Olcott, Jones carry local races

State Rep. Glenn Rogers lost a bid for his third term in the Texas House of Representatives to challenger Michael Olcott in the March 5 Republican primary.

The race for the District 60 seat, which includes Parker, Palo Pinto, and Stephens Counties, went in Olcott’s favor 25,238 (63.43%) to 14,550 (36.57%).

In a statement Rogers did not refer to Olcott as his opponent, instead characterizing his opponents as the Republican power establishment in the state, two billionaire Christian Nationalist financiers of his opponent, and a vast amount of money spent by the school voucher lobby.

“The millions of dollars spent spreading lies about my record and the non-stop false impugning of my integrity were just too much to overcome,” Rogers wrote. “ The real losers in this race are 1)Texas Public Schools; 2) Rural Texas; and 3) Representative Government.”

As of press time Olcott had not provided a statement to The Community News, nor had he responded to an SMS message due to his voicemail box being full.

Rogers provoked the ire of Tex. Gov. Greg Abbott because of Rogers’ opposition to Abbott’s push for school vouchers. He was targeted by Ken Paxton because Rogers was one of the votes for Paxton’s impeachment.

“History will prove Ken Paxton is a corrupt, sophisticated criminal. History will prove vouchers are simply an expensive entitlement program for the wealthy and a get-rich scheme for voucher vendors. History will prove Governor Greg Abbott is a liar,” Rogers said. “History will prove that our current state government is the most corrupt ever and is ‘bought’ by a few radical dominionist billionaires seeking to destroy public education, privatize our public schools, and create a theocracy that is both un-American and un-Texan.”

In the Pct. 4 Constable race, incumbent Scott Jones cruised to victory with almost 68% of the vote, defeating Jerry Stockon 5,547 to 2,628.

“I’m honored to continue being the constable,” Jones said. “I’ll continue to do a good job and provide an efficient service for the taxpayers. I appreciate the support from people I don’t even know, both with their votes and financially.”

“I just got my butt kicked,” Stockon said after the election. Two different groups sent out candidate lists before the election, and Stockon was not picked on either list.

“Everybody went in with one of those handouts. I never made the list,” Stockon said.

Incumbent State Board of Education member Pat Hardy was defeated by newcomer Brandon Hall in the Republican primary. Hall will face Democrat Rayna Glasser in November.

Other races

In the Republican race for U.S. Representative Dist. 12 for the position opened by the retirement of Kay Granger, Clint Dorris and Craig Goldman will be in a runoff. Dorris garnered 35.7% of the vote and Goldman received 31.9%. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Trey J. Hunt, who outpolled Sebastian Gehrig in that party’s primary.

In the U.S. Representative Dist. 25 race, Roger Williams ran away with the Republican nomination with 88.5% of the vote against two challengers. He is the presumptive winner of the seat since no Democrat filed.

Another runoff is in store for Republicans vying for State Senator in District 30. Jace Yarbrough garnered 44.48% of the vote and Brent Hagenbuch captured 29.36% in a four-person race. Democrats will also have a runoff for the position. In a three-person race, Michael Braxton 40.55% of the vote, and Dale Frey edged out Matthew McGhee for the second spot in the runoff with 31.26%.

In the race for State Senator Dist. 10, Phil King won the Republican nomination unopposed, and he will face Democrat Andy Morris in November. Morris was also unopposed on the Democratic ballot.