This article has been updated since publication.
Republican Donis “DL” Wilson flipped Precinct 2 on the McLennan County Commissioners’ Court red for the first time since 1899. Wilson’s victory will result in Republicans controlling all five seats on the court until 2026.
The seat opened on January 28, when Democrat Patricia Miller died before the end of her second term.
County Judge Scott Felton, a Republican, declined to appoint a successor despite having the authority to do so. Felton told the Waco Tribune-Herald he would let voters decide.
Wilson had run against Miller twice before, losing to her by 1,837 votes in 2018 and narrowly losing again by 231 votes in 2022.
However, the third time was the charm for Wilson as he garnered 87 more votes than both competitors combined. Democrat candidate Jeremy Davis lost his race by 446 votes, while write-in candidate Travis Gibson took home 359 votes.
“It was shocking because it came down to the last 2 boxes in Axtell and east Waco on Elm Street so it was coming down to the wire,” said Wilson. As the first Republican to hold the seat in 125 years, Wilson stated, “It feels more hysterical more than historical.”
In addition to east Waco, the seat covers eastern McLennan County, including Mart and Riesel. Wilson, a former Riesel ISD police chief and Department of Public Safety trooper, focused on infrastructure repairs such as roads and bridges in rural areas outside east Waco.
Duke Machado, a Republican activist who runs the Hispanic Republicans of McLennan County podcast, believes this was a large part of Wilson’s appeal. Machado even interviewed Wilson to bring him to the attention of his largely black and Hispanic audience.
“Rural voters have always been captive or secondary to the east Waco vote, but in this election, DL Wilson got all the rural voters he could possibly get, plus all the east Waco vote, plus the split with Gibson and Davis, it was like the trifecta,” said Machado.
Gibson had told Democrat party leaders he would support the Democrat nominee for Precinct 2 after losing 11-9 following two tiebreaker rounds in the County Executive Committee, but later told KWTX, “I changed my mind.” Gibson’s father, the late Lester Gibson, held the seat for 28 years and was the first black man to be elected McLennan County commissioner in Precinct 2.
Gibson did not return requests for comment before publication.
Machado also stated that social media efforts such as his own and independent news reports about the candidates helped Wilson secure his victory.
Texas Scorecard reported that Davis’ website touted his public service record, yet he never attended Parks and Recreation Commission meetings from October 2022 through June 2024.
Davis also insinuated voters were suppressed based on race in his precinct in a Facebook video, claiming that 7,000 voters were “purged” from County Commissioners’ Court Precinct 2. However, McLennan County Elections Office records showed that only 1,727 voters were purged from the precinct, and only 4,561 voters were removed for any reason from Precinct 2.
Davis never responded to Texas Scorecard regarding the data challenging his various claims.
Machado believes Wilson would bring unity to all constituents regardless of race or location in the precinct.
“Now Wilson has to prove out and do good for Precinct 2 and represent both parties. Even if they didn’t vote for him, he needs to make their lives better. He may be in there for many years.”
Wilson will be sworn in immediately after the results are certified.
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