Tuesday’s primary ended with a few new faces set to take office in January along with a couple of overwhelming wins for incumbents.
State Senate District 31
With the pending retirement of State Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, of Texas Senate District 31, Midlander Kevin Sparks wins the seat with 54.8 percent of the votes or 46,140 votes.
With no Democrat in the contest, Sparks, an oilman who enjoyed powerful support from the District’s south end, will succeed the long-serving Seliger.
Sparks defeated Amarillo resident Tim Reid who ended with 19,171 votes or 22.8 percent; Big Spring businesswoman Stormy Bradley who had 13,723 or 16.3 percent; and Amarillo attorney Jesse Quackenbush Jr. trailed with 5,103 or 6.1 percent of the vote.
State legislators last spring moved four counties out of the Panhandle and added 12 to the Permian Basin as the state’s population growth necessitated expanding the district to 45 counties.
Sparks said Tuesday night that he had hoped to avoid a runoff and was encouraged with his district-wide support. “We have been able to make a connection with people both in the north and south parts of the district, Amarillo as well as the rural areas north of there,” he said.
“They bought into our vision and were willing to work hard. They understand that we need more business people at the state level. Voters asked me how I would represent the agriculture, farming and ranching, the manufacturers and coffee shop owners and I said I’m a small businessman and I understand that we have a lot of the same struggles.”
Reid, a retired FBI agent and a preparatory school teacher in Canyon, said early Tuesday evening that he was hoping to make a runoff.
State Representative District 81
A brutal race to represent District 81 in the Texas House of Representatives ended with longtime State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, defeating challenger Casey Gray by an overwhelming margin.
With Ector, Ward, Winkler and Loving counties making up District 81 after redistricting, 80 percent of the vote went to Landgraf with 10,229 votes to Gray’s 20 percent or 2,565 votes.
Landgraf takes a fifth term in the Texas House of Representatives with no Democrat on the ballot in November.
In Ector County, Landgraf collected 7,876 votes (78.78%), while Casey Gray had 2,122 (21.22%). Landgraf and Gray each received 16 votes in Loving County.
Landgraf and wife, Shelby, and daughter Hollis Rose were met with wild applause at the Copper Rose Building following early election results that showed Landgraf with more than 80 percent of the votes. Landgraf thanked the crowd.
“You made this night possible. … Some in the last couple weeks and some in the last few years, but Shelby and Hollis Rose and I are indebted to each and every on of you. I know support wasn’t always as easy to show this time and that makes me cherish the opportunity to serve all of you even more.”
Landgraf was referring to a particularly nasty campaign by Gray and his supporters, including members of the Ector County Republican party executive board, some of whom financed Gray’s bid.
“I take a lot of pride in this opportunity and it means a lot this time,” Landgraf told the crowd.
244th District Judge
The question of who will be replacing retiring Judge James Rush in the 244th District Court will remain unanswered until May 24 when Cindy Weir-Nutter and Lori Ruiz-Crutcher participate in a run-off election.
Weir-Nutter had taken home 3,963 or 45.06% of the votes in Tuesday night’s Republican primary and Ruiz-Crutcher garnered 2,841 or 32.31%. Former Odessa Municipal Court Judge Dennis Jones came in a distant third with 22.63% or 1,990 votes. In order to win outright, one of the candidates needed to take home 50% plus 1 vote.
Weir-Nutter said she had hopes of avoiding a run-off election, but knew with three candidates it was unlikely. Still, she said she was pleased with the outcome.
In the coming months Weir-Nutter said she’ll continue to share her “vision and passion.”
Weir-Nutter thanked Jones for “running a clean race.”
“I have a lot of respect for him,” she said.
Ruiz-Crutcher said she was pleased with the outcome as well and intends to keep to her original campaign strategy, which she said is clearly resonating with voters.
“I’m the only candidate with integrity,” she said.
Ruiz-Crutcher, a native of Round Rock, obtained her bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of North Texas and her law degree from Texas Tech.
Although she’s not practiced criminal law, Ruiz-Crutcher has said she’s quick learner.
“I have no doubt I’ll be able to learn criminal law rather quickly, so I can merge the two and run the court efficiently.”
Weir-Nutter, a Permian High School graduate, obtained her bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Texas Permian Basin and her law degree from Texas Tech. She clerked for the late U.S. District Judge Lucius Bunton III before spending time in private practice, handling primarily civil cases, but the occasional criminal defendant. She later went to work in the Ector County District Attorney’s Office prosecuting career criminals and defendants accused of sex crimes and crimes against children.
Weir-Nutter went back into private practice after several years and began representing children and their parents in Child Protection Court. After spending four years as the Ector County Attorney she returned to that type of work in 2013 and handles such matters in nine counties.
In addition to her 31 years as an attorney, Weir-Nutter has also spent 27 years as a mediator.
Throughout her campaign Ruiz-Crutcher has hammered on Weir-Nutter’s past.
While Ector County Attorney, Weir-Nutter was accused of failing to report employee compensation time to the county and giving out more comp time than county policy allowed. After a months-long investigation by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Rangers, an Ector County grand jury absolved her of any criminal activities, choosing instead to criticize county policy in a rare written report.
In addition, Weir-Nutter received a partially probated suspension from the Texas State Bar in 1999. She has said her offense was a minor violation she didn’t dispute because of personal issues going on in her life at the time.
She has also pointed out transactional attorneys like Ruiz-Crutcher rarely get into the courtroom so the risk of them being disciplined is a small one.
Ector County Judge
After a tumultuous first term that included battles over a new sales tax, a coronavirus and a new juvenile detention center, Ector County Judge Debi Hays will be saying goodbye.
Hays had picked up 42.71% or 4,136 votes during Tuesday night’s primary election compared to opponent Dustin Fawcett, who brought home 57.29% or 5,549 votes.
There are no Democrats in the running, but Fawcett will have an independent challenger, Josh Wymberley, in November.
Fawcett said his campaign was based on having a plan and a vision and he thinks that resonated with voters, as did his promises of being a good communicator and team player.
In the coming months, Fawcett said he intends to continue meeting with county departments to find out what their needs and wants are. He’ll also continue to attend commissioners meetings.
“I’m excited about the future of Ector County and I think this is an excellent step in the right direction,” Fawcett said.
Hays congratulated Fawcett.
“I wish him the best,” Hays said. “It was a good race, the voters turned out and Ector County can look forward to a new judge Jan. 1.”
She said she’s not sure what lies ahead for her, but the Lord does.
“I wouldn’t do anything differently,” Hays said. “I’m proud of what I did during my term in office and I ran a clean campaign. I have no regrets.”
District Clerk
Clarissa Webster has been re-elected Ector County District Clerk in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
She faced Christina “Chris” Bryson. The 48-year-old Webster is serving her second term as district clerk and has been in the job for seven years. Webster collected 5,642 votes (62.19%), while Bryson had 3,430 (37.81%).
“My opponent and I have both worked hard to campaign and I appreciate her and the work she does in the local Adult Probation Office. As far as the actual campaign and resulting vote, I have been overwhelmed and grateful for the continual outpouring of community support. For me, this speaks volumes to the impact we have had on making the courts and justice experience more accessible, more efficient and friendlier than ever to not only the legal community, but also to the general population,” Webster said in a Facebook message to the OA.
“Under my leadership, the District Clerk’s Office has developed a strong identity and culture of excellence in preserving history, embracing technology and planning for tomorrow — long before it became our campaign slogan. I am committed to this office and to maintaining and preserving the integrity of the court records. …,” she added.
Bryson spent the last 23 years as an adult probation officer for Ector County Community Supervision Corrections Department.
Webster graduated from Permian Basin Christian School in 1990 and then continued her education at Pensacola Christian College and then received her certification as a paralegal from the National Association of Legal Assistants in 2007.
“I think we ran a great race against each other so far and it’s not going to matter who wins. I just hope everybody learns from stuff like this,” Bryson said.
She has never run for office before.
“It’s a lot of work. It can be very tiring sometimes. Luckily, I’ve got my family that has been a great support and I’ve got some great friends that have also supported me and luckily I had them standing behind me. That made it worth it and so I’m glad I did it. I don’t regret doing this because it is a learning lesson, but like I’ve told other people I have a job with the county already and I love my job. This was just something else to further my career for me personally,” Bryson said.
When Webster was first elected to the position of district clerk, she was tasked with moving records from paper to digital. All documents from court proceedings, whether it’s criminal or civil, are scanned and put into the Ector County Portal.
County Commissioner Pct. 2
Longtime Ector County Precinct 2 Commissioner Greg Simmons won another term in office Tuesday night.
He faced two challengers — Billy Tripp and Ryan Patton.
With final results, Simmons finished with 2,535 (53.95%); Patton netted 1,112 (23.66%) and Tripp garnered 1,052 (22.39%).
Simmons first took office in January 1999. Contacted after early voting was in, Simmons said anything could change, but he was very hopeful.
Simmons said he was “very pleased that the voters see fit to keep me where I’m at and continue the work I’ve been doing. We’ll kind of cautiously wait and see what happens with all the voting that happened today.”
“People know what they’re going to get with me. I don’t surprise them with crazy votes that they weren’t expecting and antics that aren’t professional so I think just the consistency of knowing what they’re going to get when they elect me and re-elect me,” Simmons said.
Tripp is a 68-year-old local businessman, and Patton, a 36-year-old healthcare administrator.
After early voting and six boxes of 26 were in, Tripp said he was going to wait it out and see “where it goes.”
This was his first time running for office. “It was a learning experience. I think would do some things different next time and I learned a lot…. But I have no regrets, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
Tripp, whose family has been in Odessa since the turn of the last century, graduated from Odessa High School and has a bachelor of business administration from Texas A&M.
Although he currently runs a residential and commercial construction company, Tripp said he’s worked in earth construction in the oilfield, been involved in oil and gas production, operated a furniture business and worked as a controller for a couple of companies. He’s also spent time farming and ranching with his dad in McCamey.
Patton is another Odessa native. The Odessa High School grad obtained his associate degree in general studies and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from American Intercontinental University. He also has a master’s degree in business administration from Louisiana State University, Shreveport.
For the past seven years, Patton has worked for the Steward Medical Group running operations for roughly 50 healthcare providers and 30 clinics, including Odessa Regional Medical Center and Scenic Mountain Medical Centers.
Patton said after early voting and six boxes came in that they were still looking at the numbers.
“We’ve got 20 more boxes to come in, so we’re going to just hold tight and look at that and go from there,” Patton said.
This is also Patton’s first time running for office.
“It’s been very exciting and I’ve learned so much, both good and bad things and I’ll continue to fight to better this community regardless of the outcome of this election,” he added.
A native Odessan, Patton said he plans to be an advocate and a voice for his community.
County Commissioner Pct. 4
Ector County Democratic Precinct 4 Commissioners challenger Savannah Castellon Morales upset longtime incumbent Commissioner Armando S. Rodriguez Tuesday, denying him a fifth four-year term and setting up a November showdown with Republican Billy Hall.
Savannah Castellon Morales finished with 461 (60.90%) and Armando Rodriguez garnered 296 (39.10%).
“Me and my husband Daniel knocked on over 5,000 doors and made phone calls every day, getting out in the community and doing the work,” Morales said, adding that her 15 years’ work in her husband’s Melody Bakery on the south side of town was also an asset.
“I got to meet a lot of people there and they saw the compassion I have for the community, said Morales, 36, a native Odessan who joined the county public works department last September. “I want to work hard and bring back a focus on us. That’s why you sit in the seat.”
Rodriguez is a 61-year-old Odessa native who graduated from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio with a bachelor’s degree in political science. “I talked to a lot of people about my work on the roads and the environment,” Rodriguez said.
“We also need to expand the cemetery and do economic development in my area.”
Rodriguez said the early voting turnout was low because the weather was cold during most of the early voting period, where he trailed Morales 176 votes to 257, and he had hoped for a stronger showing in Election Day returns.
Republican leaders cheered Hall for getting into the Precinct 4 contest because the county’s southern and southeastern jurisdiction is heavily Democratic and the Nov. 8 general election will be a good test of the GOP’s county-wide strength, they said.
JP Precinct 1
Terry Lange has defeated challengers Steve Brennan and Melissa Gonzales to remain Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1.
Lange collected 1,057 votes (57.41%), while Brennan grabbed 434 (23.57%) and Melissa Gonzales finished with 350 (19.01%).
With no Democrat in the primary, Lange won’t face a November challenge.
Lange, 71, first took the bench 23 years ago after spending 28 years with the Odessa Police Department.
While with OPD, Lange obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management from the University of Texas Permian Basin and attended the FBI’s National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
JP Precinct 2
Incumbent Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Missi Walden held on for a second term despite two challengers in Tuesday’s GOP Primary.
Walden said she was excited for a second term and looks forward to helping move all the JP offices toward digital warrants. “I’ve been working with law enforcement on this.. I’m hopeful to work with new JP’s on the digital warrants and for all of us to work together. It will be better for everyone.”
Walden defeated former OPD Lt. Ron Hughes and challenger Cynthia Moreno. With no Democrat in the race Walden won’t face a November challenge.
Results were 1,346 for Walden and 359 for Hughes and 779 for Moreno in early voting.
Final totals were 2,325 for Walden or 50.31 percent; 1,484 for Hughes or 32.11 percent; and 812 for Moreno or 17.56 percent.
Walden was elected to her first term after beating six other candidates during the 2018 Republican primary.
JP Precinct 3
Bill Bowen emerged as the victor in the Republican primary in the race for Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, edging out challengers Freddy Redmon and Dudley Graham Tuesday night.
Bowen finished with 1,107 votes (winning 56.80 percent of the vote) while Redmon finished with 587 (30.12 percent) and Graham finished with 255 (13.08 percent).
“We’re very happy,” Bowen said. “We’re very jubilant. We worked hard. My opponents ran a good, clean race. There was no mud-slinging. We worked hard and knocked on a lot of doors and had a good team.”
Bowen will now face Democrat Gerardo Arzate in November’s election who ran unopposed in his party’s primary, finishing with 375 votes.
With the victory, Bowen also avoids having a runoff.
“I knew there was a good chance that there could be a runoff, but I was praying there wasn’t,” Bowen said. “It’s one less race I have to worry about.”
In early voting, Bowen’s lead was never in doubt as he received 551 while early votes (56 percent) while Redmon had 303 (30.79 percent) and Graham had 120 (13.21 percent).
Bowen said he owed his success to his campaign team.
“It was a good team,” Bowen said. “There were a lot of people talking and a lot of people working. There was a lot of door knocking. It was a good organization.”
November’s race for the Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 will take place Nov. 8.
“We’re going to going to work hard and continue doing what we’ve been doing,” Bowen said. “Like the saying goes, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”
Despite the loss, Redmon was respectful of the voters’ decision.
“All I can say is that it’s been a long nine weeks of interviews,” Redmon said. “I’ve spent about $10,000 out of my pocket and I didn’t take a penny in contributions. If that’s the final result, then the voters have spoken. We should respect their choice.”
This was Redmon’s first time running for a public office.
When asked if he’ll try to run for a public office again, he said it was still too early to tell.
“I’m not sure,” Redmon said. “I can’t tell you that today.”
JP Precinct 4
Master Peace Officer Elizabeth Baeza won the bid to take over as the new Justice of the Peace for Precinct 4 with her victory over fellow Democratic challengers Alford Littleton and Jesse Porras in the primary Tuesday night.
There were no Republicans in the primary, which means Baeza won’t face a November challenge.
Baeza finished with 423 votes (53.95%), while Alford Littleton collected 217 votes (27.68%) and Jesse M. Porras III had 144 votes (18.37%).
“Of course, I’m very excited first and very emotional at the same token and of course, very anxious about it,” Baeza said who was at the Ector County Annex as the results came in. “It’s a combination of all kinds of emotions, all very good ones.”
It will be the first elected office that Baeza will hold. This was her first time running for a public office.
In early voting, Baeza established a lead that Littleton and Porras couldn’t overcome, carrying 234 in early votes to 125 for Littleton and 84 for Porras.
Baeza said the reason for her win was just going out and getting to know the voters during her campaign.
“I think it was going door-to-door, meeting people and shaking their hands and them asking me questions, very specific ones,” Baeza said. “It was kind of like my own little debate at their front door. I really think that’s what did it.”
Baeza replaces outgoing judge Eddy Spivey who will be retiring.
As the results came in throughout the night, her lead did not diminish but she still entered Tuesday’s primary with some skepticism.
“Doubt is always in the back of my mind,” Baeza said. “I think it’s a human thing but I try not to think about it and try to be positive and go ahead and do the task that was ahead of me and just get it done.”
Despite losing, Littleton says he hopes for the best for Baeza.
“I wish Elizabeth good luck and I’ll be standing with her,” Littleton said.
Like Baeza, Littleton entered the race having not held a public office.
“I think one of the things that I learned was that there’s still a lot more to learn,” Littleton said. “I think we made a real decent campaign and we congratulated each other. But I think one of the things that I learned is that we have to work harder in certain areas. I think Elizabeth will make a good Justice of the Peace. I thought I could’ve been better but that’s my opinion and I guess I didn’t get that across to the people. But the people have spoken and I’ll support what the people say.”
When asked if Littleton will consider running for a public office again in the future, he wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know,” Littleton said. “I won’t make that decision at this time.”
Porras could not be reached for comment after the results came in.
