Bastrop, Texas Events, News & Stories

Bastrop, Tx–Bastrop County election officials were shipping additional ballots to busy voting places this afternoon because of heavy turnout in both Republican and Democratic races for party nominations to the November general election for county, state and federal offices.

In a dramatic turnaround from recent polling patterns, voters in the Republican primary are outnumbering their Democratic counterparts by a margin of almost two to one. Through Feb. 25, 1495 ballots in Bastrop County had been cast in the GOP primary. Through the same period only 844 votes had been cast in the Democratic primary.

Today was the last day for early voting in the primaries. Election day is Tuesday, March 2.

Four years ago, when Texas staged its last election for governor, Bastrop County’s early voting primary turnout reached only 611 Republican ballots and 832 on the Democratic side.

GOP primary interest is centered on a heated contested for the governorship as well as contests for the party’s nomination for county commissioners in Pct. 2 and Pct. 4, not to mention four Republicans seeking to challenge the incumbent Democrat, Bill Weddle, for the Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace bench.

Weddle also has a Democratic opponent, Dickie Henderson, and Pct. 4 Commissioner Lee Dildy is facing a Democratic Party challenger, Michael Flowers, as well.

Bastrop, Tx–When the Jan. 4 deadline passed for hopefuls to put their names on party primary election ballots in March, Bastrop County Republican challengers to incumbent office holders had turned out in force. As a result only seven current office holders seeking re-election, including two Republicans, will face no opposition for a new term in office.

Pct. 2 County Commissioner Clara Beckett drew a GOP primary opponent in the person of Adam Meuth. There is no Democratic candidate for the post.

At the same time Lee Dildy, the veteran Pct. 4 county commissioner who is seeking re-election, got a Democratic primary opponent even as two Republicans prepared to face off in the GOP primary for the job. Michael Flowers will challenge Dildy for the Democratic nod.

Also seeking the Pct. 4 commissioner’s post are Ron Jay and David “Rocky” Palmquist in the GOP primary.

And two new Republican candidates stepped forward to seek their party’s favor in the race for the Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace contest. At the filing deadline James “JW” Snell and Sue Ann Fruge joined Donna Van Gilder and Van Pressley as GOP contenders in the primary.

On the Democratic side, incumbent Bill Weddle is seeking re-election. His primary opponent is Donald “Dickie” Henderson.

Republicans also have challengers in races for three other county wide offices where Democrats incumbents are seeking re-election. Sarah Loucks put her name on the GOP ballot to oppose incumbent District Court Clerk Cathy Smith, a Democrat, and Republican Jason Leddie will oppose Democratic incumbent County Clerk Rose Pietsch in the November general election.

Republican Laurie Ingram had previously announced her bid to unseat Kathy Schroeder as county treasurer. Schroeder is seeking re-election as a Democrat.

Two Republicans are unopposed for new terms in county wide elective offices, District Attorney Bryan Goertz and County Surveyor Michael Olson.

On the Democratic side, neither County Judge Ronnie McDonald nor County Court at Law Judge Benton Eskew have opponents for re-election this year. At the same time three Democratic justice court judges are also unopposed for new terms, Raymah Davis in Pct. 2, Katherine Hanna in Pct. 3 and Larry Dunne in Pct. 4.