Editor’s note: This story will be updated with the latest election results after polls close at 7 p.m.
Three seats in the Texas Capitol that represent the Arlington area have contested primary races on March 3 as they aim to represent their respective parties in the general election this fall.
Texas House Districts 94 and 96, as well as Texas Senate District 22, all have multiple candidates vying for votes.
Here’s a breakdown of the candidates and what’s at stake.
To find out about what you need and where to go to vote, click here.
Texas House District 94
District 94 has a packed Republican primary as five candidates vie for former state Rep. Tony Tinderholt’s seat. The district covers parts of west and central Arlington, Hurst and parts of east Fort Worth.
Tinderholt, who held the seat since 2015, announced he would not run for reelection in June, and a day later announced he was running for Tarrant County Commissioner for Precinct 2.
Business owner Cheryl Bean, nonprofit executive Jackie Schlegel, mortgage banker Mike Ingraham, nurse Susan Valliant and entrepreneur Michael Daughenbaugh are seeking the GOP nomination to succeed Tinderholt.
On the Democratic Party side, first-time candidate and marketing executive Katie O’Brien Duzan is running unopposed.
Read O’Brien Duzan’s response to the Arlington Report’s candidate survey here.
Bean and Schlegel each raised significantly more financial and in-kind support and garnered more endorsements from state and county elected officials than their opponents.
Over the past month and a half, Schlegel and Bean have received large boosts from political action committees. The two also share legislative priorities: affordability, quality education that does not push political agendas and property tax relief.
Bean has been involved in local and state politics for years, previously running for a Texas House seat. She said her experience in shaping public policy, along with her former work in the defense industry and current ownership of a construction company, makes her stand out from others.
Another priority of Schlegel’s is medical freedom, an issue she spent years fighting for with her former organization, Texans for Vaccine Choice, and her current organization, Texans for Medical Freedom.
To read Schlegel’s response to our candidate survey, click here.
Valliant shares that priority with Schlegel. Valliant, a nurse, picked up local endorsements from an Arlington council member and an Arlington ISD trustee, according to her campaign site.
Valliant’s other priorities include the abolition of property taxes, restoring local control over planning and zoning, election integrity and transparency, and eliminating H-1B visas from state contracts and universities.
Ingraham and Daughenbaugh have each previously said they are approaching the election with open ears and not with the intention of being the most conservative candidate.
Ingraham emphasized property tax relief during his campaign, previously telling the Arlington Report that he was open to looking at other tax options, such as destination gambling, to bring that relief to constituents.
To read Ingraham’s response to our candidate survey, click here.
Daughenbaugh made economics a large part of his platform, emphasizing that his financial background as a public accountant can help him increase financial transparency within state government.
Senate District 22
Voters will decide which of three Republican candidates will run against Democrat Amy Martinez Salas for Texas Senate District 22.
To read Salas’ response to our candidate survey, click here.
Those running for the GOP primary are state Rep. David Cook, McLennan County District Clerk Jon Gimble, and nonprofit owner Rena Schroeder.
District 22 covers parts of central Arlington, Euless and Mansfield. It extends west into Granbury and south toward Waco in Central Texas.
District 22 opened after Sen. Brian Birdwell was nominated in October for assistant secretary of defense by President Donald Trump. Birdwell’s nomination is awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation.
Birdwell held the Texas Senate seat since 2010, serving six terms.
Cook, who has represented Texas House District 96 since 2020, received endorsements from local, state and national levels, including Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. His priorities include property tax relief, advocating for stronger borders, cutting government spending, pushing for stronger public safety systems, and allowing parents to have more control over their children’s education.
Gimble serves on the Texas Judicial Council and was the first Republican elected McLennan County district clerk in 2015. His endorsements include the Young Conservatives of Texas and Waco-area GOP leaders, according to his campaign website. Gimble said he’s prioritizing securing the border, protecting the Second Amendment, and property tax relief.
Schroeder, co-founder and director of Angel Wings Ranch, is campaigning on increasing mental health services, providing more support to veterans, creating a stronger foster care system, and providing more resources to homeless individuals. She has been a Texas resident since 2018 and is a first-time candidate.
Texas House District 101
Incumbent state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, faces a challenger in the Democratic primary from Grand Prairie City Council member Junior Ezeonu.
District 101 includes central and south Arlington, along with parts of east Mansfield and parts of Grand Prairie.
Turner, who significantly outraised and outspent his opponent, previously said this is the first time he has faced a primary challenger since he was elected to the seat in 2013.
To read Turner’s response to our candidate survey, click here.
His priorities include public school funding and accessibility to affordable health care.
The race is Ezeonu’s first time running for a state seat. The 26-year-old was the youngest member ever elected to the Grand Prairie City Council.
His priorities include increasing the state minimum wage to $15, repealing the state’s education savings account law that allows for public dollars to be spent on private schools, and making homeownership more affordable and accessible for Texas residents.
To read Ezeonu’s response to our candidate survey, click here.
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
Bianca Rodriguez-Mora is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at bianca@fortworthreport.org.
At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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