Few surprises in primary vote

By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — There is very little different in the county’s representation following the March 5 primary election.

Incumbent Pete Sessions has the GOP nod for District 17 U.S. Representative, receiving 67,639 votes to challenger Joseph T. Langone, who received 5,871. He will face Mark Lorenzen, who gained 13,837 in his unopposed bid for the Democratic candidacy.

Incumbent Trent Ashby’s 2,323 votes outpaced challenger Paulette Carson’s 550 in the county, and Ashby went on to win the nomination in the District 9 State Representative race 24,268 to 5,274. The win guarantees his election as there are no Democrat candidates.

Ashby said it is the honor of a lifetime — one he does not take lightly — to have earned the trust of the folks living in House District 9 to continue serving as their voice in Austin.

“From the very onset, this campaign has focused on delivering a positive message to voters, and I’m pleased to see the voters of House District 9 reaffirm our message by overwhelmingly rejecting the critical cynicism that occurs far too often in our political process,” he said. “I’d like to thank my wife and my family for their support, my staff for their hard work and dedication, and most importantly, the good people of Angelina, Houston, Polk, San Augustine, Trinity, and Tyler counties for their support.”

Ashby said he will work to represent Deep East Texas with honesty, integrity, and humility to promote and protect the interests of the region.

In other contested races, incumbent Neal Smith won over Lee McBunch 540-202 for the County Commissioner Precinct 3 post; Mark Jones won over incumbent Carl Casey 488-244 for Constable Precinct 3; and Scott Womack retained his post as Republican County Chair by winning over Stephen McNeely 1,439-1,014.

The Democratic Party had no local candidates on the ballot.