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.

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.

Democrats had accused Abbott of delaying calling a special election for the seat after Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, died in early March.