One day after the filing deadline for the upcoming primary elections, a surprise came out of the Arlington area as State Rep. Bill Zedler (R–Arlington) announced he will not be running for re-election to the Texas House and will be withdrawing his name from the ballot.
“Several things came in together—one was getting all the necessary information about my medical issues,” Zedler told The Texan on Tuesday. “It’s going to take time to recover from them. When you’re in a campaign, that’s all you have time for. I decided that I’ve given my years of service, and we’ll let someone younger and stronger take on the November elections.”
Zedler’s announcement comes after Mansfield Mayor David Cook filed for the position yesterday in a last-minute, filing-day surprise.
Because he is withdrawing his name after the filing deadline, there will be a five-day extension for additional candidates to enter the race.
Zedler pledged to continue his work in conservative politics even after leaving the state legislature.
“I am going to continue to be very much involved, I’ll just be serving in a different role. I’ll still be fighting for the same principles we’ve been fighting for.”
Zedler has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2003, except for a two-year period between 2009 and 2011 in which he was unseated by a Democrat. He has maintained a career A rating on the Fiscal Responsibility Index.
Whoever wins the Republican primary in March for House District 96 will face off against Democrat Joe Drago in November 2020.
