FRISCO, Texas—A local conservative businessman is trying to keep a Texas House seat in conservative hands after the incumbent lawmaker has mounted a campaign for higher office.
Since 2012, taxpayers in House District 106 have been well represented in the Texas House by State Rep. Pat Fallon (R—Little Elm), but now that he’s seeking to parlay his conservative voting record into a ticket to the Texas Senate, conservatives are working hard to keep the seat.
Their recruit: Jared Patterson.
Though a relative newcomer to Frisco, Patterson isn’t new to politics. A prominent conservative activist in his own right, Patterson served on the Sachse City Council for four years and ran an aggressive campaign for Texas House against his then-State Rep. Angie Chen Button (R—Richardson) and lost narrowly.
Now Patterson, his wife, and three children call Frisco home, having moved there in 2015.
Patterson says he’s focusing his campaign on property taxes, an especially important issue in the fast-growing slice of southeast Denton County.
“Property taxes, Robin Hood, they’re the biggest problem facing our district and facing Texas,” said Patterson. “I am ready, willing, and able to fight for our shared conservative values in the Texas House.”
Since announcing his campaign in August, Patterson has rolled out an impressive number of endorsements from local Tea Party and civic leaders and from statewide organizations like Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Texas Right to Life, and the Young Conservatives of Texas.
He’s also been working hard on the campaign trail—knocking more than 3,000 doors personally all across Frisco, Sanger, and the rest of the district.
Both are good signs for conservatives who have struggled to hold on to open seats vacated by conservatives. Just one Republican primary ago in Frisco (but across the Collin County line) conservatives rallied behind City Councilman John Keating as he ran for the open seat being vacated by conservative State Rep. Scott Turner.
Though Keating finished first in the Republican primary election, he failed to gain the 50 percent necessary to win outright and was narrowly defeated by Rockwall realtor Justin Holland in the runoff election that ensued.
Likewise, in 2016 conservatives also lost State Rep. David Simpson ‘s (R—Longview) seat in East Texas as he ran for the Texas Senate.
There is one seat that conservatives were able to hold, however, that of now State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R—Mineola), who recruited and assisted Mount Pleasant businessman Cole Hefner to run for the Texas House—helping him win his election.
The good news is that Fallon appears to be doing much of the same for Patterson by introducing him to community leaders including Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree.
“We need to make sure Pat Fallon is replaced with a committed conservative who is ready to stand for the people of Denton County, not the special interests in Austin. This is why I support Jared Patterson for State Representative,” said Sheriff Murphree.
A relatively safe Republican district, the March 6th Republican Primary between Patterson and Clint Bedsole will likely decide who represents House District 106 in the Texas House.
This article is part of Texas Scorecard’s “On the Trail Tour” series. To view more field reports on campaigns across the state of Texas, visit our website here.
Zach Maxwell contributed to this report.
