The open race for an Arlington-area Texas House seat will see voters decide between a Republican newcomer and a Democrat in her second campaign for the office.
Democrat Ebony Turner and Republican Ellen Fleischmann are vying to represent House District 96, which encompasses parts of Arlington, Mansfield, Fort Worth and Kennedale, in the Nov. 3 election. Both candidates are lawyers.
The current officeholder is Rep. David Cook, a Mansfield Republican who has represented the district since 2020 and is running for a seat in the Texas Senate.
Turner previously ran for the seat in 2024 and lost with roughly 42% of the vote. Before that race, she ran for a Tarrant County criminal court judge seat.
She said her top policy priorities include public school funding, affordable healthcare access and raising the minimum wage.
Turner said Cook’s vote for a voucherlike program providing parents with state funds for private school was the catalyst for her 2024 campaign office.
“I have a son with special needs, and I know that vouchers effectively defund public schools, so that’s why I decided to run,” Turner said. “Now that vouchers have become law, that’s why I decided to run again because I’m fully invested in funding public education and repealing the voucher law.”
Turner said she supports a universal healthcare system, but would push for an expansion of Medicaid if that system doesn’t materialize.
“We are now ranked No. 1 in uninsured residents, and we’ve seen hospitals close,” Turner said. “We’ve seen insurance companies pull out of the state, all because we haven’t expanded Medicaid. If we can do that, it will ensure more access and equitable access to healthcare.”
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The race is Fleischmann’s first campaign. She said the experience of watching her father, Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells, work in public office gave her an appreciation for service.
Fleischmann said she first felt drawn to run after Cook sought a Senate seat.
“I talked to my husband about it, we prayed together, we felt like this was where the Lord was steering us for our next stage of life,” Fleischmann said.
Her top priorities include increasing public safety, deregulating the small business sector and lowering the costs of insurance.
Fleischmann said she saw how government-mandated overhead costs affected her own businesses’ bottom lines. Fleischmann owns a law practice in Mansfield and a yoga studio in Lubbock, where she attended Texas Tech University.
“When the government starts placing businesses that increase their overhead, that makes the price of those services and the price of those products skyrocket in a time when families are already struggling with affordability,” Fleischmann said. “I really want to cut regulations, and I do not want to add additional overhead and burdens on small businesses that are going to cause the price of things to skyrocket.”
Educating children is one of the most important roles of government, Fleischmann said.
“We have to make sure that the resources are there to do that,” she said.
Fleischmann wants to examine the education savings account program during the next legislative session. She did not say whether she supported the law or not.
“I know we’re going to be looking at a lot of numbers and looking at how that program has impacted education across the board, and probably playing a little cleanup,” Fleischmann said. “I’m excited to look at that data and see how this has impacted education.”
Both candidates understood the need for property tax relief.
Turner pointed to school finance as one way to bring relief.
“I’m for fully funded public education; that means the state’s got to pay their fair share, and hopefully, that would then alleviate some of the burden on property owners for property taxes,” Turner said.
Fleischmann said she is focused on long-lasting and impactful relief for property owners.
“I know there are some people who saved their whole lives and paid off their home, and now they are being taxed out of their home,” Fleischmann said. “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen, and we don’t just say we are passing property tax relief, but we actually make sure that we pass property tax relief.”
When asked why voters should choose them, Turner and Fleischmann both leaned into their backgrounds.
Turner said her roughly 30 years of collective experience working with the Texas Legislative Council and as a criminal defense attorney will be brought to Austin if she is elected.
“Either I taught the law, wrote the law, practiced the law and tried the law,” Turner said. “I’m going to bring that wealth of knowledge and experience back to Austin, and I’m extremely passionate about my issues.”
Fleischmann said she wants voters to look at her stances and policies before looking at a party affiliation.
“I’m running as a Republican, my opponent is running as the Democratic candidate, but I hope that people will take a look at me and the policies I stand for,” Fleischmann said. “I stand for public safety, and I stand for supporting small businesses and cutting regulations so that we can have a more affordable state, and we can make sure that we don’t end up having skyrocketing prices.”
Fleischmann has outraised and outspent Turner, according to campaign finance reports.
As of July, Fleischmann had spent roughly $41,000, raised $118,000 and had roughly $200,000 in cash on hand.Turner has spent roughly $20,000, spent roughly $7,000 and has roughly $14,000 in cash on hand.
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
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