Star-Telegram endorsement: Denton/Wise county GOP race with House clout on the line | Opinion
Residents of Wise County and northwest Denton County have a Texas House member with considerable clout. They need to keep him.
Rep. Lynn Stucky is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which draws up the state budget. He leads the subcommittee on health and human services, making crucial decisions that affect millions of Texans and their healthcare. It controls nearly a third of the state budget and funds crucial operations such as Child Protective Services.
Stucky, who turns 66 soon, is a veterinarian who lives in unincorporated Denton County between Denton and Sanger. He also had a long tenure on the Sanger ISD board, valuable education experience. He’s backed in the Republican primary by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Two other candidates are seeking the nomination. Andy Hopper, 46, of Decatur, ran for state Senate in 2020. He’s a hard-right candidate backed by Attorney General Ken Paxton. Hopper and the third candidate, Elaine Hays, did not respond to our requests for an interview.
Early voting starts Tuesday and ends March 1. Election Day is March 5. If no candidate gets more than half the vote, the top two will compete in a May runoff. The winner there will face Democrat Angela Brewer in the fall.
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.
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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.