DEMOCRATIC PARTY


Presidential candidates




Statewide candidates




  • Railroad commissioner
    Lon Burnam
    Cody Garrett
    Grady Yarbrough

  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3
    Mike Westergren

  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5
    Dori Contreras Garza

  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9
    Savannah Robinson

  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2
    Lawrence “Larry” Meyers*

  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5
    Betsy Johnson

  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6
    Robert E. Burns


County & district candidates




  • U.S. representative District 2
    Pat Bryan

  • U.S. representative District 7
    James Cargas

  • U.S. representative District 10
    Tawana W. Cadien
    Scot B. Gallaher

  • State representative District 126
    Joy Dawson-Thomas
    Cris Hernandez

  • State representative District 135
    Jesse A. Ybanez

  • Harris County Precinct 3 commissioner
    Erik Michael Hassan
    Jenifer Rene Pool

  • Harris County Precinct 4 constable
    Jeff McGowen

  • Harris County sheriff
    Ed Gonzalez
    Jerome Moore
    Theodore “Ted” Perez
    Jeff Stauber

  • Harris County tax assessor-collector
    Ann Harris Bennett
    Brandon Dudley






REPUBLICAN PARTY


Presidential candidates




Statewide candidates




  • Railroad commissioner
    Lance N. Christian
    Wayne Christian
    Gary Gates
    John Greytok
    Ron Hale
    Doug Jeffrey
    Weston Martinez

  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3
    Debra Lehrmann*
    Michael Massengale

  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5
    Paul Green*
    Rick Green

  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9
    Eve Guzman*
    Joe Pool

  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2
    Mary Lou Keel
    Chris Oldner
    Ray Wheless

  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5
    Sid Harle
    Steve Smith
    Scott Walker
    Brent Webster

  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6
    Richard Davis
    Michael E. Keasler*


County & district candidates




  • U.S. representative District 2
    Ted Poe*

  • U.S. representative District 7
    John Culberson*
    Maria Espinoza
    James Lloyd

  • U.S. representative District 8
    Kevin Brady*
    Andre Dean
    Craig McMichael
    Steve Toth

  • U.S. representative District 10
    Michael T. McCaul*

  • State representative District 15
    Mark Keough*

  • State representative District 126
    Kevin Roberts

  • State representative District 130
    Tom Oliverson
    Kay Smith

  • State representative District 132
    Mike Schofield*

  • State representative District 135
    Gary Elkins*

  • State representative District 138
    Dwayne Bohac*

  • Harris County Precinct 3 commissioner
    Steve Radack*
    Sam “Tejas” Texas

  • Harris County Precinct 4 constable
    Mark Herman*
    Rolf Nelson

  • Harris County sheriff
    Paul Day
    Ron Hickman*
    Carl Pittman

  • Harris County tax assessor-collector
    Mike Sullivan*
    Don Sumners






FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


Q. What is the primary election?
A. In Texas both the Democratic and Republican parties hold a primary election to determine which candidate should represent each party in the general election. Both parties use the primary election results to determine how many delegates to assign to each of their respective party’s presidential candidates. The delegates then vote at conventions to decide their party’s nomination.


Q. Can I vote in both the Republican and Democratic primaries in the same year?
A. No. In Texas, voters can participate in the primary election by voting Democrat or Republican, but not both.


Q. Will I vote at the same polling location for the March primary and the November election?
A. Not necessarily. The number of voters is typically lower for the primary election, so the elections office may consolidate precincts to fewer polling locations.


Q. Who is eligible for a mail-in ballot?
A. You may request a ballot by mail if you will be out of the county on election day and during early voting, if you are sick or disabled, if you are age 65 or older on election day, or if you are incarcerated.







POLITICAL JOB DESCRIPTIONS


U.S. House of Representatives
Texas’ 36 representatives in the U.S. House serve two-year terms with no term limits.


Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is made up of 31 single-member districts. Senators serve four-year terms with no term limits.


Texas House
The Texas House is made up of 150 members representing districts of approximately 179,700 people each, according to 2014 census data. Representatives serve two-year terms with no term limits.


Railroad commissioner
Three commissioners are each elected to six-year terms. Despite its name, the commission no longer oversees railroads. The commission sets policies and regulations for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas and manages gas utilities.


Supreme Court of Texas
Nine justices, including a chief justice, are each elected to six-year terms. The Supreme Court of Texas is the highest court for civil litigation statewide.


Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Nine justices, including a presiding judge, are each elected to six-year terms. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals hears cases appealed from trial courts and cases that are punishable by the death penalty. The court also has the authority to grant habeas corpus to defendants found guilty of felony crimes.


Sources: www.govtrack.us, www.ballotpedia.org, www.rrc.texas.gov, http://quickfacts.census.gov, www.txcourts.gov and www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us


The candidates listed in this guide will be on the 2016 primary election ballot in the communities defined by Community Impact Newspaper’s Cy-Fair coverage area. All races, including uncontested races, are listed. Official campaign websites could not be found for certain presidential candidates.


*Incumbent    **As of Feb. 12, these candidates have suspended their campaigns, but their names will appear on the ballot.