Tuesday was Election Day in Texas as all eyes were set on the state’s primary elections, and there were several close races in Lubbock.
The race for Lubbock County judge between Curtis Parrish and Gary Boren came down to a close call of 855 votes - Parrish won 52% of the vote while Boren received 48%. This is the second time the two Republican candidates have chased the same county judge seat, and Parrish won both times by a close margin.
Texas Tech Public Media spoke with Parrish ahead of the race as part of the “Conversations with Candidates” series. He explained what made him qualified for a second term in the position.
“I believe that I am in a unique position to shepherd and lead this county,” Parrish said. “Not only in the administrative part, but certainly in the judicial part.”
In another county race, Lubbock County Commissioner Precinct 4 challenger Jordan Rackler won the primary over incumbent Chad Seay. Rackler earned 73 more votes.There are no Democratic candidates for this seat.
The four-way race for the next representative for Lubbock’s House District 84 is headed to a runoff.
Republican candidates David Glasheen and Carl Tepper had the majority of the votes, with Glasheen winning nearly 42% of the vote and Tepper winning 40%.
“I’m a conservative Republican, I’m socially fiscally conservative,” Tepper said during an interview with Texas Tech Public Media for “Conversations with Candidates.” “I think [Lubbock constituents] are going to be looking for that kind of leadership in the legislature.”
Since neither of the candidates won more than half of the votes, however, the two will go head-to-head again in a runoff election in May. The winner of the runoff election will be on the November general election ballot.
Texas Tech Public Media also spoke with Glasheen ahead of the election, where he said, “I think that we need someone who’s got strong leadership and advocacy skills, and I can offer that.”
The House District 84 office has been held by John Frullo since 2010. Frullo announced his retirement in November. There were four Republican candidates for the race, but no Democratic challengers.
For House District 83, incumbent Republican Dustin Burrows won the party nomination with 83% of the votes. He has no challenger in November.
In the race for the 72nd Judicial District, incumbent Ann-Marie Carruth lost to challenger John Grace. Carruth received 46% of the vote, compared to Grace’s 54% of votes.
Carruth is the now ex-wife of Kyle Carruth, who was involved in a deadly shooting last year that gained national attention.
There wasn’t a strong voter turnout for the election, however. Only about 3% of Lubbock Democratic voters participated in the primary election while 15% of Republican voters cast ballots. Out of 183,224 registered voters, only 33,534 voted.
