Ericka Lomick, the Democrat nominee for Texas state House District 93, suspended her campaign Monday after a political action committee (PAC) resurfaced her federal felony conviction for mortgage fraud.
Lomick announced the end of her bid for the Tarrant County-based seat in a press release, according to Texas Scorecard, and her campaign tied the decision to questions about her eligibility to hold office.
“Although this was not an easy decision, I am convinced that it was the right one for the people of HD 93,” Lomick said.
The release said Lomick chose to “step aside” so voters could elect someone “without the burden of defending against attacks that would threaten to derail the business of the people.”
Federal court records reviewed by The Dallas Express show Lomick, then known as Ericka Flood, was charged in 2010 as part of a federal mortgage-fraud investigation in North Carolina. The FBI identified her as a mortgage broker and promoter in U.S. v. Sharreff-El, case 3:10-cr-00124, United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. She entered a plea agreement on January 4, 2011, admitting guilt to mortgage-fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, and money-laundering conspiracy, and received concurrent prison terms including a 63-month sentence. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed her post-conviction challenge as untimely in 2013.
The record surfaced after Protect and Serve Texas PAC published opposition research on September 17 citing the case, the sentence, and an alleged $300,000 federal lien.
Lomick had previously told the Fort Worth Report that she had never been convicted of a crime “in any state.”
Under Texas law, a person finally convicted of a felony is generally ineligible to run for office absent a pardon. The Texas Secretary of State notes that completing a felony sentence does not by itself restore eligibility.
Her exit leaves Republican Alan Blaylock, a former Fort Worth city councilman, as the likely winner of the seat vacated by Nate Schatzline.
“Like too many Democratic candidates this year, she was rushed to file and was not prepared to run,” Blaylock told Texas Scorecard.
The suspension follows a string of Texas Democrats dogged by background scrutiny this cycle, including U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, who voted five times using his parents’ address. U.S. Congressional candidate Bobby Pulido was recorded boasting about helping a convicted child predator post bail.
The Texas Democratic Party still lists Lomick as its HD 93 nominee.
