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David Pfaff appears headed for victory in citywide Irving City Council race

Irving Place 2 candidate David Pfaff.
David Pfaff
/
KERA
Irving Place 2 candidate David Pfaff.

Longtime Irving resident David Pfaff looked to have the majority of votes for the Irving City Council Place 2 seat in Saturday's runoff election if unofficial election night results hold.

The Place 2 seat is a citywide seat, so all Irving residents were able to vote in the runoff.

Pfaff is a born and raised Irving resident. His campaign priorities included public safety, improving infrastructure, and supporting businesses and job growth.

Pfaff and opponent Sergio Porres ran in the May 3 election against Vicky Oduk. Oduk later endorsed Porres because she said they shared the same agenda for the city.

Neither candidate spoke in favor of casinos, but Porres was the most vocal. He made casino gaming a campaign talking point following Las Vegas Sands' failed attempt to include it in future development plans.

Meanwhile the Lone Star Conservative Action Fund, which has ties to Las Vegas Sands, poured tens of thousands of dollars into the Irving City Council races this year, including Pfaff's campaign.

Because the Lone Star Conservative Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization, it is legally allowed to keep its donors private. However, it is not allowed to coordinate with candidates and Pfaff previously said he had no communication with them.

That also applies to the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility PAC, which gave money to Porres' campaign. The group also sent texts ahead of the May election alleging Sands was involved in the Irving political race.

Porres' win would have meant that five of the nine Irving City Council seats would be filled by beneficiaries of the same political action committee.

The local Families for Irving political action committee is a group whose principles include school choice, single-family housing, and "traditional family values."

Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.

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Megan Cardona is a daily news reporter for KERA News. She was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and previously worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.