Young County runoff elections decided by less than 10 percent of voters

The winners of Young County primary election runoff races were decided by a handful of votes, in many cases, as turnout was an anemic 6.9 percent of the county’s 11,725 registered voters, according to unofficial results from the County Registrar.

Young County Republicans overwhelmingly favored incumbent Ken Paxton over Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush for Attorney General, by a margin of 76 percent, or 563 votes, to 24 percent or 175 votes for Bush. Paxton won the Republican Party nomination and will face Democrat Rochelle Mercedes Garza, a civil rights attorney, in November.

State Sen. Dawn Buckingham, a surgeon endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump, beat Tim Westley, the historian of the Republican Party of Texas, for the GOP nomination for Commissioner of the General Land Office by a margin of 68 percent, or 466 votes, to 32 percent or 222 votes.

In the race for Texas Railroad Commissioner, incumbent Wayne Christian bested challenger Sarah Stogner, an oil and gas attorney from the Midland area, by 76 percent or 552 votes to 24 percent or 171 votes. Christian now is heavily favored to win the general election against Democratic Party strategist Luke Warford, as no Democrat has won statewide office in Texas since 1994.

In the Democratic primary runoff, Mike Collier swept state Rep. Michelle Beckley with a 62 percent to 38 percent in the lieutenant governor’s race, which amounted to 37 votes versus Beckley’s 23 votes. Collier, who was the Democratic nominee in 2018, will face Republican Party incumbent Dan Patrick in November.

Rochelle Mercedes Garza bested former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski in Young County, 53 percent or 32 votes, to 47 percent or 28 votes, for the Attorney General nomination.

In the Comptroller of Public Accounts race, Janet T. Dudding, a CPA who worked for the Office of the State auditor, beat Angel Luis Vega, a business strategist, for the nomination with 37 votes, or 65 percent, versus 20 votes or 35 percent. Dudding now faces Republican incumbent Glenn Hegar, running for his third term, in the general election.

Young County Democrats favored Jay Kleberg, a longtime conservationist and former associate director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, with 31 votes or 54 percent, over Sandragrace Martinez, a licensed mental health counselor from San Antonio, with 26 votes or 46 percent, for Commissioner of the General Land Office.

The general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 8.