Monday was the last day to file as a candidate for the March, 2018 primaries, and regional races in Northeast Texas are looking competitive.
Apart from State House District 1, where Republican incumbent Gary Van Deaver is running unopposed, all other regional races next year will be competitive. That includes all Republican primary races. The stiffest primary competition in the region will be in U.S. House District 5. Six Republicans there have filed for the seat being left vacant by Congressman Jeb Hensarling next year. One Democrat has also filed to run.
At the state level, House District 62 features three Republicans vying for the chance to take over for outgoing State Rep. Larry Phillips. One Democrat has also filed in that district as well. One more race expected to be competitive heading into March is in State Sen. District 2. Incumbent Republican Bob Hall is facing what many in the state GOP are calling a strong challenger in Sunnyvale Republican Cindy Burkett.
Northeast Texas filings for 2018 include:
U.S. House District 4
John Ratcliffe, R, Incumbent
John Cooper, R
Catherine Krantz,D
U.S. House District 5
Bunni Pounds, R
CharlesLingerfelt,R
Danny Campbell, R
David Williams, R
Earl Brunner, R
Kenneth Sheets, R
Dan Ward, D
Texas House District 1
Gary Van Deaver, R
Texas Senate District 2
Bob Hall, R, Incumbent
Cindy Burkett, R
Kendall Scudder, D
Texas House District 2
Dan Flynn, R
Bryan Slaton, R
Texas House District 4
Stuart Spitzer, R, Incumbent
Ashley McKee, R
Marty Reid, R
Eston Williams, D
State Senate District 30
Craig Estes, R, Incumbent
Pat Fallon, R
State House District 62
Brent Lawson, R
Kevin Couch, R
Reggie Smith, R
Valerie Hefner, D
Texas House District 70
Scott Sanford, R, Incumbent
Julie Luton, D