Mayor Gerard Hudspeth is serving his third and final term in office. But the end of his municipal run is on the horizon. He is expected to leave office in May 2026.
But he won’t be finished with politics.
In a Friday afternoon Facebook post, Hudspeth announced he’ll be throwing his gray cowboy hat into the ring against other conservative challengers in the primary race for Denton County Commissioners Court Precinct 4 next year.
“With Denton County’s rapid growth, I believe we need energetic and innovative conservatives like me to keep delivering for our people,” Hudspeth says in his post. “I’m asking for your support in the Republican Primary in March 2026 as I take on this new challenge to serve you.”
Hudspeth didn’t respond to a request for comment by Tuesday evening.
County Commissioner Dianne Edmondson currently represents Precinct 4. The longtime chair of the Denton County Republican Party took office in 2018 and won reelection in 2022.
Edmondson also couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.
No Democrats serve on the Commissioners Court.
Precinct 4 covers southwestern Denton County, including the central, southern and western parts of the city of Denton, as well as the cities of Argyle, Krum, Ponder, Justin and Northlake and stretching down to northern Fort Worth and Roanoke.
A dozen comments followed Hudspeth’s Friday announcement, offering support for Hudspeth, who stressed that as Denton’s mayor — a nonpartisan position — he has “championed conservative policies and stood firm against the woke agenda.”
In the post, Hudspeth highlighted some of his accomplishments, saying, “When some pushed to defund the police, I fought back by increasing police funding.” He wrote that he has pushed “to lower the tax rate, expand our commercial tax base, and deliver critical infrastructure improvements for our community.”
Hudspeth voted to increase the city’s property tax rate with a unanimous council at the Sept. 17 council meeting. In 2023, he voted with his fellow council members to keep the tax rate the same as the previous year. The council had unanimously approved slightly lowering the rate in 2022.
During his mayoral reelection campaign a year ago, Hudspeth told the Denton Record-Chronicle that rising costs were putting pressure on people’s and the city’s budgets.
“Denton is a first-class city, and our citizens deserve to have great amenities and services at an affordable rate,” Hudspeth said in April 2024. “They also deserve low taxes. The city must continue to be as fiscally conservative as possible.”