As the race for the Republican nomination for district judge in Collin County enters the home stretch before the runoff, deleted social media posts by candidate Sarah Fox are raising questions about whether she supports the party platform.

In the race for the nomination to the 401st Judicial District Court in Collin County, Texans for Courageous Courts has endorsed George Flint over local criminal defense attorney Sarah Fox.

Local conservative organizations, elected officials, and grassroots activists have united behind Flint’s campaign. Flint has a strong track record as a proven conservative. He recently served as chairman of the Collin County Republican Party, and in addition to his 40 years of experience in private practice, he has worked as a volunteer attorney for First Liberty, defending the freedom of association, right to religious expression, and other issues of religious liberty.

By contrast, deleted social media posts by Fox are raising questions about her support of the Republican Party platform—specifically, the party’s opposition to judicial activism and support for religious liberty.

Before running as a Republican, Fox was openly hostile to President Donald Trump, swearing to vote against him and for a third-party candidate in 2016. She has praised the Supreme Court’s activist same-sex marriage ruling, and in response to courts ordering Texas to recognize same-sex marriages on birth and death certificates, Fox tweeted that the news “makes [her] heart happy.”

But it’s Fox’s comments regarding a county clerk who stood by her conscience when issuing marriage certificates that might be most concerning to Republican voters.

When Kim Davis, the county clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, was freed from jail after refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, Fox declared that Davis and her release “grosses [her] out.”

Davis’s stand in defiance of judicial activism and in support of religious liberty for local officials is reminiscent of the recent local case of Shelley Luther, a Dallas salon owner who was sent to jail for defying an unlawful ruling by local judges. These deleted comments raise questions about whether Fox is “grossed out” by prisoners of conscience who resist judicial activism generally, or only those who resist on the issue of same-sex marriage.

It appears Fox’s controversial social media posts were deleted around the time Fox declared her run for judge as a Republican.

Early voting in the race between Flint and Fox begins on June 29. Election Day is July 14.

Tony McDonald

Tony McDonald serves as General Counsel to Texas Scorecard. A licensed and practicing attorney, Tony specializes in the areas of civil litigation, legislative lawyering, and non-profit regulatory compliance. Tony resides in Austin with his wife and daughter and attends St. Paul Lutheran Church.

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