FOX4 VOTER GUIDE: Notable 2018 primary races around North Texas

There are open seats and competitive primaries across North Texas in 2018. This is a look at some of the more notable contests.

U.S. House District 3 (replacing Sam Johnson)

Democrats

  • Adam P. Bell
  • Lorie Burch
  • Medrick Yhap
  • Sam Johnson

Republicans

  • Alex Donkervoet
  • David Niederkorn
  • Van Taylor

Longtime Republican incumbent Sam Johnson is retiring at the end of his current term. The seat is mostly in Collin County, a GOP stronghold. Texas State Sen. Van Taylor has the most ID with Republican voters and has nearly $1 million in cash on hand. Adam Bell won the Democratic primary two years ago, but lost to Johnson by nearly 30 points in the general election.

 

U.S. House District 5 (replacing Jeb Hensarling)

Democrats

  • Dan Wood

Republicans

  • Bunni Pounds
  • Charles Lingerfelt
  • Danny Campbell
  • David Williams
  • Jason Wright
  • Kenneth Sheets
  • Lance Gooden
  • Sam Deen

Republican incumbent Jeb Hensarling shocked voters when he announced in late October he wouldn’t run for re-election. He quickly threw his support behind his former campaign manager and fundraiser, Bunni Pounds. Another name to watch is former state Rep. Ken Sheets, who has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions. Dan Wood is unopposed in the Democratic primary. A Democratic candidate hasn’t been on the ballot in the district in years. District 4 includes eastern and southern parts of Dallas County and stretches to the southeast.

 

U.S. House District 6 (replacing Joe Barton)

Democrats

  • Jana Lynne Sanchez
  • John W. Duncan
  • Justin Snider
  • Levii R. Shocklee
  • Ruby Faye Woolridge

Republicans

  • Deborah Gagliardi
  • J.K. "Jake" Ellzey
  • Ken Cope
  • Kevin Harrison
  • Mark Mitchell
  • Mel Hassell
  • Ron Wright
  • Shannon Dubberly
  • Shawn Dandridge
  • Thomas Dillingham
  • Troy Ratterree

Incumbent Joe Barton opted to retire after graphic photos of himself were leaked and made public in the fall. A runoff could occur in the GOP primary due to the large number of candidates. Former Barton aide and current Tarrant County tax assessor Ron Wright has a high ID among voters. Another candidate to watch is Ellis County’s Jake Ellzey, who unsuccessfully ran for Texas House in 2014 and is currently a Texas Veterans Commission member. Ruby Faye Woolridge won the Democratic primary in 2016, but lost to Barton by nearly 20 points in the general election.

 

U.S. House District 32

Democrats

  • Brett Shipp
  • Colin Allred
  • Ed Meier
  • George Rodriguez
  • Lillian Salerno
  • Ron Marshall
  • Todd Maternowski

Republicans

  • Paul Brown
  • Pete Sessions (incumbent)

This Dallas district will be one of the most watched general election races of 2018 in the U.S. Incumbent Republican Pete Sessions is being targeted, even though he won 71 percent of the vote in 2016, because Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump within the district. Two years ago, Sessions didn’t even have a Democratic opponent. Now multiple Democrats are trying to win their primary so they can battle Sessions in November. Ed Meier has the most money, $800,000, and has been running TV ads for weeks. Meier previously worked in the State Department and was an adviser to Hillary Clinton. Former NFL player and Obama housing official Colin Allred has raised $160,000. The only woman in the race is Lillian Salerno and she’s also raised $160,000. One other notable name: former KDFW and WFAA television reporter Brett Shipp, who left WFAA in the fall to run for the seat. The Democratic race could have a runoff. Whoever wins will face a well-funded Sessions, who already has $1.3 million in the bank.

 

U. S. Senate

Democrats

  • Beto O'Rourke
  • Edward Kimbrough
  • Sema Hernandez

Republicans

  • Bruce Jacobson, Jr.
  • Geraldine Sam
  • Mary Miller
  • Stefano de Stefano
  • Ted Cruz (incumbent)

The primaries are a formality, as voters are already looking ahead to the fall for the Beto O’Rourke vs Ted Cruz matchup. O’Rourke, a U.S. congressman from El Paso, has generated excitement on the Democratic side, as he’s spent nearly a year traveling around the entire state meeting with energized Democrats and activists. He’s also hauled in the money, outraising Cruz in two of the last three quarters. But the incumbent still has the advantage heading into the fall. Cruz has more than $2 million than O’Rourke in cash on hand and Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 1994. The race remains Cruz’s to lose.

 

Governor

Democrats

  • Adrian Ocegueda
  • Andrew White
  • Cedric Davis, Sr.
  • Grady Yarbrough
  • James Jolly Clark
  • Jeffrey Payne
  • Joe Mumbach
  • Lupe Valdez
  • Tom Wakely

Republicans

  • Barbara Krueger
  • Greg Abbott (incumbent)
  • SECEDE Kilgore

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has the largest war chest of any statewide candidate in any of the races. He will put it to use once the general election campaign starts. Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston businessman Andrew White are the two most likely to emerge as Abbott's opponent. White has more money than Valdez, who declared her candidacy late and is running a shoestring campaign out of her Dallas home. With nine Democratic candidates, it seems likely the two will proceed to a May runoff.

 

Land Commissioner

Democrats

  • Miguel Suazo
  • Tex Morgan

Republicans

  • Davey Edwards
  • George P. Bush (incumbent)
  • Jerry Patterson
  • Rick Range

Incumbent George P. Bush has faced an unusually hostile primary challenge from his predecessor, Jerry Patterson. Bush has been attacked for his management of The Alamo site in San Antonio and a contract the land office signed with a contractor doing Hurricane Harvey recovery. That firm donated five-figures to Bush’s re-election after inking the deal. Bush, who has closely aligned himself with President Trump, has raised the most money of any of the candidates and is attempting to win outright on March 6.

 

Texas State Senate District 8 (Collin County)

Democrats

  • Brian Chaput
  • Mark Phariss

Republicans

  • Angela Paxton
  • Phillip Huffines

 

Dallas County District Attorney

Democrats

  • John Creuzot
  • Elizabeth Davis Frizell

Republicans

  • Faith Johnson (incumbent)

 

Dallas County Sheriff

Democrats

  • Eland J. Sigler
  • Marian Brown
  • Roy Williams, Jr.

Republicans

  • Aaron Meek
  • Chad Prda

FOR MORE DETAILS ON ALL OF THE CANDIDATES: https://my.lwv.org/texas/voters-guide