The past week has brought more announcements from incumbents who are seeking reelection, including state Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-El Paso), whose House District (HD) 75 voted for Beto O'Rourke over U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz by a 55 percent margin in 2018 and has sent Rep. Gonzalez to Austin with reliable consistency. State Rep. Chris Paddie (R-Marshall), who chairs the House Energy Resources Committee, announced reelection plans in HD 9. The East Texas district has produced Republican margins of 50 percent or greater for the last several election cycles. Rep. Paddie also announced on Tuesday his endorsement by Gov. Greg Abbott for the 2020 election.

Republican Frank Pomeroy has announced plans to challenge state Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) in Senate District (SD) 21. Pomeroy is pastor of the Sutherland Springs church that was the site of a mass shooting in 2017. Zaffirini has not seen a Republican challenger in recent years, however her district handed O'Rourke a 21-point margin in 2018. This is more or less consistent with previous general elections in SD 21.

In SD 19, San Antonio Democrat Xochil Pena Rodriguez has announced a run against state Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton), who won SD 19 in a September 2018 special election to succeed state Sen. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio). Flores pulled off an upset in a district that has shown a willingness to swing to the Republican column. Voters in SD 19 narrowly sided with Greg Abbott in the 2014 governor's race, but Hillary Clinton and Beto O'Rourke each won the district by double digits.

Participation in elections is the single most powerful thing you can do as an educator in order to ensure state leaders pass laws aimed at helping our schools -- not hurting them. While ATPE's Teach the Vote provides resources in order to help illustrate candidates' views on public education issues, our partners at the Texas Educators Vote (TEV) coalition have launched a new website with tools for helping to remind yourself when it's time to head to the polls. Visit the TEV website here, then sign up for text reminders of important election dates. You can also get help finding your polling location and making sure you're registered to vote in time for the next election.