On Wednesday, Patrick McGuinness formally announced his campaign for state representative in Texas House District 52.
McGuinness is a longtime resident of Central Texas and Republican activist.
Redistricting Sets Stage
District 52 is currently represented by Democrat State Rep. James Talarico (Round Rock).
During the recently concluded special legislative session, the new boundaries for the district—a result of the decennial redistricting process—provide an advantage for would-be Republican candidates.
In its current configuration, the district includes the cities of Round Rock, Hutto, Taylor, and a portion of Georgetown. The new configuration, in contrast, it includes a significantly smaller portion of the city of Round Rock and larger populations of Republican voters in and around the Georgetown area.
In response, shortly after the boundaries were approved, Talarico announced he would be moving to District 50 to run for the open seat being vacated by Democrat State Rep. Celia Israel (Austin), who is exploring a run for mayor of the City of Austin next year. Talarico moving to another district effectively leaves District 52 as an open seat.
Republican Primary Election
McGuinness joins two other Republican candidates in the race: Caroline Harris, a legislative staff member for State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola), and Nelson Jarrin, an attorney and former legislative staff member for State Sen. Charles Schwertner (R–Georgetown).
The primary election is scheduled for March 1, 2022, barring any setbacks in the judiciary for the recently approved redistricting maps.
Other Candidates?
The candidate filing deadline for the 2022 election cycle is December 13, 2021. It is still possible that additional announcements for the position are forthcoming.
