All our recommendations for the May primary runoffs in 2024

You can cast your ballot today for the 2024 primary runoffs. Remember that you are allowed to vote in the runoff only for the party primary in which you voted in February or March. But if you didn’t vote then, you can cast your ballot in the Democratic or Republican runoff.
Below we summarize our recommendations for several races in North Texas.
State Rep. Craig Goldman is the best choice for the 12th Congressional District seat that retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger has occupied since 1997. Goldman has represented Tarrant County’s District 97 in the Texas Legislature since 2013. He has a strong conservative record and is the only candidate in this race with legislative experience and widespread support from a broad range of Texas politicians. He’s well positioned to follow in Granger’s footsteps of principled conservatism and decisive leadership. Also running is Fort Worth businessman John O’Shea, a friend of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
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We recommend former Dallas City Council member David Blewett based on a practical style of politics that can be useful in our gridlocked Congress. With some caveats, Blewett stands out as the better option in the GOP nomination race to replace outgoing Rep. Colin Allred, a Democrat, who is running for U.S. Senate. Blewett was supportive of a Senate bill that would have reduced protections for asylum-seekers that his own party sank. On issues like gun safety laws and abortion, he showed a willingness to compromise. Also running is former Arlington City Council member Darrell Day, who wants to cut all foreign aid.
Dale Frey of The Colony is the more qualified of the two Democratic candidates running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster. Frey, a web developer and communications director for the Frisco Democratic Club, is a former precinct chair who favors commonsense gun restrictions and opposes school voucher initiatives. Also on the ballot is Michael Braxton Sr., a barber, who did not attend our interview.
We can’t recommend Brent Hagenbuch or Jace Yarbrough to serve in the Texas Senate. Hagenbuch boasts the endorsements of President Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott. He did not participate in our Voter Guide or our recommendation process, which prevented readers from getting his responses to accusations that he’s ineligible to run in this district over questions about his residency. The address Hagenbuch lists on campaign paperwork is for his business. Property records show he has claimed a homestead tax exemption on a property outside the district, in Little Elm. Yarbrough was Sen. Angela Paxton’s attorney during the impeachment trial of her husband, Attorney General Ken Paxton. He also did not participate in our recommendation process or fill out our Voter Guide.
If there are reasons not to support former Dallas police officer and incumbent Rep. Frederick Frazier in this race, they don’t have to do with his performance as a legislator. Frazier had a successful freshman campaign, passing worthy legislation related to public safety, and he voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. Frazier’s problems have to do with alleged misdeeds elsewhere. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and guilty to a third misdemeanor stemming from an episode involving campaign signs in a previous election. A court recently dismissed the charges to which Frazier pleaded no contest. We have concerns about Frazier’s decision-making, but he’s still the better candidate in this race. Also running is Paxton loyalist Keresa Richardson.
For his substantive policy proposals, Rep. Lynn Stucky is the clear choice. He has represented the district since 2017 and has authored bills to improve local alert systems and bolster public colleges in North Texas. He is a staunch conservative, especially on guns, abortion and immigration. His opponent Andy Hopper, who is endorsed by Attorney General Ken Paxton, is running on far-right rhetoric about the same issues but lacks Stucky’s knowledge of how to be an effective legislator.
The candidates in the Republican primary race for State Board of Education District 12 are staunch social conservatives who care about quality education and parental rights. Incumbent Pam Little’s experience sets her apart. Little is a former textbook publishing executive who has been elected to the board twice before. She’s running on the strength of her experience and the board’s success. Little is challenged by real estate agent Jamie Kohlmann, who said she will take on the “education mafia” of teachers associations, textbook vendors and the Texas Association of School Boards.
Incumbent Marian Brown, first elected in 2018, has well-managed the challenges of her position, including the pandemic. Although we previously raised concerns about her leadership after the Dallas County jail system failed two annual state inspections, she corrected those lapses and the county is again compliant. Brown faces a challenge from her predecessor, Lupe Valdez. We don’t dismiss Valdez’s allegations of low employee morale at the sheriff’s department, but Valdez lacks a current understanding of the department.
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