This will be a fun race to watch -- and we'll be watching it.

The Houston Chronicle's Alan Bernstein writes today that the ballot has been set in the race to replace retiring Republican Senator Kyle Janek. It's a special election, so that means multiple candidates can get into the race instead of going though the more typical primary process.

According to the Chronicle:

Republican candidates are Houston businessman Austen Furse, Houston lawyer Grant Harpold, former Harris County felony court Judge Joan Huffman and Lake Jackson engineer Ken Sherman.

The Democrats are former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell of Houston and Stephanie E. Simmons, who could not be reached for information about her candidacy.

The winner will complete Janek's term and serve as senator in one of the most diverse senate districts in the region: Not only does in include a chunk of Harris County, it winds through Jefferson, Chambers, Galveston, Fort Bend and Brazoria counties, too.

One of the things we're doing here at Texas Watchdog is taking a hard look at all the candidates in some of the more interesting state and local races. We're vetting the candidates' backgrounds and examining closely the money flowing in and out of their campaigns.

Watch in the coming weeks for stories on these candidates, and if you have any information you'd like to share in the meantime, shoot us an e-mail or pick up the phone.