Early voting ends this week ahead of primary election day Tuesday, March 3. While Hill County voters will join the rest of the state in selecting party candidates to move on to November’s general election, several local races will be decided next week as only Republicans are seeking Hill County offices.
In the race for 66th District judge, incumbent Justin Lewis and Stephanie Johnson are candidates in the Republican primary. Lewis served as Hill County judge for over 18 years before being appointed to the 66th District bench by Governor Greg Abbott last year. Johnson built her career as an attorney with Martin, Showers, Smith & McDonald in Hillsboro.
Incumbent Rachel Parker will face Peggy Mann Lidster on the Republican ballot as they both seek the county treasurer position. Parker was elected to her position in 2022 after serving as an assistant county auditor. Lidster is a Whitney ISD teacher with a background in public-sector administration.
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.
There will also be a contested race on the Republican ballot for Precinct 2 party chair, with Wayne Hamilton and C. Keith Thomas both seeking the spot.
Local Republican incumbents who are 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 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, attorney Casey Shepard and community advocate Milah Flores filing for the seat in the Democratic primary.
The political parties will also present propositions to voters on the ballot. The non-binding propositions are intended to survey voters on key party platform issues.
Early voting will continue in Hillsboro, Whitney and Hubbard until Friday, February 27.
The main early voting location is the Hill County Covington Street Annex, located at 126 South Covington Street in Hillsboro. In Hillsboro, hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. this week.
Early voting is also available at the Hill County Precinct 1 Annex, located at 5800 FM 933 in Whitney (Huron), and the Hubbard Civic Center, located at 300 North Magnolia in Hubbard. The Whitney and Hubbard locations are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Hill County voters can cast a ballot at any of the three early voting locations, but they must report to their voting precinct’s polling place on election day. See a list of polling places in this edition, or visit co.hill.tx.us.
For more information about voting in Texas and answers to frequently asked questions, visit http://www.votetexas.gov. Hill County also uses the TextMyGov service to provide instant information about voting. Text “Hi” to 254-266-6442 to get started.
BOSQUE COUNTY
INFORMATION:
Early voting in Bosque County is being conducted at the Elections Administration Office, 104 West Morgan in Meridian, and the Clifton Civic Center, 403 West 3rd Street in Clifton. Early voting hours in Bosque County are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. this week. See a list of election day polling places in this edition.
At the county level, contested Bosque County races on the Republican ballot will be: County Judge – Al Poteet and Cindy Vanlandingham; Precinct 4 Commissioner – Ronny Liardon and John Payne.
The Lakelander 