House District 63, located in Denton County, is currently held by State Rep. Tan Parker (R–Flower Mound). Parker is now running for state Senate District 12, and two Republican candidates are vying for the seat in the Republican primary runoff.
Activist Jeff Younger and Flower Mound Councilman Ben Bumgarner will square off in the May 24 election to determine the district’s Republican nominee.
Jeff Younger
A veteran, small-business owner, and child protection activist, Younger may be a familiar name to Texans who have followed the issue of protecting children from dangerous gender-mutilation procedures and chemical castration. He has been an active proponent for this cause ever since his ex-wife told their son, James, that he is a girl and wanted to force him (against Jeff’s wishes) to take sterilizing cross-sex hormone drugs.
Based on data from Transparency USA, Younger’s biggest donor is the Defend Texas Liberty PAC ($17,203), followed by Flower Mound businesswoman Gwenn Zylla ($7,000). Younger currently has just over $5,000 cash on hand according to the most recent campaign finance report.
Younger has received the endorsements of Texas Right to Life, Texas Home School Coalition, and grassroots organizations such as Grassroots America – We the People, and the Texas Eagle Forum. Younger has received the recommendation of True Texas Project, and he has signed the Texans for Vaccine Choice pledge to prohibit vaccine mandates in Texas.
Ben Bumgarner
A Flower Mound councilman and firearms manufacturer, Bumgarner has been active in local politics. However, his activity in local politics includes leading the community shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bumgarner not only sent workers home but advocated for shutting down city parks and keeping kids locked up at home. This is contrary to the positions of the Texas GOP, according to GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi.
Bumgarner has not responded to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment on the issue.
According to the most recent data from Transparency USA, Bumgarner’s campaign is mainly funded by himself ($72,850) and Gov. Greg Abbott donors Stan and Sue Partee ($100,000). Texans for Lawsuit Reform has also made a donation to Bumgarner’s campaign of $15,000. Bumgarner currently has less than $50,000 cash on hand.
Bumgarner has received the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, the Associated Republicans of Texas, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters, and other local firefighter unions. Establishment-aligned Texas Alliance for Life also endorsed Bumgarner.
The Issues
Texas Scorecard has spent the past several weeks compiling candidate responses to questions about hot topic issues voters care about as they head to the polls.
Regarding the appointment of Democrats to committee chairmanships in the Republican-majority Texas House, both Younger and Bumgarner agreed the practice should end and Republicans should be the ones holding the committee chairmanships.
Last year, the Texas Legislature protected girls’ K-12 sports from male competitors pretending to be women, but lawmakers failed to extend the protections to women’s collegiate athletics. Both Younger and Bumgarner agree that the protections should also encompass college-aged women.
On the issue of property taxes, Younger advocates for the elimination of property taxes and would support two different plans to eliminate them. Bumgarner declined to answer Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
Neither candidate responded to Texas Scorecard regarding the issue of protecting parental rights in education by preventing the teaching of dangerous gender-destroying sexual ideologies to children in kindergarten through third grade. However, protecting children from harmful sexual ideologies is a hallmark of Younger’s campaign. Bumgarner does not seem to have made a statement on the issue in his campaigning.
Younger says he believes the border crisis is an invasion and Texas must respond to protect itself in the absence of federal actions. Bumgarner declined to respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
Closing the exemptions in Texas obscenity laws to protect minors from pornographic books in school libraries is an issue Younger supports, while Bumgarner declined to comment.
Younger supports ending corporate welfare, saying lowering taxes and eliminating unnecessary regulation will do more for the economy. Bumgarner declined to comment.
Vaccine mandates are still being enforced by some colleges and businesses in Texas. Younger supports the prohibition of such mandates, while Bumgarner declined to comment on the issue.
Election Day
The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democrat Denise Wooten in November. Election Day for the runoff is Tuesday, May 24. Early voting begins on May 16.
