The Challengers to Texas House Republicans (Part II)

In this post, we’ll look at the challengers in Texas House districts 55, 59, 60, 64, 71, 72, and 83. The incumbents, challengers, and biographical information about the challengers are listed in the table below: 

District	Incumbent	Challenger	Residence	Occupation	Web Site	Issue Positions	District Map
55	Ralph Sheffield	Molly S. White	Belton	Pro-life Activist	Web Site	Issue Positions	District Map
59	J.D. Sheffield	Danny Pelton	Stephenville	Businessman	Web Site	Issue Positions	District Map
		Howard Ray	Rochelle	Gun Instructor	Web Site	Issue Positions	District Map
60	Jim Keffer	Cullen Crisp	Granbury	Businessman	Web Site	Issue Positions	District Map
64	Myra Crownover	Read King	Denton		Web Site		District Map
71	Susan King	Issac M. Castro	Hamlin	Businessman, Lawyer	Web Site	Issue Positions	District Map
72	Drew Darby	Shannon Thomason	Big Spring	Corporate Pilot	Facebook	Issue Positions	District Map
83	Charles Perry	Steve Massengale	Lubbock	Businessman	Web Site	Issue Positions	District Map

The districts are located in Central Texas, North Texas, and West Texas. Of the seven challengers, only one had sought a Texas House nomination previously. Issac M. Castro won the Republican primary election in Texas House District 85 in 2008 but lost the general election with 46.62 percent of the vote.

One of the challengers, Read King, offers little information about his positions on issues. Shannon Thomason has some information on Facebook but no campaign Web site. Six challengers provide information on their issue positions on their Web sites, which are linked in the table above.  

Among the seven challengers, Danny Pelton, a former Republican County Chairman in Erath County, has the best opportunity to defeat an incumbent. With three candidates seeking the nomination, a runoff primary is a distinct possibility, which enhances a challenger’s chances against an incumbent.

I’m anxious to see the campaign contribution reports for these candidates when they’re reported.