ELECTION 2026: FOUR WASHINGTON CO. SEATS TO BE CONTESTED IN MARCH PRIMARY
The primary field is now set for the spring 2026 elections in Washington County.
Four contested races will appear on the countywide Republican ballot, along with the slate of statewide and federal races. No Democratic candidates filed for Washington County offices, but there are Democrats running for state and federal seats. There are no independent candidates for local seats.
The offices of county judge, Precinct 2 and Precinct 3 county commissioner, and Precinct 2 justice of the peace will have multiple candidates vying for the Republican nomination.
Three people are running for county judge: Kirk Hanath, Douglas Cone and Brad Tegeler. Current County Judge John Durrenberger is not seeking re-election.
The Precinct 2 commissioner’s race features four contestants: Amanda Klehm, Jim Chisolm, William “Bubba” Herrin and Mark Schonefeld. The seat is coming open with Commissioner Candice Bullock deciding not to run for another term.
For Precinct 3 commissioner, Gil Janner and Chad Dismukes are running for the position of Kirk Hanath, who continues to serve as the holdover commissioner after declaring for county judge.
The race for Precinct 2 justice of the peace will feature Holly Johnson and Travis Semora. Douglas Cone opted against running for re-election in favor of pursuing the county judge’s seat. Semora was appointed by county commissioners in October to serve out the remainder of Cone’s unexpired term. Johnson served as Cone’s chief justice clerk for over 20 years.
All other county offices will be uncontested in the March Republican primary:
- Precinct 4 County Commissioner – Dustin Majewski
- County Clerk – Nicholas Prenzler (following retirement of Beth Rothermel)
- District Clerk – Carli Koehne (following resignation of Kimberly Boyce)
- County Court at Law Judge – Eric Berg
- County Treasurer – Peggy Kramer
- Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 – Scott Atwood (Douglas Zwiener is not seeking re-election)
- Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 – Duane “Dane” Houston
- Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 – Harold C. “Buddy” Riddle
In statewide races, Washington County’s representatives at the House and Senate level – Trey Wharton and Lois Kolkhorst, respectively – are running for re-election and will not be opposed on the Republican ballot. They will, however, face Democratic challengers in November, as Andie Ho has filed for House District 12 and Erica Gillum is running for Senate District 18.
With the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that Texas can use its newly redistricted congressional map in the March primary, Washington County is being placed into a new congressional district, shifting from District 10 to District 27.
On the Republican side, District 27 incumbent Michael Cloud has filed along with Chris Hatley. Three people are seeking the Democratic nomination: Eustaquio “Stock” Castro-Mendoza, Tanya Lloyd and Wayne Raasch.
The deadline to register to vote in the March 3rd primary is Monday, February 2nd. Early voting will open on Tuesday, February 17th and runs through Friday, February 27th.