Sutherland Springs pastor plans run for state Senate
AUSTIN — The Sutherland Springs pastor whose daughter was one of 26 people killed during a mass shooting at their church in 2017 this week filed paperwork to run for the Texas Senate in District 21.
Pastor Frank Pomeroy, of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, filed the paperwork Tuesday to run in 2020, according to Texas Ethics Commission records first reported by the Texas Tribune. It is unclear if he is running as a Republican or a Democrat. He lives in Seguin, according to state filings.
Pomeroy and his wife were out of town on the day of the shooting in Sutherland Springs, a town of about 600 people.
Pomeroy, 53, did not respond to a request for comment Friday and is expected to make an announcement Sunday morning at the church.
The state Senate district runs from Austin to Laredo to Corpus Christi Bay and includes parts of 18 counties, including sections of southeastern Bexar County.
Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, has represented the district since 1987 and confirmed Friday that she is running for re-election.
She said she’s spoken with Pomeroy many times since the church shooting, but the two never discussed him running for the state Senate.
“I treat every opponent with respect, and I take every opponent seriously,” she said.
Zaffirini is well known in the Legislature for never missing a vote in 32 years. She said her streak is about her work ethic and about putting the district first.
She said she will also run on her ability to pass 127 bills during the 2019 legislative session despite being a Democrat in a state Senate that has a Republican majority.
Zaffirini has had little trouble holding her seat in past election cycles. In 2016, she was unopposed in both the Democratic primary and in the general election to secure a new four-year term.
In 2012, she defeated Republican Grant Rostig, 68 percent to 29 percent, in the general election and had no opposition in the Democratic primary.
“You’re not going to be able to win that seat as a Republican, especially against someone such as Zaffirini who isn’t seen as an extreme liberal,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University.