One of the last remaining elected Democrats in the Amarillo area has officially announced that she is switching parties and becoming a Republican.
Constable Georgia Estrada, a Democrat who represents Potter County Precinct 2, announced on Thursday night at the Conservative Patriots for Texas meeting that she will be running for re-election in 2024 and is switching her party affiliation to Republican.
Estrada said that she decided to switch parties after feeling that the Republican Party is more representative of her values, especially as a member of the law enforcement community. Estrada also noted that she has already been voting in Republican primaries in several election cycles, despite being elected as a Democrat.
First appointed by County Commissioners in 2015, Estrada was re-elected in 2016 and 2020 unopposed, running both times as a Democrat. Now, with Estrada switching parties, only one Democrat constable remains in Amarillo: Constable Idella Thomas Jackson, who is elected to represent Potter County Precinct 4.
As of publication, no candidates have emerged to challenge Estrada or any of the other Potter County constables in 2024. Estrada and Republicans Chip Parker and Darryl Wertz are up for re-election in their precincts, and Thomas Jackson is up for re-election in her precinct.
Filing for the ballot begins on November 11. The primary election is currently scheduled for March 5, 2023.
