Five Republicans are set to face off on the ballot to replace longtime state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington.
The race to replace Tinderholt in the Texas Legislature is one of three Arlington-area voters will decide in the March 3 primary election.
Here’s a look at the contested races.
Texas House District 94
Tinderholt, who was first elected in 2015, is running for Tarrant County commissioner. Five candidates are vying to represent Texas House District 94, which covers parts of west and central Arlington, Hurst and parts of east Fort Worth.
Business owner Cheryl Bean, nonprofit executive Jackie Schlegel, mortgage banker Mike Ingraham, former nurse Susan Valliant and entrepreneur Michael Daughenbaugh are hoping to succeed Tinderholt.
Voters will decide March 3 which candidate will face Democrat Katie O’Brien Duzan in November. O’Brien Duzan is a first-time candidate who told the Arlington Report that her top priorities are affordability, public education funding and empowering local governments.
Bean and Schlegel have picked up a majority of the local and state endorsements. Bean, a longstanding fixture of local county politics, holds an array of Tarrant County GOP and state legislator nods. Schlegel has picked up endorsements from Gov. Greg Abbott and other state legislators.
Schlegel and Bean share their main legislative priorities: affordability, quality education that does not push political agendas and property tax relief.
Bean has worked in the defense industry and serves on the board for the charter Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts. Bean previously sought a state House seat in Fort Worth.
She said her experience in multiple industries and public policy advocacy makes her the ideal candidate.
“Unlike most of my opponents, I have a very broad and diverse background with a lot of interests,” Bean said.
Bean also wants to improve U.S.-Mexico border security if elected to the Legislature.
“Whether you’re talking about the cartels coming across the borders, or you’re talking about the Chinese threat that we have, or even the sharia law threat, any of those things, those are all issues that we need to be aware of, and we need to get that in control,” Bean said.
Schlegel is the executive director of Texans for Medical Freedom, a nonprofit focused on parental consent, medical freedom and opposing vaccine mandates.
Over the past 11 years, she has been working to help shape public policy, Schlegel said.
In 2015, her original organization, Texans for Vaccine Choice, successfully lobbied lawmakers to vote down 17 “medical mandate bills,” according to a Texans for Medical Freedom video.
Schlegel said her skills can impact her district and state if elected.
“I’m very passionate about access to health care and creative solutions, such as primary direct care, and how we can continue to have great health outcomes for the money that we are spending on our health care,” Schlegel said.
In 2022, Texans for Vaccine Choice sued Schlegel over accusations of trademark infringement and illegally transferring money to another organization.
In January, Schlegel was found guilty by a jury of infringing on the organization’s trademarked name, according to the Texas Scorecard. She is set to owe over $760,000 in damages and fees, barring an appeal, according to the Scorecard.
In a statement to the Report, Schlegel said the suit was a “politically motivated, frivolous attack driven by well-funded special interests who are accustomed to using their wealth to bully people into silence.”
She added that the suit’s outcome would not have an impact on her ability to represent the district. She did not specify whether she would seek an appeal.
“I have always acted in good faith, I will continue to vigorously defend myself against meritless claims, and I will not be deterred from standing up for the people of this district. Bullies win only when people retreat,” Schlegel wrote.
Valliant has also listed medical freedom as one of her main legislative issues.
Valliant has picked up endorsements from Tarrant County GOP precinct chairs, along with nods from Arlington council member Long Pham and Arlington ISD board member Larry Mike, according to her campaign site.
Valliant’s other priorities include the abolition of property taxes, fighting human trafficking and fixing the energy grid, according to her site.
Valliant did not respond to an interview request.
Ingraham and Daughenbaugh said they are approaching the election with open ears, and not with the intention of being the most conservative candidate.
Ingraham intends to focus his campaign on property tax relief. He said his background as a mortgage banker gives him the unique qualifications to do so.
Ingraham has considered moving his family due to the rising costs of property taxes per year, something he says he’s heard from other District 94 residents.
“I was talking to a woman whose husband had passed away recently. She’d been in her home for 20-something years, and she lost half of his retirement income, and she can no longer keep up the property taxes,” Ingraham said. “That’s not acceptable. She raised her family in that house.”
Ingraham said he intends to lower property taxes by focusing on appraisal districts. He is open to exploring the replacement of property tax revenue with destination gambling.
Daughenbaugh said his financial background as a certified public accountant would allow him to create more fiscal responsibility and transparency.
“I understand the way budgets work. I actually audit entities that receive government funds,” Daughenbaugh said. “I’m intimately familiar with money, taxation, how the government assesses fraud detection, things of that nature.”
Daughenbaugh owns an accounting firm, which has locations in Houston and Arlington. Daughenbaugh hopes he will connect with Spanish-speaking voters thanks to his experience as a Spanish linguist in the U.S. Army.
“Thirty-three percent of my district is Hispanic,” Daughenbaugh said, “I feel that I’m more qualified because I can actually communicate with most voters in my district.”
Texas Senate District 22
Three Republicans are seeking Texas Senate District 22.
Sen. Brian Birdwell is leaving the seat after President Donald Trump nominated him as assistant secretary of defense in October. His nomination is awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation. Birdwell has held the position since 2010 and served six terms.
The seat’s contenders are state Rep. David Cook, McLennan County District Clerk Jon Gimble, and nonprofit owner Rena Schroeder. Senate District 22 covers parts of central Arlington, Euless and Mansfield and extends south into Granbury and Waco in Central Texas.
Voters will decide who will run against Democrat Amy Martinez-Salas. Her campaign will focus on ending school vouchers, health care access for rural communities and women’s health care rights.
Cook has received support from local, state and national endorsements, including Trump, Abbott, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Cook’s priorities include property tax relief, advocating for stronger borders, cutting government spending, pushing for stronger public safety systems, and allowing parents to have more control over their children’s education.
Cook has represented House District 96 since 2020. House District 96 encompasses Arlington, Burleson, Crowley, Fort Worth, Kennedale, Mansfield and Rendon.
Cook was not available for an interview ahead of publication.
Gimble entered the race in late July. He was the first Republican elected McLennan County district clerk in 2015 and currently serves on the Texas Judicial Council, according to his campaign.
Gimble’s priorities include securing the border, protecting the Second Amendment and property tax relief.
Gimble has been endorsed by the Young Conservatives of Texas and Senate District 22 State Republican Executive Committeewoman Leslie Thomas.
Gimble did not respond to an interview request.
Schroeder is a first-time candidate and co-founder and director of Angel Wings Ranch, a faith-based nonprofit organization offering equine-assisted learning to help clients through difficult challenges throughout life.
Schroeder has been a Texas resident since 2018. She is campaigning on increasing mental health services, providing more services to support veterans, creating a stronger foster care system, and providing more resources for homeless individuals.
Schroeder did not respond to an interview request.
Texas House District 101
Incumbent state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, faces a challenger from Grand Prairie City Council member Junior Ezeonu.
House District 101 covers parts of central and south Arlington, along with parts of east Mansfield.
Turner said this is the first time he has faced a primary opponent since his election in 2013.
Turner’s priorities include public school funding and accessibility for affordable health care, he said.
Turner wants the Legislature to repeal a law allowing families to use taxpayer dollars to pay for private schools for their children.
“That’s something that may take more than one session, but that’s something I want to see happen,” Turner said.
Turner said voters should choose him over his opponent because his legislative track record speaks for itself.
“I’ve proven that I have the ability to get things done and deliver for our state and deliver for our district,” Turner said.
Although he respects Turner and his service for the district, Ezeonu said residents need a dramatic change.
“The fight that we’re facing in 2026 is vastly different than what it was back in 2008 and 2012,” Ezeonu, 26, said. “This fight needs new fighters, and I believe, with my youth and also my experience as a young policymaker, I’d be great to step into that role.”
Ezeonu was first elected to the Grand Prairie City Council at 22, defeating the 12-year incumbent. He has lived in the district since immigrating to the United States from Nigeria when he was 2.
He became one of the few Black council members since the early 1990s and the city’s youngest elected member.
Ezeonu said he wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, repeal the private school voucher law, and make homeownership more affordable and accessible for Texas residents.
“The residents of House District 101 shaped and molded me into the man that I am today,” Ezeonu said. “We have great people, people that love the youth, that believe in the youth, that believe our young people are our future, and they pour into them. We have an incredible work ethic in House District 101.”
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
Bianca Rodriguez-Mora is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at bianca@fortworthreport.org.
At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Arlington Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
