After turning blue several elections ago, Dallas Republicans knew that they’d be in for a fight, but they didn’t expect it to be a rout.
With the votes tallied Tuesday, Dallas County Republicans of all stripes were largely wiped out. Conservatives like State Rep. Matt Rinaldi (Irving) and State Sen. Don Huffines (Dallas) met the same fate as moderates like Linda Koop (Dallas) and Rodney Anderson (Grand Prairie).
Dallas County voters didn’t really discriminate.
After dispatching State Rep. Jason Villalba in the primary, GOP hopeful Lisa Luby Ryan was defeated. So too was Jonathan Boos, who was running for the open seat vacated by State Rep. Cindy Burkett of Sunnyvale.
And Republican Deanna Metzger’s campaign against Democrat Victoria Neave likewise fell short. But the bleeding didn’t stop there.
Dallas Republicans also lost U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions, and recently-appointed District Attorney Faith Johnson went down as well.
The survivors?
State Reps. Angie Chen Button (Richardson) and Morgan Meyer (Dallas) as well as newly-elected County Commissioner J.J. Koch.
To say that Dallas County Republicans have work to do is an understatement. The repeal of straight-ticket voting and a changing national mood should provide opportunities to retake the Republican areas of the county and hopefully re-secure a beachhead.
