of the special election. Whoever wins that primary will face Republican Luis LaRotta on November 3.

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