The filing deadline for March primaries ended Monday with a cascade of Republican candidates filing for Ector County seats.

Local contested races include Ector County Judge, County Commissioner Pct. 2, Justice of the Peace Pct. 2, and Justice of the Peace Pct. 4. Meanwhile, State Senate District 31 candidates include incumbent State Sen. Kel Seliger, Mike Canon of Midland, and Victor Leal of Amarillo. State Rep. Brooks Landgraf will run unopposed in the primary.

Oddly enough, while most races have just two or three candidates vying for the seat, Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 drew a surprising six additional candidates at the last minute. Matthew Stringer, who has been active in the local Republican Party for years and launched a Facebook page for his campaign early this year, seemed to be the only person eyeing the position – until filing results were released Monday. The position is currently held by Christopher Clark, who has filed for County Court at Law #2 and is running unopposed.

Another race that has drawn attention is Ector County Judge. Debi Hays, the former president of Ector County Republican Women, announced early-on her intention to run for the seat. On the day of the filing deadline, however, Ector County Deputy District Attorney Chris Fostel stated he’d be competing for the seat as well.

The current County Judge, Ron Eckert, was appointed to the position in October 2015 after former County Judge Susan Redford accepted a position with the Texas Association of Counties, and was subsequently elected to the same position in November 2016. Eckert’s decision to not seek reelection is reportedly related to voters’ rejection of a sales tax proposal he and commissioners placed on the November ballot.

A list of local and regional contested races for the March 6 primary can be viewed below. For more details, please visit the Secretary of State website.

State Senator, District 31 Kel Seliger (REP)
State Senator, District 31 Mike Canon (REP)
State Senator, District 31 Victor Leal (REP)

County Judge Chris Fostel (REP)
County Judge Debi Hays (REP)

County Commissioner Pct. 2 Brandon Tate (REP)
County Commissioner Pct. 2 Greg Simmons (REP)

County Commissioner Pct. 4 Arlo Chavira (REP)
County Commissioner Pct. 4 Armando Rodriguez (DEM)
County Commissioner Pct. 4 Russell Wright (REP)

Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Gary Dunda (REP)
Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Jet Brown (REP)
Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Marvin Jennings (REP)
Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Matthew Stringer (REP)
Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Missi Walden (REP)
Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Sheryl Jones (REP)
Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Steven Westfall (REP)

Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Jesse M. Porras, III (DEM)
Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Judge Eddy W. Spivey (DEM)

Lauren Melear

Lauren Melear leads the West Texas Bureau of Texas Scorecard. When not working, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband and their dog, as well as cooking, working out, traveling to the hill country, and cheering on the fightin' Texas Aggies.

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