Austin-area Republicans to challenge one-party monopoly in Travis County

Filing period closed for the 2020 primary ballot in Texas. In left-leaning Travis County, Republicans have struggled to hold on to their enclaves of support, but are confident that an improved economy under President Donald Trump as well as a carefully orchestrated and well-funded ground game will improve the chances of local candidates.

Below are the candidates who have filed by deadline (the final list is subject to many qualifying factors, so it is not final). But first, here are some takeaways at first glance:

There is a Republican incumbent on the local slate, Geoffrey Puryear, who was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to sit on the bench of the newly created 460th District Court. Another well-known incumbent, Chief Justice Jeff Rose of the Third Court of Appeals, is seeking re-election for the appeals court which covers the Austin area.

Becky Bray made headlines as a top fundraiser in the multi-way race for Austin City Council District 8 in 2014, and now has the blessing of outgoing Precinct 3 County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty as his successor.

Returning candidates include Martin Harry, who ran for Justice of the Peace in 2018, and Marilyn Jackson, who in 2010 ran for a Texas House seat. Harry is now in the running for District Attorney and Jackson for Tax Assessor-Collector.

Texas House District 47 will, as expected, be the prize fight as five very active and funded candidates are seeking to take back the seat former Rep. Paul Workman held for several years before being unseated by a Democrat. Each candidate has so far presented a united front, running on their own merits to unseat the freshman Democrat incumbent.

We'll have more to say on these candidates as primary season moves forward.


Filing period ended Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. The ballot order is not yet determined. The primary will be held Tuesday, March 3, with early voting Feb. 18 through Feb. 28.

TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 47:
Justin Berry
Jennifer Fleck
Jenny Roan Forgey
Aaron Reitz
Don Zimmerman

TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 48:
William Strieber

TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 49:
Jenai Aragona-Hales
Charles Allan Meyer

TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 50:
Larry Delarose

TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 51:
Robert Reynolds

TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 1:
Solomon Arcoven

TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 3:
Becky Bray

TRAVIS COUNTY SHERIFF:
Raul Vargas

DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Martin Harry

TAX ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR:
Marilyn Jackson

JUDGE, 460th DISTRICT COURT (i):
Geoffrey Puryear