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Note: Content below was posted and current as of Jan. 16, 2024
Around the Texas Capitol: Texas dairy regions feature hot election races
By Lauren Fairbanks and J Pete Laney
TAD Governmental Affairs
With 16 open House seats, two open Senate seats and an unprecedented number of contested primary races in the Texas Legislature this election cycle, we thought it would be beneficial to spotlight some of those elections in the state’s dairy areas ahead of the March 5 primary election.
The GOP marked its second-highest candidate turnout in the history of the Texas GOP; it will be a very active election cycle. The first opportunity to cast a ballot is fast approaching, when early voting begins on Feb. 20.
Both Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have upped the level of drama in several primaries by endorsing candidates who sided with them on either policy or political grounds. Abbott looks to unseat members who did not support his school voucher agenda during the regular and special legislative sessions, while Paxton looks to get revenge on House members who voted for his impeachment. In some instances, their endorsements are at odds with one another, as noted in the spotlights below.
Below are three critical and heavily contested races of interest in areas where a number of Texas dairies operate.
Texas Senate District 30
Retiring Sen. Drew Springer (R-Muenster) announced days before the Nov. 11 start of the filing period that he would not be seeking reelection. A safe Republican seat, SD 30’s new representation will likely be determined in the primary, but a competitive field on both sides of the aisle have lined up to succeed Springer:
- Carrie De Moor (R), a Frisco emergency room physician, has the support of Paxton.
- Brent Hagenbuch (R), a Denton County businessman and former chair of the Denton County GOP, is supported by Abbott, Patrick, Springer, former Gov. Rick Perry and current Texas State Sens. Paul Bettencourt, Donna Campbell, Brandon Creighton, Pete Flores and Tan Parker.
- Cody Clark (R) is a former Denton police officer.
- Jace Yarbrough (R) is a Denton County attorney.
- Matthew McGhee (D) lives in Frisco and works in maintenance.
- Michael Braxton (D) is from Denison, where he owns Braxton’s Barbershop and serves as the pastor of Bethel Community Baptist Church.
- Dale Frey (D) is a Denton County resident who works in website development.
Several candidates filed challenges to Hagenbuch’s residency. Texas law requires a person to establish residency in the district they seek to represent for at least one year before an election. A state appeals court denied a residency challenge for listing his business address as his residence on paperwork to run for the seat. Another lawsuit is pending in a Denton County district court over allegations that he lied about where he lives. That legal challenge remains unresolved, with the next hearing set for Jan. 19.
Texas House District 2
A runoff in the special election for House District 2 seat is scheduled for Jan. 30 to represent Hopkins, Hunt and Van Zandt counties in the Texas Legislature after the former legislator was ousted in April 2023. Six candidates initially ran, but making it to the runoff were Brent Money, with 32% of the vote, and Jill Dutton, with 25%. Money is a Greenville attorney and former city councilman and has the backing of Ken Paxton. Dutton, of Ben Wheeler, co-owns a construction consulting business with her husband and is a former Van ISD board member and former president of the Republican Women of Van Zandt County. The prevailing candidate in the Jan. 30 special election runoff will fill the remaining term in the vacant HD 2 seat through December 2024. Regardless of the results, both candidates will face off in a rematch for the March primary, where they are both again on the ballot.
House District 56
Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson (R) announced his retirement earlier this year, paving the way for new representation in this McLennan County seat for the first time since 2004. The winner in the Republican primary will face a general election challenger in this solidly red seat.
- Pat Curry (R), a Waco businessman, has the support of Abbott and Paxton.
- Devvie Duke (R), a former president of the McLennan County Republican Women, is a member of the State Republican Executive Committee who has been endorsed by Anderson.
- Erin Shank (D) is a bankruptcy lawyer and former teacher.
Your Texas Association of Dairymen team is busy getting to know candidates up and down the ballot. Keep any eye out for more candidate spotlights in the days leading up to the November general election.
