Dallas County Democratic Chair Carol Donovan
The Dallas County Republican Party has filed suit to take 128 candidates off of the Democratic Party Primary ballot.
In the lawsuit, Republicans charge Carol Donovan, the Dallas County Democratic Party chair, only signed 23 of the 151 applications for inclusion on the Democratic ballot. Someone else signed Donovan’s name on the others. Texas law says the party chair has to sign the application.
The affected candidates include most state representative and state senate candidates running in Dallas County, most county judges, justices of the peace, constables and candidates running for other local offices. Among those Republicans are trying to remove from the Democratic ballot are LGBT candidates Julie Johnson, Jessica Gonzalez, Sara Martinez and Tonya Parker.
Among those not challenged are U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, County Clerk John Warren and County Judge Clay Jenkins.
In a statement, Donovan said, “We have assembled a legal team of Dallas’ best and brightest Democratic election law attorneys.”
She said the Democratic Party is taking the case seriously. She did not address why she didn’t sign the applications.
Donovan is up for re-election as county chair. Stonewall Democrats endorsed her and it would be up to membership to address the endorsement, Stonewall President Lee Daugherty said. Tonight (Jan. 22) is a county executive committee meeting with all the precinct chairs. He said he expects the meeting to be volatile.
To read the lawsuit in full, click here for Part 1 and Part 2
More on this story in this Friday’s Dallas Voice.
— David Taffet
Thank you for going the extra mile in redacting the address portions for the candidates. It’s hard not to think the local Republican Party enjoyed doxxing the judges who have legitimate safety concerns.
Right Tracy – “legitimate safety concerns.” I guess that’s why most of the judges are using the official “State Judge” license plates on their vehicles.
You’d think that what with the Dallas County Democratic Party being run by lawyers for the sake of lawyers, they’d be able to read the instructions on a legal form. But I guess illiteracy is to be expected by a county party organization that after 2006 morphed into a jobs program for under-employed attorneys who can’t cut it in private practice.
How dare they demand that the Texas Law be followed.
Well, Lee, the meeting wasn’t volatile on 1/22. Party Chair, Carol Donovan, was on top of the issue and her legal team is addressing it. I have faith in Carol Donovan and her leadership. This, btw, has case law and precedence behind it.
Laura Hawkins
Precinct Chair #2708
I don’t know what meeting you went to Laura, but it certainly was not the 1/22 County Exec meeting because that was a chaotic mess. Just go to Facebook – the melt down was actually live-streamed by a dozen attendees. .”