The sole challenger for Rep. Elliott Naish­tat‘s House District 49 seat has quietly withdrawn from the race he had little chance of winning. On Aug. 21, the Republic­an Party of Texas confirmed that James Hasik, a business security consultant, withdrew for personal reasons. In a phone message, Hasik said he had effectively withdrawn several months ago (as of July 15, he had raised no money and only spent $8 to register for a campaign website, according to Texas Ethics Commission financial filings). Hasik said he did not expect there to be a replacement Republican candidate and wished Naishtat the best.

This article appears in August 29 • 2008.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.