Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that a special election to fill the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner's seat won’t be held until November and defended the timing by renewing criticism of past Houston-area elections.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Monday that the special election to fill the seat vacated following the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner will be held on Nov. 4.

Democrats have argued that Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, did not act faster to fill the vacant seat because he didn’t want the narrow Republicans majority in Congress to shrink.