Plaintiff in Texas Gay Marriage Case Is Now Running for State Senate

AUSTIN — The man who sued Texas to overturn the state's ban on gay marriage will run for Senate as a Democrat, vying for the seat that represents much of Collin County.Mark Phariss, a business attorney based in Plano, and his longtime partner Vic Holmes were two of four plaintiffs who sued Texas in 2013 over its ban on same-sex marriage. Their case was in progress when the U.S. Supreme Court extended the right to marry to all same-sex couples in June 2015. Phariss and Holmes, an Air Force veteran, wed just months later.Phariss will face either Angela Paxton or Phillip Huffines, who'll duke it out for the Republican nomination, in the November general election. Paxton is the wife of Attorney General Ken Paxton, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, and Huffines is the twin brother of Don Huffines, a Republican senator who represents Dallas. Senate District 8's seat was left vacant after GOP incumbent Van Taylor decided to run for Congress. The area encompasses much of Collin County, including parts of Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and Richardson.  Continue reading...