Carlos Vasquez, left, and Lon Burnam
In House District 90, Democratic incumbent Lon Burnam has defeated openly gay Fort Worth school board member Carlos Vasquez by a margin of just 150 votes, or 51 percent to 49 percent.
Vasquez said he was disappointed that the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund didn’t endorse him, adding that the group’s support could have made the difference in getting the votes he needed to win.
“A lot of people didn’t think I’d get as close as I did,” he said. “It’s hard to beat a 16-year incumbent who spent twice as much [money] as I did.”
Vasquez said he plans to run again in two years.
Burnam said the close race was due to attack mailers sent in the last week of the campaign. But he said Vasquez was very gracious when he called to concede the race, and they’ve agreed to have lunch in June. Burnam is unopposed for re-election in the fall.