By Christine Granados
Standard-Radio Post contributor
The candidate filing period for the 2024 election is set to begin on Veterans Day Nov. 11, with races for the President, Congress and State Representative seats open.
Filing will begin Saturday and will end 6 p.m., Dec. 11.
State Representative incumbent Ellen Troxclair R-Lakeway said she plans to run for the District 19 seat again.
“My conservative record stands for itself — I passed the largest property tax cut in U.S. history, funded the border wall, and protected children from gender-modification and pornographic content in schools,” said Troxclair. “I am now fully focused on the Special Session to ban COVID vaccine mandates, pass a ‘remain in Mexico’ policy to prevent illegal immigration, increase teacher pay, and ensure parents have the ability to choose the best education for their children.
Last week former District 73 State Rep. Kyle Biedermann announced his intention to run for the District 19 seat.
District 19 includes Gillespie County as well as Blanco, Burnet, Kendall counties and part of Travis County. New legislative boundaries set after the 2020 Census moved Gillespie County out of District 73 and into 19.
In a statement issued, Oct. 25 Biedermann stated: “District 19 deserves a proven conservative representative who is not swayed by the insider politics of the Austin establishment but is invested in the well-being of Texans across our state and in our district. My platform includes building the wall to maintain our safety, abolishing the state property tax and expanding parental rights in education.
“On March 5, 2024, voters will be faced with a choice. We can maintain the status quo, or we can get Texas back on the path to prosperity by electing true conservative Republicans who have a record of standing up to the corrupt Austin establishment,” he wrote.
Local filing
Along with federal and state office filing, the Gillespie primary elections will see several offices up for election. Those offices include: county attorney, county commissioner Pct. 1, county commissioner Pct. 3, county court at law, district attorney, tax assessor/collector and sheriff, all four year terms.
Candidates can officially file for a place on the ballot starting Saturday, Nov. 11. The filing deadline for candidates is Dec. 11 at 6 p.m.
Republican and Democratic candidates seeking office in Gillespie County should file their candidacy papers with their party’s county chair.
Republicans should file with Bruce Campbell, chair of the Gillespie County Republican Party, and Democrats should file with Cathy Collier, chair of the Gillespie County Democratic Party.
State candidate filing
Candidates running for any office not wholly contained in Gillespie County will file with state party chairs, according to the Gillespie County elections office.
Matt Rinaldi, state chair of the Republican Party can be reached at 512-477-9821 or P.O. Box 2206, Austin, TX 78768.
Gilberto Hinojosa, state chair of the Democratic Party can be reached at 512-478-9800 or P.O. Box 15707, Austin, TX 78761.
Offices up for election
Federal and state offices up for Election in 2024 are: President of the United States, 4-year term; U.S Senator, Ted Cruz 6-year term;
All 38 U.S. State Representatives, 2-year term; railroad commissioner, Christi Craddick, 6-year term;
Three members of the Supreme Court: Jimmy Blacklock, Place 2; John Phillip Devine, Place 4 and Jane Bland, Place 6, 6-year terms;
Three members of the Court of Criminal Appeals: Sharon Keller, Presiding Judge, Place 1; Barbara Hervey, Place 7 and Michelle Slaughter, Place 8, 6-year terms;
Seven members of the State Board of Education: Melissa Ortega, District 1; Marisa B. Perez-Diaz, District 3; Staci Childs, District 4; Tom Maynard, District 10; Patricia (Pat) Hardy, District 11; Pam Little, District 12; Aaron Kinsey, District 15, 4-year terms;
Fifteen state senators: Carol Alvarado, District 6; Paul Bettencourt, District 7; Angela Paxton, District 8; Phil King, District 10; Tan Parker, District 12; Sarah Eckhardt, District 14; John Whitmire, District 15; Nathan Johnson, District 16; Joan Huffman, District 17; Juan (Chuy) Hinojosa, District 20; Royce West, District 23; Donna Campbell, District 25; Morgan LaMantia, District 27; Cesar Blanco, District 29 and Drew Springer, District 30; 4-year terms;
All 150 State Representatives, 2-year terms.
Chief Justice of Courts of Appeals: Bonnie Sudderth, 2nd Court of Appeals; Robert D. Burns III, 5th Court of Appeals; Tom Gray, 10th Court of Appeals; John Bailey, 11th Court of Appeals and Dori Contreras, 13th Court of Appeals; 6-years.
Various Court of Appeals Justices, 6-year terms;
Various District Judges, Criminal District Judges, Family District Judges, District Attorneys, Sheriffs, County Courts at Law, County Attorneys, Tax Assessor-Collectors, County Commissioners, Justices of the Peace (Place 1 designation only), Constables, 4-year terms.
Candidate filing places
Gillespie County Republican Party headquarters is located at 904 W. Main St., Fredericksburg.
Office hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The office will be open Saturday, Nov. 11, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 11, noon-6 p.m. for candidate filing. Appointments for filing can be arranged at other times by visiting the party’s website gillespiecountygop.org.
Gillespie County Democratic Party headquarters is located 209 North Crockett St., Suite 1, Fredericksburg.
Office hours are Wednesdays, 4-6 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-noon. Appointments for filing can also be arranged by emailing cathytcollier@gmail.com, calling 830-456-1574 or visiting gillespiedems.org.
