For more than three weeks since the Nov. 5 election, the Texas Secretary of State’s office showed Republican lawyer Matthew Kolodoski beating Democratic Judge Tina Clinton in the race for the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas 755,511 votes to 753,999.
Wednesday afternoon, as lawyers left their offices for the long Thanksgiving weekend, state election officials quietly updated the official results.
Clinton: 760,927
Kolodoski: 759,331
The 3,000-vote swing came from mail-in ballots and provisional ballots, which can take several days to review and confirm, according to lawyers.
The Texas Lawbook first reported on Nov. 18 that Judge Clinton, who currently serves on the Dallas County Criminal Court, had likely won the election, reversing the original election night tally.
Judge Clinton told The Lawbook that day that Kolodoski had texted her to concede the election on Nov. 15. Read that article here.
Lawyers familiar with both candidates confirm that Kolodoski did congratulate his opponent on her election victory, but that Republican Party leaders in Texas scolded the Thompson Coe commercial litigator and have been pressuring him to file an appeal.
If Judge Clinton’s victory stands, the Dallas Court of Appeals will have a new Republican majority, 7-6.