Tarrant County GOP chair sued by Southlake candidate who was kicked off ballot
Zee Wilcox, a Republican candidate from Southlake for House District 98, is suing Tarrant County’s GOP chair over his decision that she’s ineligible to appear on the March primary ballot.
Wilcox used an incorrect form to file her candidacy in December. She claims it was an innocent error that should have been caught at the time. But GOP chair Tim Davis, who investigated after a precinct chair challenged the paperwork, determined Wilcox’s application “does not comply with the statutory requirements for a state house candidate.”
Wilcox filed a lawsuit Friday in Tarrant County District Court, asking the court to let her stay on the ballot, according to her campaign. Davis is named as the defendant. He declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Earlier this week, Wilcox tried to appeal Davis’ decision to the Texas Secretary of State. That office told her it doesn’t have authority to override county parties on such a matter.
Wilcox argues in her lawsuit that Texas election law wasn’t correctly followed, and that she should be allowed to remain on the primary ballot. The other two GOP candidates for the open seat are Keller Mayor Armin Mizani and Colleyville businessman Fred Tate.
“Ballot preparation deadlines are imminent,” the complaint says. Without a judge intervening, Wilcox’s “name will be omitted from the ballot, irreparably harming Plaintiff and disenfranchising Republican voters in House District 98.”
Wilcox said she was informed of the precinct chair’s challenge to her candidacy on Dec. 16 and offered to amend any errors. On Jan. 8, she learned that Davis was sustaining the challenge. In the lawsuit, Wilcox argues that she should have been informed that her application was being rejected by Dec. 13, per state law.
In an email informing Wilcox that she would not be on the ballot, Davis referenced a part of the law that states “a determination... that an application complies with the applicable requirements does not preclude a subsequent determination that the application does not comply.” After review, he determined that her application didn’t meet “the statutory requirements for a state house candidate.”
That section of election law also notes that candidates cannot amend filed applications.
Wilcox, who runs a small health and beauty business, previously told the Star-Telegram that she believes her removal from the ballot is political retaliation by other Republicans who don’t want her to win the seat.
She sent Davis – a lawyer who was named GOP chair in November – a cease and desist letter by email demanding that he not make “false, misleading, or materially incomplete statements” about her candidacy. Davis responded that he hadn’t made “any false statement” and that her demands are “baseless,” according to a copy of the exchange shared with the Star-Telegram.
In a Thursday Facebook post, Davis said “the issue is pretty simple: Ms. Wilcox filed for a state office using a federal form.”
It’s the candidate’s duty to ensure that her filing complies with the law, he said in the post.
“Ms. Wilcox had the opportunity to respond and she did,” Davis said. “This was not the result of some vast conspiracy, despite whatever Mrs. Wilcox wants to allege. Instead, it’s the outcome of choices she made with her filing. The rule of law matters in the TCGOP, and we believe election integrity begins with the very first step in the process: when our candidates file for office.”
The primaries are March 3, with early voting starting Feb. 17. The winners advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
This story was originally published January 9, 2026 at 4:22 PM.
