Democratic candidates in Texas House District 101 primary

Two Democrats are running in the primary for Texas House District 101. Here are their responses to the Star-Telegram’s candidate questionnaire, in the order they’ll appear on the ballot.

Chris Turner

Age (as of March 3): 53

Campaign website: votechristurner.com

Best way for voters to reach you: chris@votechristurner.com

Occupation: Communications Consultant

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas in 1996.

Have you run for elected office before? State Representative, HD 96 from 2009-2011; Ran for State Representative, HD 96 in 2010 and was not re-elected ; State Representative, HD 101 from 2013-present

Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in HD-101.

I have been a member of the House of Representatives for 8 terms, representing parts of Arlington, Grand Prairie, and Mansfield. I have chaired the Higher Education, Business and Industry, and Property Tax Appraisal Committees. In my three-term tenure as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, I organized the historic quorum break to fight against anti-voter legislation. Prior to my service in the Texas House of Representatives, I managed several political campaigns in Texas and was a senior Congressional aide.

Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? No.

Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:

I have never declared bankruptcy. I have been involved in a few civil lawsuits:

I am one of the 13 House Democrats who is currently being sued by Attorney General Ken Paxton in an attempt to remove me from office in retaliation for the 2025 redistricting quorum break. This case is pending before the Texas Supreme Court.

In 2021, I led a bipartisan group in filing a writ of mandamus (In re Turner) against Governor Abbott when he vetoed Article X of the Appropriations Act (the section of the budget that funds the Legislature).

I have been deposed numerous times in connection with various Texas redistricting and voting rights laws. I testified in federal court in connection with the 2021 redistricting.

In college, I was a plaintiff in a class action suit involving a tenant and landlord dispute. I was also a witness in a slip-and-fall case at a grocery store where I worked in high school and college.

Who are your top three campaign contributors?

1. Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

2. Texas Realtors PAC

3. (tied) UA Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 286 PAC

3. (tied) UA Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 100 PAC

3. (tied) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC

3. (tied) Larry Jaynes

Why are you seeking this office?

I am running for State Representative because I believe state government can and must do more to provide more opportunity for my constituents and all Texans. Instead of focusing on partisan and divisive issues, our leaders should focus on improving access to affordable healthcare, ensuring the state provides our children a quality public education and protecting the rights of workers.

I want to continue my work to secure state funding for UT Arlington and for parks and transportation projects in my district. I am also running to continue the progress we have made on a host of issues, including better protections for Texans with IDD, securing new benefits for first responders and putting in guardrails on the property appraisal system to protect public school funding.

If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?

1. Expand Medicaid

2. Fund public schools an adequate amount while repealing school vouchers

3. Ensure workers are paid a fair wage and treated with dignity and respect

How will you measure your success as a member of the Texas House?

First and foremost, I measure my success as a state legislator by how available and responsive I am to my constituents, which is why I have always prioritized constituent services and being accessible to my district through town hall meetings and other events. In Austin, I measure success by the legislation I am able to pass, funding I am able to secure for my district, and harmful legislation I am able to block.

Why should voters choose you over your opponents?

My track record is one of representing and defending the values of my constituents and getting results. I have never hesitated to fight back against the overreach of Republicans when they threaten my constituents’ voting rights, public schools, health care and fundamental freedoms.

At the same time, my constituents did not elect me just to fight; they expect me to get results. I’ve secured millions in funding for UT Arlington and parks and libraries in my district. I passed an anti-housing discrimination law in 2023. I authored legislation that has raised $275 million to support Texas veterans. In 2025, I authored legislation to end Tarrant Appraisal District’s misguided reappraisal scheme that was hurting our public schools and passed a constitutional amendment to improve property tax relief for surviving spouses of disabled veterans covered by the PACT Act. My record is one of an effective lawmaker who never backs down from a fight. I want to continue that work for my constituents.

As a state lawmaker, how would you interact and work with members of the opposite party? Are there specific policy ideas where you see opportunities for bipartisanship?

I have a proven track record of working with anyone, regardless of party, to solve problems and move Texas forward. Republicans have been in the majority the entire time I have served in the House, so the many laws I have passed were only possible due to bipartisan support. Issues I’ve worked on that are conducive to bipartisanship include strengthening the electric grid, investing in water infrastructure, and reducing property taxes. Additionally, one of my most important issues, the oversight of group homes, proved to be an opportunity for bipartisan collaboration.

That said, too many Republicans in Austin are focused on hyper-partisan and social issues that take our state backwards and come at the expense of the serious issues the Legislature should focus on. When Republicans erode Texans’ voting rights, demonize immigrants, repeal reproductive rights and attack the rights of LGBTQ Texans to even exist, there can be no collaboration. We have to fight them with everything we have.

What is the biggest challenge facing HD-101? How would you address it if elected?

The most pressing issue facing HD 101 is the systematic erosion of voting rights and the growing practice of racially discriminatory redistricting schemes preventing voters, especially voters of color, from fully realizing their constitutional right to elect leaders of their choice.

If we don’t fight back and defend voting rights, the opportunity to make meaningful progress on any other issue is in danger. That’s why I helped lead two House Democratic Caucus walk-outs on voting rights and redistricting. While both measures eventually passed, our quorum breaks led to the John Lewis Voting Rights Act passing the U.S. House in 2021, and California’s Prop. 50 being introduced and passed in 2025.

If re-elected, I will continue to use every measure necessary to fight against the Republican Party’s assault on voting rights, while championing pro-voter legislation, including online voter registration, expanded vote-by-mail and early voting access, and restoring the Voting Rights Act.

What, if anything, should the Texas Legislature do to address costs of living when they meet in 2027?

The Legislature must do more to further reduce property taxes using methods such as the homestead exemption, which offers the most relief to home owners in the fairest way possible. We must also provide relief to renters.

The state should create additional sales tax exemptions on necessities. I co-sponsored SB 379, eliminating the tax on tampons and personal care items, when it passed in 2023. I filed bills to expand sales tax exemptions for personal necessities in 2025 and will continue to do so. In 2019, I led the effort to defeat Republicans’ proposed 9% sales tax hike.

We must fight for Texans to be paid a living wage. I’ve filed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and will continue to do so if re-elected.

We must ensure that Texas has a better social safety net to assist Texans in meeting their most basic needs. We must fully fund SNAP and TANF, and allocate funding for the Summer EBT program again, which the Legislature passed but Abbott shamefully vetoed.

Is eliminating school property taxes for homeowners achievable and something you’d support? Why or why not, and what plan do you propose to achieve their elimination or as an alternative?

Property taxes provide over half of the total funding of our public schools. Without an alternate funding source it is not feasible to eliminate them. I do support the state taking on a greater share of education funding to reduce property taxes.

I also support initiatives to further lower property taxes using the homestead exemption, as discussed above.

What steps, if any, should the state take to prepare for the rise of artificial intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to benefit society, but without appropriate regulation it poses significant dangers. The environmental impact of AI cannot be ignored. I supported SB 6, the Legislature’s first step to regulate data centers, because it will require data centers to contribute to grid connection costs and curtail their load during emergency events. The Legislature must do more to protect the environment, however. I am supportive of legislation requiring data centers to report how much water they expect to consume in the future or where it would be supplied prior to being built.

The dangers of AI are not only environmental. I support legislation outlawing non-consensual AI generated deepfakes in politics and explicit content. It is also important to impose safeguards to identify and mitigate bias in AI tools used in hiring, medicine, credit, facial recognition, and more, and respond to misinformation by AI on social media.

What, if anything, should the Texas Legislature do to ensure there’s an adequate supply of water and electricity in the state now and in the future?

Over the last three legislative sessions, the Legislature has made positive changes to strengthen our electric grid, including implementing weatherization requirements and expanding transmission lines. However, for years, the Legislature has been too singularly focused on creating and incentivizing dispatchable energy, to the detriment of other important and effective solutions. The two most important and undervalued components to strengthen our grid are energy conservation and the protection of renewable energy.

The Legislature took a huge step towards securing our water future by passing HJR 7, which invests $1 billion a year to protect our water infrastructure. However, this will not fully remedy our water crisis. We need to be vigilant watching the impact that data centers have on our water supply.

What specific K-12 and higher education policies should state lawmakers prioritize in 2027?

We must repeal private school vouchers. Vouchers will siphon billions of dollars of funding from our public schools to private schools that are not required to adhere to state regulations and not required to serve all students. Second, Texas needs to better fund our public schools. Even with last year’s $8.5 billion funding increase, our schools lag behind 2019 funding levels when accounting for inflation.

Locally, we must protect our schools from being denied state funding due to mismanagement by the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD). In 2025, TAD implemented new appraisal policies that jeopardized local school district funding. I passed SB 973 to require annual reappraisals, ensuring that our local school districts will not lose funding due to failing the Property Value Study.

For higher education, we should fully fund Texas Grants and the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG) program to help more middle and lower-income Texas students attend college in Texas.

What role should the state play in immigration and border security? What, if any, specific policies would you support as a state lawmaker?

Border security is a federal issue, and I believe that the state government should not interfere or spend state tax dollars on a federal responsibility. On the state level, the only border-related action I support is repealing the numerous overreaching anti-immigrant bills passed by the Legislature that fly in the face of the Constitution, encourage racial profiling, and make our communities less safe. I would also support reallocating the state money currently spent on border security to priorities that benefit all Texans, like public education.

What, if anything, should the Texas Legislature do in the way of hemp and marijuana policy?

I listened to 15 hours of public testimony in the State Affairs Committee on bills that would ban or regulate THC and was grateful for the opportunity to learn from Texans on both sides of the issue. I believe any solution must take into account both the danger that THC poses to young people, along with the proven medical benefits it provides veterans and others suffering from chronic pain.

I voted for SB 3 in committee, because at the time, the bill imposed reasonable regulations on THC, white still permitting its use by responsible adults. Unfortunately, the legislation was amended to become a full ban on THC – and was ultimately vetoed. I believe that reasonable, effective regulation is the right solution. The Department of State Health Services has taken steps to enact some regulation, but I believe the Legislature must take ownership of this issue and devise a regulatory plan that keeps Texans, especially kids, safe but is also fair to responsible adults and to businesses.

Junior Ezeonu

Age (as of March 3): 26

Campaign website: votejuniorezeonu.com

Best way for voters to reach you: votejuniorezeonu@gmail.com or through social media at Junior Ezeonu

Occupation: Political Consultant

Education: Bachelors of Arts in Political Science at UT Arlington

Have you run for elected office before? Yes. I have on the Grand Prairie City Council since June 2021.

Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in HD-101:

In June, 2021, at the age of twenty-two, I was elected to the Grand Prairie City Council after a run-off in which I defeated a twelve-year incumbent. I became the council’s youngest-ever elected member, as well as one of the only African-American members since the early 1990s. In June, 2025, at age twenty-six, I became the youngest Mayor Pro Tem in the city’s history.

While on the city council, I have helped lower the Grand Prairie property tax rate, raise the minimum wage for city employees to $15/hr for part time and $17.82/hr for full time employees, create an affordable transportation program for city residents, fund affordable housing programs, and address climate change.

Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? No.

Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? No.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? Steve Ezeonu, Amaka Ezeonu and Adaobi Gwacham

Why are you seeking this office?

I decided to run for state representative because we desperately need change in Texas. Working families are struggling to make ends meet and folks are losing faith in our party to provide solutions and change. I am running to be the change that we want to see and make the dreams of our future a reality today.

If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?

Raising the minimum wage to $15/hr. Funding public schools and repealing the voucher law. Making homeownership affordable.

How will you measure your success as a member of the Texas House?

I would measure my success in my ability to pass legislation that improves the quality of life of my constituents as well as all Texans.

Why should voters choose you over your opponents?

I believe that voters should choose me for this race based on my background, record and perspective for the future. I have served as a city council member for the last 4 1/2 years and have worked hard to successfully pass legislation that increases wages, lowers taxes, funds public transit programs and create opportunities for affordable homeownership. I plan to expand this work to the state level should I be elected as a state representative because folks in our state are working very hard but are not getting as far as prior generations have.

As a state lawmaker, how would you interact and work with members of the opposite party? Are there specific policy ideas where you see opportunities for bipartisanship?

I would work in good faith with members of the opposite party to pass legislation that improves the quality of life for Texans. I can see potential bipartisanship in legislation that bans institutional investors from buying single family homes.

What is the biggest challenge facing HD-101? How would you address it if elected?

Affordable homeownership is one of the biggest challenges facing our residents. In 2021, 52% of all homes sold in Tarrant County went to Institutional investors and private equity firms. We must ban private equity and institutional investors from buying up single family homes to ensure working Texans can buy homes and build generational wealth.

What, if anything, should the Texas Legislature do to address costs of living when they meet in 2027?

Raise the minimum wage, ban private equity and institutional investors from buying single family homes, provide incentives to emerging industries like clean energy to bring new high paying jobs to Texas.

Is eliminating school property taxes for homeowners achievable and something you’d support? Why or why not, and what plan do you propose to achieve their elimination or as an alternative?

No. Eliminating school property taxes is unrealistic and would destroy funding for our local public schools. The state government instead should significantly increase per pupil allotment and teacher pay from its portion of the school funding formula and reduce the burden on local school districts to pay the lion share for school funding. If the state steps up and pays more, then local school districts can reduce their property tax rate and homeowners will save money on their taxes.

What steps, if any, should the state take to prepare for the rise of artificial intelligence?

We must require data centers to properly pay their fair share for energy and water use. Data centers should pay higher impact fees for upgrades to infrastructure that supports their usage.

What, if anything, should the Texas Legislature do to ensure there’s an adequate supply of water and electricity in the state now and in the future?

We must require data centers to properly pay their fair share for energy and water use. Data centers should pay higher impact fees for upgrades to infrastructure that supports their usage.

What specific K-12 and higher education policies should state lawmakers prioritize in 2027?

Repeal the private school voucher law. Properly fund public schools by increasing the per pupil allotment and teacher pay. Work with the state board of education, TEA and local school boards to ensure that teachers have the resources to teach for students to learn, rather than teach so they can pass a standardize test.

What role should the state play in immigration and border security? What, if any, specific policies would you support as a state lawmaker?

It is federal governments job to enforce immigration and border laws. The state government does not have jurisdiction within that realm.

What, if anything, should the Texas Legislature do in the way of hemp and marijuana policy?

The state of Texas should invest in studies to figure out how we should best Legalize, Tax and Regulate Marijuana and Hemp products.

This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 3:00 AM.