One only has to look at the past three elections to see that Dutton was forced into a run-off only once: in 2018 when a mysterious person who identified herself as Natasha Ruiz managed to get over twenty percent (20%) of the votes without campaigning.
State representative Harold Dutton, a Houston Democrat representing House District 142, and one of the longest-serving members of the Texas House, ran against Natasha Ruiz on Tuesday–only he didn’t know who she was.
Dutton finished first holding 45 percent and Houston City Council Member Jerry Davis received 25 percent and made it into the runoff.
Natasha Ruiz, the only female on the ballot, snagged 20% of the votes–but without a campaign.
When asked who Natasha Ruiz is, Dutton told ABC13, Dutton said, “We’ve never seen them, we’ve never talked to them. They never showed up. They don’t have a sign. They don’t seem to be a real person.” Source
Just make sure that the person who signs up to run is a real person. She doesn’t have to campaign, put up a sign, or go to any meetings, but she does have to be a real person, representing herself.
Natasha Demming
Prosecutors accused Natasha Demming of conspiring with Bonton to file a ballot application in the House District 142 Democratic primary using the false name of Natasha Ruiz. Demming has been charged with two counts of tampering with a governmental record, perjury, election fraud and conspiracy to commit tampering with a governmental record. If convicted, she could face up to a year in jail for each charge. Source
It may be worth looking to see how many Spanish surnamed voters are in that district.
