Voting for the March primary elections ended March 3. Among the closely watched local races, The Examiner endorsed Democrat AJ Turner for Jefferson County Pct. 4 commissioner and Republican Trent Ashby for District 3 state senator. Both won their respective races. Turner has no Republican opponent in November and will be seated in the position in January 2027. Ashby will face Democrat Bobby Tillman in November.
Turner secured 4,096 votes (58.94%) to defeat incumbent Bo Alfred, who received 2,853 votes, in the race for Jefferson County Pct. 4 commissioner.
“Strong leadership is never built alone. I’m honored to have respected men and women from across the community standing with me,” said Turner. “Thank you, Precinct 4, for your support, your engagement, and for allowing me to be a part of this record-breaking turnout!”
In other local races, Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 Place 2 incumbent Ben Collins Sr. narrowly won with 50.13% (4,126 votes), defeating Stacey Lewis Jr. Collins will face Republican Joe Evans in November.
Meanwhile, incumbent Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Joseph Guillory will face a runoff against Brandon Bartie after failing to secure a majority. Guillory received 41.06% of the vote to Bartie’s 34.14%, out of a total of 2,589 votes cast.
In the highly controversial Republican Primary for Justice of the Peace Pct. 4, incumbent Justin Ray Chesson defeated challenger Marcelo “Mo” Molfino with 62.75%, or 2,082 votes.
“Thank you all for the amazing love and support! It wasn’t an easy road, but with God’s grace we finished well,” said Chesson.
Voter turnout reached 24.26%, with 35,604 ballots cast out of 146,732 registered voters in Jefferson County.
Senate
In the race for District 3 state senator, voters favored Trent Ashby, who beat challenger Rhonda Ward, 71,784-43,381 in the 18-county race.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to have earned the trust of Republican voters across East and Southeast Texas to serve as your next state senator,” Ashby is quoted in a statement following the primary election. “From the outset, this campaign has been grounded by the communities, values, and people who make this region such a special place to call home. We focused on the issues that matter most to the families of East and Southeast Texas — protecting our communities, growing our economy, defending our conservative values, and delivering real results for the people of this region.”
Congressional races
Incumbent U.S. State Senator John Cornyn will face Attorney General Ken Paxton in the May runoff. Cornyn received 864,794 to Paxton’s 849,038.
In the Democratic Party Primary, James Talarico defeated Jasmine Crockett, 1.173 million to 1.1 million in the U.S. senator’s race. Talarico will face either Cornyn or Paxton in the November general election.
Incumbent U.S. Rep Brian Babin defeated Johnathan Mitchell, 49,844-11,561, for District 36 Congressional seat. He will face Democrat primary winner Rhonda Hart in November. Hart beat Doug Allen Rogers, 29,893-16,724.
In District 14, incumbent U.S. Rep. Randy Weber easily defeated Jessica Forgy, 55,658-7,206. Weber will now face Democrat Richard H. Davis or former Port Arthur mayor Thurman Bill Bartie, who are in a runoff. Davis finished with 22,635 votes to Bartie’s 15,961.
Hardin County
More than 8,780 voters cast ballots in the Republican Primary in Hardin County on March 3.
In the contested county races, the unofficial results show Angie Smith defeated Penny Williams Walters, 5,411-2,497, for county treasurer.
For Pct. 2 Commissioner, incumbent Chris Kirkendall defeated Travis Bohler, 1,647-949.
In the Pct. 1 justice of peace race, Robert Ward Jr. narrowly defeated incumbent Chris Ingram, 373-347; while incumbent Rod Ousley beat Geary D. “Sonny” Overstreet, 1,284-912, in the Pct. 3 justice of the peace post. Also, incumbent Cathie Brown defeated Randal W. Navarre, 438-100, in the Pct. 6 justice of peace race.
County voters approved all 10 propositions on the ballot.
There were no Democratic challengers in the county elections.
Democrat Valorie Barton will face incumbent Republican Janis Holt in the District 18 state representative race in November.
For more information, visit co.hardin.tx.us/page/ElectionsDepartment.