Texas’ March 1 primary ballot is set

Nearly every legislative and congressional race on Tarrant County’s ballot next year will feature a primary or general challenge, something that has been absent from primary elections in past years.

As politicians hurried to beat the 6 p.m. filing deadline Monday, candidates from both parties filed to challenge incumbents up and down the ballot.

“In a county that’s so Republican, you are always going to get challenges,” said Jennifer Hall, who leads the Tarrant County Republican Party. “In Tarrant County, the big race is usually the primary.”

More Republicans are on the local ballot than Democrats, which is to be expected in one of the reddest areas of the state.

But more Democrats are on the ballot than in the past, said Deborah Peoples, who heads the Tarrant County Democratic Party.

“We won’t cede any area of the county,” Peoples said. “I think Democrats are excited about this election cycle. The Republican rhetoric is frightening and people are deciding the Tea Party stance has gone too far. People are ready for a change.”

As dozens of local judicial posts went unchallenged by Democrats, Peoples noted that the only Texas Democratic statewide official, Fort Worth’s Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Laurence “Larry” Meyers, filed for re-election. Three Republicans also filed for that post.

Hall said she believes there’s a good group of Republican candidates on the ballot; Peoples said she believes 2016 will be a good year for Democrats.

Monday was the last day for candidates to file at Republican and Democratic party offices to be on the March 1 primary ballot.

Here’s a look at the races with local candidates who have filed to be on the ballot, according to lists that may not be complete but were posted on the websites of the Texas secretary of state and state and local Republican and Democratic parties.

U.S. House

District 6: Republican — incumbent Joe Barton of Ennis, Collin Baker, Steven Fowler of Arlington; Democrat — Don Jaquess of Arlington, Jeffrey Roseman, Ruby Woolridge of Arlington

District 12: Republican — incumbent Kay Granger of Fort Worth; Democrat — Bill Bradshaw of Fort Worth

District 24: Republican — incumbent Kenny E. Marchant of Coppell; Democrat — Jan McDowell of Carrollton

District 25: Republican — incumbent Roger Williams of Austin; Democrat — Kathi Thomas of Austin

District 26: Republican — incumbent Michael C. Burgess of Lewisville, Joel A. Krause, Michah Beebe; Democrat — Eric Mauck of Fort Worth

District 33: Democrat — incumbent Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, Carlos Quintanilla of Dallas; Republican — Bruce Chadwick of Fort Worth, M. Mark Mitchell of Fort Worth

Texas Legislature

Senate District 12: Republican — incumbent Jane Nelson of Flower Mound

Senate District 22: Republican — incumbent Brian Birdwell of Granbury; Democrat — Michael Collins of Granbury

House District 90: Democrat — incumbent Ramon Romero Jr. of Fort Worth

House District 91: Republican — incumbent Stephanie Klick of Fort Worth

House District 92: Republican — incumbent Jonathan Stickland of Bedford, Scott Fisher of Bedford; Democrat — Kim Leach of Hurst

House District 93: Republican — incumbent Matt Krause; Democrat — Nancy Bean of Arlington

House District 94: Republican — incumbent Tony Tinderholt of Arlington; Andrew Piel of Arlington

House District 95: Democrat — incumbent Nicole Collier of Fort Worth; Republican — Albert McDaniel of Fort Worth

House District 96: Republican — incumbent Bill Zedler of Arlington, Wesley Nelson of Mansfield; Democrat — Sandra Lee of Kennedale

House District 97: Republican — incumbent Craig Goldman of Fort Worth; Democrat — Elizabeth Tarrant of Fort Worth, Andrew McKernon of Fort Worth

House District 98: Republican — incumbent Giovanni Capriglione of Southlake; Democrat — Maricela Sanchez Chibli of Colleyville

House District 99: Republican — incumbent Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, Bo French of Fort Worth

House District 101: Democrat — incumbent Chris Turner of Grand Prairie; Republican — Carlos “Charlie” Garza of Grand Prairie

Statewide and judicial

Texas Railroad Commissioner: Republican — former state Rep. Wayne Christian of Center, Gary Gates of Rosenberg, John Greytok of Austin, Ron Hale of Cypress, Doug Jeffrey of Vernon, Weston Martinez, Lance N. Christian; Democrat — Lon Burnam of Fort Worth, Cody Garrett of Austin, Grady Yarbrough of Flint

Supreme Court Place 3: Republican — incumbent Debra Lehrmann of Fort Worth, Michael Massengale of Houston; Democrat — Mike Westergren of Corpus Christi

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2: Democrat — incumbent Lawrence “Larry” Meyers; Republican — Mary Lou Keel of Houston, Ray Wheless of McKinney, Chris Oldner of Collin County

Second Court of Appeals, Place 3: Republican — Dabney Bassel of Fort Worth, Mary Johndroe, Elizabeth Kerr of Fort Worth, Andy Porter, Bill Ray of Fort Worth

Second Court of Appeals, Place 4: Republican — incumbent Bonnie Sudderth of Fort Worth

17th District Court: Republican — incumbent Melody Wilkinson of Fort Worth

48th District Court: Republican — incumbent David Evans of Fort Worth

67th District Court: Republican — incumbent Don Cosby of Fort Worth

96th District Court: Republican — incumbent R.H. Wallace Jr. of North Richland Hills, Traci Hutton of Grapevine

153rd District Court: Republican — incumbent Susan McCoy of Colleyville

213th District Court: Republican — incumbent Louis E. Sturns of Fort Worth

342nd District Court: Republican — incumbent Wade Birdwell of Mansfield

348th District Court: Republican — Lisa Lumley of Fort Worth, Mike Wallach of Colleyville, Brooke Allen of Fort Worth; Democrat — Joe Drago of Fort Worth

352nd District Court: Republican — incumbent Mark Pittman of Fort Worth

396th District Court: Republican — incumbent George Gallagher of Arlington

Criminal District Judge Court No. 2: Republican — incumbent Wayne Salvant of Arlington

360th Family District Court: Republican — incumbent Mike Sinha of Hurst, Patricia Baca Bennett of Mansfield

Tarrant County

Tax assessor-collector: Republican — incumbent Ron Wright of Arlington; Democrat — Lucas Lothamer of Arlington

Sheriff: Republican — incumbent Dee Anderson of Fort Worth, John M. Garris of Fort Worth, Bill Waybourn of Arlington

Commissioner Precinct 1: Democrat — incumbent Roy Charles Brooks of Fort Worth; Republican — Roy Lozano of Euless

Commissioner Precinct 3: Republican — Gary Fickes of Southlake

Constable: Democrat — Precinct 5, incumbent Ruben Garcia of Fort Worth, Richard Alfaro of Fort Worth, Michael “Mikey” Valdez of Fort Worth; Precinct 6, Kelicia Lyons of Fort Worth; Precinct 8, incumbent Michael R. Campbell of Fort Worth, Raymond E. Williby of Fort Worth; Republican — Precinct 1, incumbent Dale Clark of Haltom City, Tommie Hathorn of Watauga; Precinct 2, incumbent David Woodruff of Arlington; Precinct 3, incumbent Darrell Huffman of Colleyville; Precinct 4, Michael Hardy of Fort Worth, Joe D. “Jody” Johnson of Lake Worth, Johnnie Duane Sparks of Fort Worth; Precinct 6, incumbent Jon Siegel of Fort Worth, Glen Bucy of Fort Worth; Precinct 7, incumbent Clint Burgess of Mansfield

Party chairman: Republican — Tim O’Hare of Southlake, David Wylie of Arlington; Democrat — incumbent Deborah Peoples of Fort Worth, Gary Livingston of Fort Worth

This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Texas’ March 1 primary ballot is set."