Not surprisingly, Gov. Perry has set it for as soon as possible.
The election for the term beginning in 2011 will be held Dec. 14, the governor’s office said.
Candidates for District 44 in Texas House of Representatives must file applications with the Secretary of State no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 15.
The early voting will run from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10.
Even in a good Democratic year, this is a solid Republican district, so the only question will be whether someone can win this without a runoff or not. If there is a runoff, it will be in early January, so the Republicans won’t be missing a member for any significant length of time.