9 North Texas seats in the state House will have new faces after Election Day

Thanks to a wave of retirements and primary election defeats, nine North Texas seats in the state House will be filled by newcomers after the Nov. 5 election.

Four candidates are running unopposed. The other winners will be determined on Election Day.

The local races without a House incumbent are:

Katrina Pierson, Republican: Pierson is running unopposed and will be the next lawmaker for a district that includes all of Rockwall County and a portion of Collin County. Pierson defeated Rep. Justin Holland, R-Rockwall, in the May 28 primary runoff election, 56% to 44%.

A former national spokesperson for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Pierson ran as a candidate who would reform the Texas House and opposes Democrats serving as chairs of legislative committees. She supports Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield to replace Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, as House speaker.

Tony Adams, Democrat: Adams, a small-business owner in Collin County, is running on unifying and working collaboratively with Republican lawmakers. Adams opposes sending public tax dollars to private schools and wants stronger gun laws in Texas. He also opposes Texas’ near-total ban on abortion. Adams faces an uphill battle in a solidly Republican district that includes parts of McKinney and Frisco.

Keresa Richardson, Republican: Richardson, CEO of the Lawton Group, defeated Rep. Frederick Frazier, R-McKinney, in the May primary runoff 68% to 32%. Richardson challenged Frazier’s conservative credentials and received Ken Paxton’s support after Frazier voted to impeach the attorney general. Richardson said working with Democratic lawmakers gave the minority party too much influence and watered down Republican priorities. She supports creating a school voucher program and a Texas Border Unit to enforce immigration laws, and she believes the state constitution should be amended to require proof of citizenship before an individual can register to vote.

Angela Brewer, Democrat: Brewer, an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas, ran an unsuccessful campaign against Rep. Lynn Stucky, R-Denton, in 2020, losing by 10 points. Brewer told KERA News that Gov. Greg Abbott’s push to allow school vouchers was one of her big motivations to run and said she is “100% committed against” school choice. Her other key legislative issue is protecting abortion access, promising to file a bill repealing the state’s abortion ban.

Andy Hopper, Republican: Hopper, an engineer and chief warrant officer for the Texas State Guard, defeated Stucky in the May primary runoff by 12 points, receiving the support of Paxton. He signed the “Contract with Texas,” a pledge to support conservative priorities, including a ban on Democratic committee chairs and term limits for House speaker. He supports school choice and believes the Legislature should make it a crime to travel out of state for an abortion.

Detrick DeBurr, Democrat: DeBurr, a software engineer and planning and zoning commissioner for The Colony, is running because he believes the district, which cuts east to west across Denton County, has seen tremendous growth and by serving as commissioner, he understands what priorities are needed. DeBurr describes himself as “very conservative, yet thoughtful and compassionate.” His legislative priorities include increasing public school funding and expanding Medicaid in Texas.

Mitch Little, Republican: Little was an impeachment lawyer for Paxton during last year’s Senate trial. He defeated Rep. Kronda Thimesch, R-Lewisville, in the March primary. His campaign priorities include election integrity, reducing property taxes, securing the U.S.-Mexico border and reforming the House, saying change is needed to advance conservative priorities.

David Lowe, Republican: Lowe is running unopposed after defeating Rep. Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth, in the May 28 runoff, despite Klick having Abbott’s backing and serving as chair of the Public Health Committee. Lowe, an Army veteran, criticized Klick from the right, including her vote to impeach Paxton. Lowe was endorsed by Paxton and supports eliminating property taxes, opposes red flag gun safety laws and wants to eliminate in-state college tuition for undocumented migrants.

Carlos Walker, Democrat: Walker, director of Fort Worth ISD’s Family Action Center, lists four priority issues on his campaign website: public education, property tax relief, women’s rights and support for farmers. The Republican-leaning district includes western Tarrant County.

John McQueeney, Republican: McQueeney, the CEO of Vision Companies, lists his priorities as border security, increasing school funding, passing school choice, helping foster business growth and protecting the First Amendment. The district is currently represented by Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, who is running for Congress.

Linda Garcia, Democrat: Garcia, an entrepreneur and financial literacy educator, is running unopposed to replace Rep. Victoria Neave Criado, D-Dallas, who challenged Dallas Sen. Nathan Johnson in the Democratic primary but lost. Garcia wants to expand Medicaid, invest more in infrastructure and affordable housing, restore reproductive rights and increase funding for public schools.

Aicha Davis, Democrat: Davis is running unopposed to replace Rep. Carl Sherman, D-DeSoto, who was defeated in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Davis is a six-year member of the State Board of Education. She opposes universal school vouchers, believes teachers should get a pay raise and does not support legislative efforts to restrict access to books deemed inappropriate for children.

Cassandra Hernandez, Democrat: Hernandez is seeking to replace Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, who is running for Congress. Hernandez, an attorney, lists gun violence reform as a key issue. Her campaign website says she lost her father to gun violence. Other priorities include expanding Medicaid, cutting property taxes and addressing the fentanyl crisis.

John Jun, Republican: Jun, a Navy veteran and attorney, is a former member and mayor pro tem of the Coppell City Council. He opposes school vouchers and would increase school funding. Other legislative priorities include cutting taxes and supporting small businesses by limiting regulations.