Bobby Abtahi, left, and Philip Kingston
Philip Kingston led Bobby Abtahi in early voting in the runoff for the District 14 Dallas City Council seat. Both candidates have expressed strong support for the LGBT community in the heavily gay district that includes parts of Oak Lawn, East Dallas and downtown.
Kingston received 1,215 early votes, or 54 percent, to Abtahi’s 1,024 votes, or 46 percent, according to results posted by the Dallas County Elections Office shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m.
It’ll take another hour or two to count Election Day results, and we won’t know the outcome until they’re posted, but early voting results can be a good indicator of where a race is headed. In this case, while Kingston clearly has an edge, the race is still too close to call.
In the District 5 Dallas City Council race, Rick Callahan led Jesse Diaz after early voting. Callahan received 500 early votes, or 57 percent, to Diaz’s 381 votes, or 43 percent.
In another race of LGBT interest, out Fort Worth school board member Carlos Vasquez trailed challenger Jacinto Ramos after early voting, according to the Tarrant County Elections Office. Vasquez received just 110 early votes, or 18 percent, to Ramos’ 487 votes, or 82 percent. It’s safe to say Ramos has defeated Vasquez as expected.
Stay tuned to Instant Tea for final results and reactions from the winners and losers later this evening.