The filing period for the March primaries closed Monday, December 8, and Hill County voters will see several contested races on the Republican ballot.
Locally, the offices of district judge, county treasurer and county commissioner in precincts 2 and 4 will be contested.
Hillsboro attorney Stephanie Johnson will challenge incumbent District Judge Justin Lewis on the Republican ballot. Governor Greg Abbott appointed Lewis to the 66th Judicial District Court in February after Judge Lee Harris was appointed to the Tenth Court of Appeals. Lewis, an Aquilla resident, previously served as county judge.
Peggy Mann Lidster, a Whitney ISD teacher who lives near Covington, will challenge incumbent Treasurer Rachel Parker on the Republican ballot. Parker, a Whitney resident, was elected to her position in 2022 after serving as an assistant county auditor.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Crumpton will be challenged by Alpha “Gigi” Bailey-Ward on the Republican ballot. Crumpton, a Peoria resident, has served as commissioner since 2015. Bailey-Ward is a retiree and an Aquilla resident.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Martin Lake will face two challengers in the Republican Primary. Allan Awtrey, a global solutions director from Bynum, and David Gelsthorpe, a Hillsboro resident and deputy sheriff, both filed for the position. Lake, a Hillsboro resident, began serving as commissioner in 2016.
Local Republican incumbents who filed and were unopposed include: County Judge Shane Brassell, County Court at Law Judge Matt Crain, District Clerk Marchel Eubank, County Clerk Nicole Tanner, County Surveyor Jessie Ince, Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Doyle “Trey” Jetton, Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Mark Hammonds, Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Shannon Skilling, Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Charles Jones and Hill County Republican Party Chair Will Orr.
Democratic Party Chair Thom Hanson filed to keep his seat, and no other Democrats filed for county-level office.
At the state level, incumbent Angelia Orr of Itasca will face Kathaleen “Kat” Wall, an energy executive from Centerville, in the Republican primary race for the Texas House District 13 seat. Orr is serving her second term as state representative. She is a business owner and formerly served as district director for Representative Cody Harris and as Hill County’s district clerk.
Democrat Albert Hunter, a retired educator from Bosque County, also filed for the HD 13 seat and will be unopposed on the Democratic ballot.
With State Senator Brian Birdwell announcing that he will not seek another term, there will be three candidates on the Republican ballot hoping to represent the district. State Representative David Cook, McLennan County District Clerk Jon Gimble and Rena Schroeder, director at an equine-assisted learning ranch, have all filed for the seat.
Democrat Amy Martinez-Salas, a student from Arlington, will also seek the state senate seat and is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
At the federal level, Hill County has been moved out of Congressional District 6, represented by Jake Ellzey, to the 17th District, currently represented by Pete Sessions of Waco. Sessions filed for reelection and is unopposed on the Republican ballot.
He will have a Democratic challenger in November, with US Air Force veteran J Gordon Mitchell and attorney Casey Shepard filing for the seat in the Democratic primary.
Primary elections are scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, with early voting beginning Tuesday, February 17.
The Lakelander 