Provided via Bonck and Dezevallos campaign websites
Trump-backed Jon Bonck and Shelly deZevallos are headed to a runoff in the GOP primary for TX-38.
A recent endorsement by President Donald Trump wasn’t enough to help Jon Bonck secure an outright win in Tuesday’s Republican primary for Texas’ 38th Congressional District, but he was by far the leading vote-getter in a 10-candidate race.
Bonck, a Baptist deacon and mortgage loan officer who was the leading fundraiser in the race, received about 47% of the vote in a district that stretches across west and northwest Harris County. He advanced to a May runoff against Shelly deZevallos, the West Houston Airport president who placed second Tuesday with about 19% of the vote.
“Yesterday, the voters of TX-38 made one thing clear: our campaign has the momentum, the grassroots energy, and the broad support needed to win,” Bonck said in a Wednesday statement released by his campaign.
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The winner of the runoff will advance to November’s general election to face Melissa McDonough. She won the Democratic nomination outright Tuesday, receiving 51.6% of the vote in a three-candidate race that also included Marvalette Hunter and Theresa Courts.
“Because of your vote and your belief in our campaign, we have won this primary,” McDonough said in a video posted on her campaign Facebook page. “And now we set our sights on victory in November.”
That figures to be an uphill challenge, though, because the 38th District was created in 2021 to be a Republican stronghold. It has since been represented by U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who stepped down to run for U.S. Senate. Hunt placed third in his GOP primary race Tuesday, finishing well behind incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Bonck, in addition to landing Trump’s endorsement, was also backed by Sen. Ted Cruz – the other Republican senator from Texas. Bonck’s campaign has also raised more than $1 million, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.
His runoff opponent, deZevallos, has raised more than $666,000.
“I was born here, raised my family here, and have devoted 20+ years at the grassroots level to advancing our Republican agenda, protecting America First values, and making Harris County a safer place for our families,” deZevallos wrote Wednesday in a post on her campaign Facebook page. “I remain fully committed to continuing my fight through the May runoff election and onward to the Halls of Congress.”
The runoff election is scheduled for May 26.
Alex McMenemy is running in the November general election as a candidate for the Green Party.