GOP aims to pick up this Fort Worth seat in Texas Senate. Here’s our vote recommendation
Strongly conservative voters in the newly drawn Texas Senate District 10 — and there are many — can choose from different styles of conservative warriors in the Republican primary.
Rep. Phil King of Weatherford has represented Parker and Wise counties in the House for years and is looking to make the leap to the Senate. Attorney Warren Norred of Arlington is a veteran activist in the local and state GOP who has brought high-profile legal cases to advance conservative causes.
Their differences on the issues are subtle, so we recommend King for the nomination based on his vast experience in Austin. He’s been a leader on law-enforcement issues, energy and utility matters, and redistricting. That record, along with familiarity with the key players on both sides of the Capitol and in the newly drawn district, means he’ll hit the ground running should he be elected senator.
King, who will turn 66 at the end of the month, brings the perspective of a former Fort Worth police captain to the job. He stands strongly with law enforcement but also shows an understanding of how to address policing issues. With crime in urban areas an increasing focus of voters, King will be in position to ensure the state helps provide adequate resources to fighting it while also remaining smart on issues such as early drug or health intervention.
He also understands that the job of overhauling electricity regulation is not done. King is open to the Legislature directing the Railroad Commission to take a stronger hand on weatherization for fuel suppliers, a failing from last year’s winter storm that wasn’t fully addressed. Texans need a solution to this concern that won’t cripple natural gas companies and the workers they employ, and King would be in a position to help craft a compromise.
Norred, who turns 59 before Election Day, projects himself as the kind of fighter many Republican voters crave in Austin. Many will note approvingly that he represented Fort Worth school district families who sued over the district’s mask mandate. He was also the lawyer for Shelley Luther, the Dallas salon owner who was jailed by a judge when she defied Gov. Greg Abbott’s COVID-19 shutdown policy.
In our joint interview of the candidates, Norred offered thoughtful policy ideas, such as reforming public nuisance laws so that business owners aren’t completely on the hook for security in high-crime areas.
Others were more troubling, such as his suggestion that state troopers and National Guard troops physically intercede to stop illegal immigration, including use of nonlethal gas if necessary. While that might sound like the border toughness that many Texans crave, it would endanger everyone involved (including U.S. Border Patrol agents) and open the state to a breathtaking amount of legal liability.
Senate District 10 was redrawn by GOP leaders to be a likely Republican seat. As a result, it looks like a dangling excavator arm, taking in much of southern Tarrant County, all of Johnson, and hooking through part of Parker and several counties to the west and south.
Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Burleson, and others have sued, alleging that the Legislature illegally split up minority voters to dilute their influence. State leaders deny that race was a factor. A federal court panel is allowing the primary to proceed, but the case continues.
King has the experience and knowledge to represent the amalgamation of rural and urban or suburban interests in the district.
Early voting is under way and runs through Feb. 25. Election Day is March 1. The winner will face Powell in the fall general election.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor; and Nicole Russell, opinion writer.
Members of our Community Advisory Board may also participate in candidate interviews and offer their views, but they do not vote on which candidate to recommend.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.
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