By CHAD BLACKSHEAR
CNHI
ROCKWALL COUNTY — Voters opted to keep the incumbents for U.S. Representatives District 4, State Senate District 2 and State Representative District 89 in last Tuesday’s contested Republican primary.
U.S. Representative Ralph Hall (R-Rockwall) won his party’s nomination well ahead of his opponents, with a total of 39,384 votes (57.3 percent), according to the unofficial election results from the Office of the Secretary of State.
Results for the challengers are: 20,432 votes for Steve Clark, 3,708 for John Cooper, 3,177 votes for Jerry Ray (Tea) Hall, 1,041 votes for Lou Gigliotti and 941 votes for Joshua Kowert.
“While they were criss-crossing the district I was up here (in Washington, D.C.) having to work,” said Hall, noting that the campaign process was a bit different for him this time around. Hall said that the healthcare issue was too important to leave work for campaign purposes.
“I usually get out and walk around every city during election time. I wasn’t able to do that this year.”
Hall was at his office on the square until the election results were definitive. Then after two hours of sleep he was up again and on his way back to Washington.
“They’re trying to get a bipartisan bill passed on this healthcare thing, but if we can’t get something good passed we’re going to try to kill it,” Hall said. “I don’t believe in being bipartisan if you can’t get something good.”
Hall will face Democratic candidate VaLinda Hathcox of Sulphur Springs and Libertarian candidate Jim Prindle of Allen in the Nov. 2 general election.
As of press time, Incumbent State Sen. Robert F. Deuell (R-Greenville) was ahead of challenger Sharon Russell by nearly 18,000 votes. Deuell led with 37.896 votes to Russell’s 15,517 votes.
Deuell will face Democratic candidate Kathleen Maria Shaw in the Nov. 2 general election.
In the race for State Representative District 89 Jodie Laubenburg ran unopposed.
