“If somebody’s running on their experience, their experience deserves to be examined.”

Houston Press: Two Candidates Try To Take Over Mayor John Whitmire's Senate Seat...Twice?

State Representative Jarvis Johnson and emergency room nurse Molly Cook are going head-to-head in Saturday’s special election to represent Senate District 15 for the remainder of Whitmire’s current term, which runs through the end of the year.

In the weeks before the special election, Cook went on the offensive against her opponent. She called into question his voting record, exclaiming to attendees at a debate hosted by the Bayou Blue Democrats that he had disappointed his constituency despite both being on the same side.

“If somebody’s running on their experience, their experience deserves to be examined,” Cook said. “If somebody has let us down, which I think my opponent has let us down in Austin a few times, then you need to take a critical look at that experience before you walk into the booth.”

During the April debate, Cook took issue with votes Johnson missed and votes he took, such as approving House Bill 3924 in 2021, which she said chipped away at the Affordable Care Act.

Cook has also criticized Johnson’s funding stream. Most notably, the Charter Schools Now political action committee, which she said has ties to the American Federation of Children. This super PAC is funded by Trump donors such as Texas oil tycoon Tim Dunn and pro-voucher advocates like former American Federation of Children chair and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Johnson received roughly $110,000 from the Charter Schools Now PAC.