House races

Race for Stockman seat heads to GOP runoff

The race to replace colorful Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) will head to a runoff.

{mosads}Dentist Brian Babin (R) leads the 12-candidate field with 35 percent of the vote and will face off against wealthy mortgage banker Ben Streusand (R), who won 24 percent in the race.

The primary runoff will all but guarantee the 36th district’s next congressman. Mitt Romney won three quarters of the district’s votes in 2012.

Stockman lost his ill-fated primary challenge on Tuesday night to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and couldn’t run concurrently for his current House seat.