Out JP candidate Sara Martinez and former City Councilwoman Pauline Medrano, surrounded by supporters, both made it into runoffs in Dallas County. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)
Openly LGBT candidates and the community’s allies swept the Texas Democratic primary Tuesday, winning the party’s nomination while others made it into runoffs.
In Dallas County, out justice of the peace precinct 5, place 1 candidate Sara Martinez led in the crowded race after early voting. She secured a place in the runoff alongside Melissa Bellan. Other out candidate John McCall came in fourth in the race.
Out candidate Susan Lopez-Craig came in third in the precinct 5 constable’s race. Incumbent Beth Villarreal and Michael Orozco will face off in a runoff.
In the race for county treasurer, former Dallas Councilwoman and LGBT ally Pauline Medrano and Bennie Elnora Brown came out on top to make it into the runoff.
Queer state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-El Paso, easily won re-election, defeating her only Democratic challenger, Rey Sepulveda. Gonzalez previously told Dallas Voice she expected a challenger based on her outspokenness on women’s and LGBT rights. She’s one of five openly gay state House candidates, but the only one with a contested primary. With no Republican challenger in November, she’ll serve another term.
Other out candidates are Celia Israel, who won the runoff in the special election to replace state Rep. Mark Strama in Austin and will face one Republican in the fall, and Denton’s Emy Lyons and Daniel Moran, who will both take on Republicans incumbents.
Former state board of education member George Clayton is unopposed in his Democratic bid for HD 102, which covers parts of North Dallas, Richardson and Addison.
On the crowded Republican side, incumbent Stefani Carter and former Dallas Councilwoman Linda Koop will battle each other in a May runoff to later face Clayton.
In Southeast Texas, openly gay Donald Brown received enough votes to avoid a runoff for Congressional District 14. Brown will face anti-gay Republican incumbent Randy Weber in November. The other out congressional candidate, Louie Minor in central Texas, was unopposed in the primary. He will face anti-gay incumbent John Carter in the general election.
In statewide races, Fort Worth state Sen. Wendy Davis secured the Democratic nomination for Texas governor. She’ll go on to face Republican Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott in November.
“I am proud to be your candidate for governor,” Davis told a crowd of supporters at her campaign headquarters in Fort Worth. “And I’m ready to fight for you and all hardworking Texans. Now is the time to fight for our future. This is not the time to stand still.”
Davis was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign and Equality Texas. She’s a longtime LGBT ally, having supported Fort Worth’s nondiscrimination ordinance during her time on the Fort Worth City Council to sponsoring LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying legislation and co-authoring an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination legislation.
And Tuesday night, while Davis didn’t specifically mention LGBT Texans, she promised to fight for the freedoms for every Texan.
“I will be a governor who fights for all freedoms — not certain freedoms for certain people,” Davis said.
In Harris County, former 215th District Court Judge Steven Kirkland, who’s openly gay, beat Lori Gray with 52 percent of the vote for 113th District Court judge. Kirkland will face incumbent Michael Landrum in November.
Cornyn, Abbott will head GOP ticket in November
In statewide Republican races, Sen. John Cornyn trounced seven opponents with 60 percent of the votes and avoids a runoff. Attorney General Greg Abbott received 91 percent against three opponents in the race for the gubernatorial nomination.
In the hotly contested race for lieutenant governor, incumbent David Dewhurst received 28 percent, and Dan Patrick got 41 percent. They will face off in a runoff. Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, who authored the Texas anti-marriage amendment that passed in 2005, came in third with 16 percent and will be out of office in January.
The race to replace Abbott as attorney general goes to a runoff. State Rep. Dan Branch of Dallas received 33 percent and McKinney attorney Ken Paxton, who featured Sen. Ted Cruz in his ads, got 44 percent.
For Comptroller, Glenn Heger, who received 49 percent, faces Harvey Hilderbran who got 27 percent in a runoff.
George P. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and nephew of President George W. Bush, received 73 percent of the vote in his race for Commissioner of General Land Office.
Five candidates vied for Commissioner of Agriculture. Tommy Merritt faces Sid Miller in a runoff.
