First-term State Rep. Jared Patterson of Frisco defeated challenger James Trombley in the March 3 Republican primary for Texas House District 106 in eastern Denton County.
Patterson won the GOP nomination with 76 percent of the vote.
Patterson was the only Republican state representative in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to draw a primary challenger—though he scored higher on the 2019 Fiscal Responsibility Index than most of his GOP colleagues, earning a rating of 85.
He first won the solidly Republican district in November 2018, running as a champion of fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, and life.
Yet many grassroots activists said they were disappointed Patterson failed to take a stronger lead on conservative priorities during last year’s “purple” legislative session and felt he was too closely allied with disgraced House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. They looked to Trombley as an alternative.
Patterson will now face Democrat Jennifer Skidonenko in the November general election.
In one other contested Denton County legislative race, Kronda Thimesch bested Nancy Kline 58-42 percent to be the GOP nominee for House District 65. Thimesch will face incumbent Democrat State Rep. Michelle Beckley of Carrollton in November. Beckley won the historically Republican district in 2018 by a close 51-49 percent margin but drew a primary challenge this year from former Young Democrats of Denton County president Paige Dixon, who took 33 percent of the vote.
Republican State Reps. Tan Parker (Flower Mound) and Lynn Stucky (Denton) were unopposed in the GOP primary.
