Former Texas House representative and former Dallas County Republican Party chair Rodney Anderson won the special runoff election for Grand Prairie City Council Place 8 on Saturday.
He defeated educator and community advocate Ana Coca by 84 votes, according to unofficial results. Turnout was low, as is typical for local special elections, with only 3,934 ballots cast.
Grand Prairie’s electorate stretches across Dallas, Tarrant and Ellis counties.
Anderson wrote on Facebook Sunday, “I will have much more to say at a later time. It’s been a long day and I’m seriously thankful people cared enough to go vote.”
“For perspective, Grand Prairie as a city is larger than the house district I represented in both population and land mass,” Anderson continued. “It is a big, big city and this is an at large seat. Thank you to everyone who voted for me, and I will work hard to earn the votes of those who didn’t.”
In a social media post, Coca’s campaign wrote, “In just three short months, this community came together in an incredible way. Neighbors volunteered their time, friends donated what they could, and so many people showed up because they believed in Ana and the vision she had for Grand Prairie.”
“Coming within 84 votes of victory is AMAZING and a powerful reminder of what is possible when the community speaks up,” the post read.
Anderson steps into the seat amid significant changes to the makeup of the city council.
He takes over Place 8, an at-large seat, from Grand Prairie Mayor Pro Tem Junior Ezeonu. Ezeonu recently won the Democratic primary for Texas House District 101 and is running for the seat unopposed in the general election.
Another Grand Prairie City Council member, Mike Del Bosque, died Friday at 53. His District 3 seat will remain vacant until the May 2 municipal election, city officials confirmed.
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