Two Dallas-area state representatives will face challenges for their House seats in the March Republican Primary.
State Rep. Morgan Meyer (R–Dallas) is being challenged by local attorney Barry Wernick for House District 108 in North Dallas.
“As a longtime Republican with roots in Dallas, I know that our party’s principles are necessary right now – less spending, fewer regulations, protecting families, and equal application of the law,” said Wernick. “Meyer’s record in office, unfortunately, shows that he votes too many times with lobbyists and Democrats pushing leftist policies. That’s why I’m running. We need a representative who will listen to the people who elected him and not big donors. He was showered with almost $2 million in the 2022 election, half of which came from just ten donors. That’s who has his attention – not the voters in this district.”
Meyer earned a 36 out of 100 on the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility index this past legislative session. He voted for corporate welfare and burdensome regulation while voting against transparency in government.
Wernick also highlighted Meyer’s vote for a study on a mileage tax, stating, “We don’t need the government to know where our vehicle is all the time, and we don’t need a taxpayer-funded study to know that. I find his vote record reckless and dismissive of what matters most to Texans.”
“We need less government in our lives, not more,” said Wernick.
According to his campaign website, Wernick is prioritizing protecting liberty, election integrity, border security, parental choice in education, protecting children, and property tax elimination.
Meyer has served in House leadership under Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) on the Board of Managers for the Impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom the Senate later acquitted. Meyer also chaired the Ways and Means Committee and is chairman of the House Select Study on Sustainable Property Tax Relief.
State Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco) is facing former Dallas County Clerk Cynthia Figueroa in the Republican Primary for House District 106, situated northwest of Dallas.
Figueroa is an attorney and highlighted her background as Dallas County Republican Party Vice Chair and Head of Ballot Security. She currently sits on the Dallas Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.
Patterson earned a 70 out of 100 on the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility index this past legislative session. He voted for corporate welfare packages as well as against government transparency.
He also voted against the death penalty and for the impeachment of Ken Paxton.
Notably, Patterson authored Republican priority legislation, House Bill 900. Dubbed the READER Act, the law prohibits school libraries from housing materials that are sexually explicit, vulgar, or educationally unsuitable. It also sets up state standards for keeping inappropriate sexual content from all school libraries and classrooms.
Neither Meyer nor Patterson responded to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment before publication.
The Texas Republican Primary will be held on March 5, 2024.
