Democrat Ericka Lomick has suspended her campaign for the Texas House District 93 seat covering Blue Mound, Haslet, Saginaw and north Fort Worth, less than a month before early voting begins. Her withdrawal, announced through a campaign news release citing questions about her eligibility to serve, leaves Republican Alan Blaylock without an active challenger just weeks ahead of the November 3 election.
Lomick was scheduled to face Blaylock twice on the ballot this fall, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: once in the regular general election, and once in a special election to complete the final weeks of former state Rep. Nate Schatzline's term, which runs through January 2027. Schatzline resigned on a Thursday, after serving since January 2023, to take a job as senior advisor on election policy for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, according to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth. Abbott issued a proclamation on August 20, 2026, scheduling the special election for the same November date as the general contest, meaning HD 93 will appear twice on ballots, as Community Impact reported.
A PAC's Opposition Research Triggers the Exit
The trigger for Lomick's withdrawal traces to Protect and Serve Texas PAC, which describes itself as backing leaders who support law enforcement and prioritize public safety. The PAC issued a news release on September 17 calling Lomick unfit to serve and urging support for Blaylock, according to the Star-Telegram's reporting on the dispute.
Per federal court records, Lomick — formerly known as Ericka Flood — was convicted in 2011 of mortgage fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in North Carolina and sentenced to 63 months in prison. She had been indicted in 2010 as part of a federal investigation into promoters and mortgage brokers, according to Texas Scorecard. In 2012, a federal district court judge in North Carolina denied a motion Lomick filed under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 seeking to vacate that sentence, in which she alleged ineffective assistance of counsel regarding her guilty plea and sentencing, the outlet reported.
Lomick, for her part, said she had never been convicted of a crime in Texas or another state, per a Fort Worth report cited by the Star-Telegram. In a statement announcing her withdrawal, she thanked her campaign team and supporters and said her campaign had ended but her commitment to House District 93 remains unchanged, adding that she chose to step aside for the people of the district. Allison Campolo said Lomick notified the Tarrant Democratic Party of her intent to suspend her campaign, and the party is continuing to assess the fast-moving situation, the Star-Telegram reported.
Why Texas Law Complicates a Felon's Candidacy
The dispute hinges on a legal distinction that trips up many Texans with past convictions. Under Texas Election Code Section 141.001, a candidate is ineligible to run for public elective office if they have been finally convicted of a felony unless pardoned or judicially released from resulting disabilities, and state guidance warns that knowingly providing false felony-status information on a candidate application is a Class B misdemeanor, according to the Texas Secretary of State's office. The office states that a felony conviction does not bar candidacy if the person has been pardoned or released from resulting disabilities, but that a person convicted of a felony is otherwise ineligible to run for state office after completing a sentence. Texas automatically restores voting rights upon completion of a sentence, but candidacy eligibility requires an explicit pardon or judicial release — a distinction that creates frequent confusion for former offenders seeking office.
Because candidate filing deadlines have already passed, Lomick's name is expected to remain on both the general election and special election ballots.
Blaylock's Path Forward and the District's Political Lean
Blaylock previously represented District 4 on the Fort Worth City Council starting in 2022 and later shifted to District 10, and served on the Tarrant County Appraisal District board from January 2024 through December 2025, according to Ballotpedia. He said his campaign will focus on lowering the cost of living, permanent property tax relief, strong schools and safe neighborhoods, per the Star-Telegram.
Both candidates cruised through their March 3 primaries: Lomick won the Democratic nomination unopposed with 14,140 votes, while Blaylock secured the Republican nomination with 87% of the vote — 12,085 ballots — against primary challenger Steve Sprowls, according to WBAP. The district has long favored Republicans, per data compiled by MultiState.
Early voting for the November 3 election runs from October 19 through October 30, giving Tarrant County voters just weeks to sort through a HD 93 ballot listing that will show Lomick's name twice despite her suspended campaign.
