A look at who filed for what on the Democratic side in the counties around Harris. These are all predominantly Republican counties, some more than others, so the Democrats are almost all challengers. On the flip side, there are many opportunities for gains.
Lisa Seger
Montgomery County
CD08 – Steven David
HD03 – Lisa Seger
HD15 – Lorena Perez McGill
HD16 – Mike Midler
County Judge – Jay Stittleburg
District Clerk – John-Brandon Pierre
County Treasurer – Mandy Sunderland
First, kudos to Montgomery County, hardly a Democratic bastion, for having so many candidates. They’re a County Clerk candidate away from having a full slate. I’m not tracking judicial candidates, County Commissioners, or Constables, but the MCDP has those, too. Steven David is a business and efficiency expert for the City of Houston. He’s running against Kevin “Cut all the taxes for the rich people!” Brady. Lisa Seger, whose district also covers Waller County, is a fulltime farmer in Field Store Community who has helped feed first responders during the fires of 2011 and is also involved in animal rescue. Her opponent is Cecil Bell, who was possibly the most fanatical pusher of anti-LGBT bills in the State House. She’s also a Facebook friend of my wife, who knows a lot of local farmers through her past work with Central City Co-Op. Jay Stittleburg is a Navy veteran and Project Management Professional who has worked in oil and gas. John-Brandon Pierre is a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq. A very solid group.
Fort Bend County
CD22 – Letitia Plummer
CD22 – Margarita Ruiz Johnson
CD22 – Mark Gibson
CD22 – Sri Preston Kulkarni
CD22 – Steve Brown
SD17 – Fran Watson
SD17 – Rita Lucido
SD17 – Ahmad Hassan
HD26 – Sarah DeMerchant
HD27 – Rep. Ron Reynolds
HD27 – Wilvin Carter
HD28 – Meghan Scoggins
HD85 – Jennifer Cantu
County Judge – KP George
District Clerk – Beverly McGrew Walker
Gotta say, I’m kind of disappointed in Fort Bend. They had a full slate for county offices in 2014, but this year there wasn’t anyone to run for County Clerk or County Treasurer? I don’t understand how that happens. Mark Gibson and Steve Brown list Fort Bend addresses, while Letitia Plummer and Margarita Johnson are from Pearland and Sri Kulkarni is from Houston. The Senate candidates we’ve already discussed. For the State House, Sarah DeMerchant ran in 2016, while Wilvin Carter is the latest to try to take out Rep. Ron Reynolds, who is the only incumbent among all the candidates I’m listing in this post and whose story you know well. Meghan Scoggins has a background in aerospace but works now in the nonprofit sector, while Jennifer Cantu is an Early Childhood Intervention therapist for a Texas nonprofit. KP George is a Fort Bend ISD Trustee and past candidate for CD22.
Brazoria County
CD14 – Adrienne Bell
CD14 – Levy Barnes
SBOE7 – Elizabeth Markowitz
HD29 – Dylan Wilde Forbis
HD29 – James Pressley
County Judge – Robert Pruett
County Clerk – Rose MacAskie
CD22 and SD17 also contain Brazoria County. HD25, held by Dennis Bonnen, is in Brazoria but it is one of the few districts that drew no Democratic candidates. I haven’t focused much on the SBOE races, but as we know longtime Republican member David Bradley is retiring, so that seat is open. It’s not exactly a swing district, but maybe 2018 will be better than we think. Adrienne Bell has been in the CD14 race the longest; she’s a Houston native and educator who was on both the Obama 2012 and Wendy Davis 2014 campaigns. Levy Barnes is an ordained bishop with a bachelor’s in biology, and you’ll need to read his biography for yourself because there’s too much to encapsulate. Dylan Wilde Forbis is one of at least three transgender candidates for State House out there – Jenifer Pool in HD138 and Finnigan Jones in HD94 are the others I am aware of. The only useful bit of information I could find about the other candidates is the Robert Pruett had run for County Judge in 2014, too.
Galveston County
HD23 – Amanda Jamrok
HD24 – John Phelps
CD14 and SBOE7 are also in Galveston. Remember when Galveston was a Democratic county? Those were the days. I don’t have any further information about these candidates.
Hope these posts have been useful. There are more I hope to do, but they’re pretty labor intensive so I’ll get to them as best I can.
Thank you for the coverage of this pending Primary Election on March 6, 2018. It is one of the most consequential elections in Texas and the US in the last 40 years and it is important that all citizens registered to vote.
I am an official candidate for the US House of Representative in Texas District 22, on the Democratic side. I am a VietNam Era Veteran in Finance and Accounting, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors in Languages, and a Masters from the University of Houston at Clear Lake in the Behavioral Sciences. I am a published author of 4 books in the Library of Congress. My work experience is from business and human resources. In the past, I was and Adjunct Professor at Alvin Community College, College of the Mainland and San Jacinto College. I am presently retired, grandmother of 6.
If elected to The US House of Representative, I will focus on Health Care, Jobs, Veterans Benefits, the Education of our Children, Senior Citizens Health Care and conditions in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living, and Home Land Security. I will serve with decorum, dignity and respect and represent Texas and the US. well.
Dear Friends,
It is with great pleasure that I announce that I am the Democratic nominee for the Texas State Board of Education – District 7. I am excited to undertake this endeavor to affect positive change in the Texas education system. For more information on my campaign and platform, please visit http://www.eliz4tx.com
I want to thank all of those individuals who have supported me thus far in my journey, and I look forward to working with you all for the future of Texas education. Have a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for a happy, productive 2018!
All the best,
Dr. Eliz Markowitz
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Thank you, Mr. Kuffner, for covering all of the Democratic races outside of Harris County!