Early voting for the March 1st Texas primaries started today. As I have in previous years, I looked at each race in some detail to decide on a candidate, and since I went to that much work, I figured I might as well share it. The local races will be specific to the particular area of north Texas where I'm registered, but the statewide races should be interesting to anyone living in Texas.
     If you don't know where your early voting locations are, try the Texas Secretary of State's website or your county's website, and remember that during early voting you can vote at any location in your county, but on March 1st, you'll need to find the voting location for you specific precinct.

Statewide Races

President: Ted Cruz
Railroad Commissioner: Wayne Christian
Texas Supreme Court Place 3: Michael Massengale
Texas Supreme Court Place 5: Rick Green
Texas Supreme Court Place 9: Eva Guzman
Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2: Ray Wheless
Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5: Brent Webster
Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6: Michael E. Keasler


Local Races

US Representative, District 12: abstain
State Representative, District 97: abstain
Justice, 2nd Court of Appeals, Place 3: Dabney Bassel
District Judge, 96th Judicial District: Traci Hutton
District Judge, 348th Judicial District: Brooke Allen
District Judge, 360th Judicial District: Patricia Baca Bennett
Tarrant County Constable, Precinct 6: Glen Bucy
Tarrant County Sheriff: Bill Waybourn
Tarrant County GOP Chair: Tim O'Hare



     For a more detailed explanation of each choice, see below. Each candidate is mentioned (the chosen candidate's name is printed in bold), and at least a brief explanation of why one candidate and not the other is provided. In some cases, there's no obvious difference, and it comes down to endorsements from trustworthy people; in others, there's a clearcut right or wrong choice. 

Statewide Races

President
     The American conservative movement hasn’t had a presidential candidate as good as Ted Cruz. Not just since Reagan: ever. He is unquestionably brilliant; as Texas’s youngest-ever Solicitor General, he was undefeated before the Supreme Court, successfully arguing cases that ranged from defending Texas sovereignty to the individual right to keep and bear arms. As a senator, he was the most successful Republican in bringing bills out of committee and the most successful freshman in passing bills, although his greatest accomplishment remains the crucial role he played in stopping Marco Rubio’s amnesty bill. Simply being gifted wouldn’t be enough, though: Cruz is also unflinchingly honest and solidly conservative across the board, receiving high marks from every conservative interest group, including Conservative Review, American Conservative Union, Freedom Works, and the Heritage Foundation. Even when the odds were overwhelmingly against him, he’s been willing to stand and fight. He told us he’d fight for conservatism when he went to Washington, and once he got there, he did precisely what he said, and did it well, and that’s more than any other candidate can say. He went to Washington and stood up for us; now it’s time to stand up for him.

Railroad Commissioner
The Railroad Commission, composed of three members, has primary regulatory jurisdiction over oil and natural gas extraction and transport, natural gas utilities, and coal and uranium surface mining operations.

     The race for Railroad Commissioner is a bit harder to pick. On the one hand, Lance Christian is the only geologist in the running, and if elected would be the only geologist on the Railroad Commission. It hardly seems excessive to ask that those tasked with regulating oil and gas have some idea of the science behind it. Besides, he had his name attached to a journal article with the title “A streetcar named desired future conditions,” which is precisely the right blend of hilarious and nerdy.
     However, although Lance Christian appears to be well-suited to serve as Railroad Commissioner, statewide elected positions in Texas are all stepping stones to higher office. Lance Christian’s positions on larger issues are unknown, but there is someone in the race whose positions are well-known: Wayne Christian. Wayne Christian served in the Texas House of Representatives, and was consistently one of the most conservative members. He was the chairman of the House committee for regulated industries, so he is not entirely without experience, and, because of his past consistency, has been endorsed by Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT), Texas Right to Life (TRL), and many conservative groups.
     Several other candidates are also running, but these have neither Lance Christian’s extensive knowledge of the issues nor Wayne Christian’s solid track record, and can safely be ruled out.

Texas Supreme Court Place 3
Texas divides its courts of last resort into the Texas Supreme Court, which hears all civil and juvenile cases, and the Court of Criminal Appeals, which is Texas' highest court for criminal cases.

     Michael Massengale is the only conservative choice for Texas Supreme Court Place 3. He is experienced, having served on the First Court of Appeals since 2009, before that working in private practice, and has the endorsement of Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR), Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR), TRL, YCT, and the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC), among others.
     His opponent, Debra Lehrman (incumbent) has consistently been the lone dissenting voice on the conservative Texas Supreme Court, and has been endorsed by Texas Alliance for Life (TAL), a group that has become a tool to provide cover for liberal Republicans in Texas and has worked tirelessly to keep Joe Straus in power.

Texas Supreme Court Place 5
Texas divides its courts of last resort into the Texas Supreme Court, which hears all civil and juvenile cases, and the Court of Criminal Appeals, which is Texas' highest court for criminal cases.

     Rick Green, a former state representative and after that the founder of Patriot Academy, was reliably conservative as a legislator, and has been endorsed by TRL, THSC, YCT, and a sampling of most conservative leaders in Texas. Rick Green lacks experience as a jurist, but seems likely to have a good grasp of the law given his experience as a legislator and teacher.
     His opponent, Paul Green, is far more experienced, having served on the Texas Supreme Court for eleven years, but has kept a low profile. He has been endorsed by Rick Perry, TLR, and TAL. Although he’s done nothing particularly objectionable as a judge (or praiseworthy, for that matter), he lacks Rick Green’s more radical conservatism, and the endorsement from TAL implies that he is at least malleable enough to be used by the more liberal elements of the Texas Republican establishment.

Texas Supreme Court Place 9
Texas divides its courts of last resort into the Texas Supreme Court, which hears all civil and juvenile cases, and the Court of Criminal Appeals, which is Texas' highest court for criminal cases.

     Eva Guzman has assembled endorsements from a shocking variety of Texas Republican leaders, ranging from the decidedly liberal (for a Texas Republican) John Cornyn to the establishmentarian Greg Abbot and conservatives Dan Patrick and David Barton. She is one of the more adept legal scholars on the court; in Gunn v. Minton, the US Supreme Court unanimously reversed a Texas Supreme Court decision using the reasoning from her dissent.
     Her opponent, Joe Pool, on the other hand, has been unable to win anyone’s trust, and has been dogged by allegations that he is a tool of trial lawyers seeking to gain influence on the court.

Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2
Texas divides its courts of last resort into the Texas Supreme Court, which hears all civil and juvenile cases, and the Court of Criminal Appeals, which is Texas' highest court for criminal cases.

     This race is an excellent example of why judicial races are important: there is no incumbent, as the previous holder of the position left, switched parties, and ran for Texas Supreme Court as a Democrat. Ray Wheless, an Air Force veteran and fifteen-year trial court judge, is a conservative who has been endorsed by THSC, TRL, and TFR. He is by far the most predictably conservative candidate in the face.
     Mary Lou Keel is also an experienced trial court and appellate court judge. She is more experienced but less reliable than Wheless. Chris Oldner is the only clearly bad choice in the race. The subject of a number of ethics complaints, he is also behind the indictment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, and has, in violation of basic standards of judicial ethics, used his position to attack Paxton's defense team in the media.

Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5
Texas divides its courts of last resort into the Texas Supreme Court, which hears civil and juvenile cases, and the Court of Criminal Appeals, which is Texas' highest court for criminal cases.

     In this race Brent Webster is the clear choice. Despite being young, he has experience as a prosecutor, which will be useful on the Court of Criminal Appeals. He has been endorsed by TFR, TRL, THSC, and a number of other conservatives. Perhaps the highest recommendation, though, came from the Dallas News when it endorsed one of his opponents: they claimed that he views everything through the lens of his Christian faith. It hardly seems a negative for a judge to view the world through the lens of the only true source of justice.
     Several other candidates are running. Sid Harle is experienced as a judge, but lacks Webster's appeal as a candidate, and has been endorsed by the anti-conservative TAL. Steve Smith and Scott Walker are also running, but appear to have little to recommend them besides sharing names with famous people.

Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6
Texas divides its courts of last resort into the Texas Supreme Court, which hears all civil and juvenile cases, and the Court of Criminal Appeals, which is Texas' highest court for criminal cases.

     The incumbent, Michael E. Keasler, is an extremely experienced judge, and has served on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for seventeen years with distinction.
     His opponent is barely running a campaign at all, hasn't even bothered to keep his campaign website's domain, and appears resigned to losing.


Local Races

US Representative, District 12
     Most unopposed races aren't included on this list, but this and one other are, as an encouragement to abstain. The incumbent, Kay Granger, is, to my knowledge, the only openly pro-abortion member of the Texas delegation. That she is continually reelected despite her despicable political positions is a stain on District 12's voters. Abstain in this race for now, and we'll try again next time.

State Representative, District 97
     This race is also unopposed, but again, the incumbent, Craig Goldman, has turned betraying conservatives into an art form. When conservatives in the Texas House attempted to replace Joe Straus, the liberal and pro-abortion speaker of the state house, Goldman was in the frontlines fighting alongside the Democrats to stop conservative Republicans from removing Straus. He didn't just vote with the Democrats to organize the house, although he did that, he actively worked to crush any conservative insurgence before it could get started. He's unopposed so the best choice is abstaining, but start thinking about who you'd like to see in the seat for two years from now.

Justice, 2nd Court of Appeals, Place 3
The 2nd Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over criminal appeals in non-capital cases, civil appeals for which the award exceeds $250, and has original jurisdiction over writs of mandamus, injunction, prohibition, and habeas corpus, and serves Archer, Clay, Cooke, Denton, Hood, Jack, Montague, Parker, Tarrant, Wichita, Wise, and Young counties.

     No less than five candidates are running for this open seat, but Dabney Bassel appears to be the best qualified to serve. He has more civil appellate experience than any other candidate, and has been endorsed by conservative stalwart Matt Krause. He was also voted highest qualified by the Tarrant County Bar Association.
     William Anthony "Andy" Porter currently serves as a prosecutor for the Tarrant County District Attorney's office, and is the least experienced of the candidates running; however, he does have the endorsement of the NE Tarrant Tea Party, which is usually reliable. Elizabeth Kerr is a lawyer in private practice who has been practicing for more than three decades. Mary Colchin Johndroe practices in civil law, and is the second least experienced candidate. Bill Ray practices civil and civil appellate law. It's difficult to find anything either notably good or notably bad in their records; there is no obvious best or worst choice in this race.

District Judge, 96th Judicial District
     The incumbent, R.H. Wallace, gained some notoriety for a 2014 case involving a pregnant mother who suffered brain death, but was kept on life support to protect the 23-week-old unborn baby, according to Texas law. The mother's family argued that the baby was brain-damaged and would die soon anyway, and asked that Wallace strike down the Texas law as an unconstitutional violation of the 14th Amendment. Wallace chose not to, instead ruling that since both the hospital and the family agreed that she was brain-dead, the mother was already legally dead, thus the law did not apply. He ordered the hospital to pronounce her dead and remove life support, killing the unborn child. He was correct that the mother was brain-dead, but his decision ended the life of the unborn baby. Every human life, brain-damaged or not, is precious, made in the sacred image of God, and because Judge Wallace does not recognize that fact, he can never be a good judge.
     Fortunately, he is not running unopposed. Traci Hutton is an accomplished attorney licensed to argue cases before the Supreme Court. She has been endorsed by THSC and TRL, and is the clear choice of any conservative voter.

District Judge, 348th Judicial District
     Brooke Allen is an attorney and Republican activist, and has been endorsed by TFR and THSC, among others.
     Mike Wallach and Lisa Lumley are both attorneys with extensive experience in private practice, but lack Allen's record of political involvement and endorsements by key organizations.

District Judge, 360th Judicial District
     Patricia Baca Bennett is a Board Certified attorney with a specialization in family law. A conservative, she has been endorsed by THSC and Julie White McCarty, president of the NE Tarrant County Tea Party.
     The incumbent, a Rick Perry-appointee, is considerably less impressive. There is anecdotal evidence (the testimony of a trusted friend) that he stated in court while deciding a custody case that all military personnel lack control. That is hardly a conclusive accusation without further evidence backing it up, but there's no reason to take a chance when there's a good candidate running.

Tarrant County Constable, Precinct 6
     Glen Bucy is an impressive candidate. A military veteran and current police officer, he has been absolutely courageous in his campaigns. He chose not to pursue an endorsement from Representative Kay Granger, despite her power in the area, because he could not reconcile asking for the support of a pro-abortion politician with his pro-life beliefs. He gives every reason to believe that when he says he'll stand up for the rights of his constituents, including their 2nd Amendment rights, he will.
     His opponent, the incumbent Jon Siegel, had no such qualms about pursuing the endorsement of a pro-abortion politician, and has her endorsement, as well as those of a number of establishment politicians. The choice is clear, and Jon Siegel isn't it.

Tarrant County Sheriff
     Bill Waybourn is an Air Force veteran and spent thirty-four years as a Dalworthington Gardens police officer, thirty-one of them as the police chief. He has been a conservative, and promises to remain true to his principles. He has also accumulated a number of celebrity endorsements, including Taya Kyle, Marcus Luttrell, and Chuck Norris, but in addition has the more substantive endorsements of the Tarrant County Law Enforcement Association, Rick Perry, conservative State Representatives Bill Zedler, Matt Krause, Rodney Anderson, and Jonathan Stickland, among others.
     The incumbent, Dee Anderson, hasn't done a bad job, but there's no compelling reason to choose him for a fifth and final term over Waybourn.


Tarrant County GOP Chair
     Tim O'Hare is former mayor of Farmer's Branch, endorsed by a who's-who of Tarrant County conservatives, including Julie White McCarty, Matt Krause, and Matt Rinaldi, and by several statewide conservative organizations, including THSC and Michael Quinn Sullivan, the president of TFR. He has a record of competently fighting for conservatism.
     His opponent, David Wylie, is a long-time Republican activist, but does not have the same record of success as O'Hare.

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