Senator who died last month wins re-election

HOUSTON (KXAN) - Less a month after his death, state Sen. Mario Gallegos won re-election to his Houston-area district.

Voters in the heavily Democratic area will now be asked to choose his replacement in a special election yet to be called by Gov. Rick Perry.

Gallegos, who served 18 years in the Senate, defeated Republican R.W. Bray by a hefty margin. His death came after election officials had already sent out the mail-in ballots.

The retired firefighter died Oct. 16 from complications from his 2007 liver transplant. He gained national attention when just weeks after the delicate operation, he rebuffed doctors' orders by returning to the Senate to battle a Republican-led effort to require voters to present photo identification before they could cast a ballot.

He and other Democrats said the legislation would be discourage turnout among elderly and minority groups.