57 Days Until The Filing Deadline - How Many Republicans Are Still Unopposed?

Countdown to 2024: Identifying Opportunities for Democratic Candidates in Texas.

Around the country, there have been 31 elections this year, and 25 of them have swung toward Democrats. Not only that, Democrats are massively overperforming their baseline. Now, we have 400 days left until the 2024 election, which is a long time for Democrats to screw things up, but based on the momentum we’re seeing around the country, things are looking good for Texas.

On top of that, the GOP Civil War is depressing its base, causing moderate Republicans to swear off the GOP once and for all.

If all of the current trends hold through the year, in 2024, we will see a massive underperformance from Texas Republicans and an overperformance from Texas Democrats. This is excellent news!

But we have to have candidates on the ballot for Democratic voters to vote for. Not all of these seats will be flippable, but the more Democrats on the ticket, the more motivated the voters will be.

The filing deadline for the November 2024 election is on December 11.

A person can file an announcement as an indication to run with the Secretary of the State. Those are posted and updated here.

However, the “official” filings don’t start until mid-November. Several campaigns are gearing up that haven’t filed or made an announcement, but I’m aware of them from talking to them directly or someone with firsthand knowledge. I’m going to keep blasting out there which seats are unopposed.

Otherwise, we have plenty of unopposed Republicans still. The seats below are unopposed in the most important and biggest counties for the 2024 election. To win, Democrats MUST focus on an Urban First Strategy. To do that, the seats below cannot be unopposed.

If you or someone you know is considering running for office (especially in these seats below), scroll down to the bottom for links to help you find resources and training.

Unopposed Republicans in Harris County:

What is the Harris County Democratic Party doing? Harris County is ground zero for democracy in Texas in the 2024 election. We need a large turnout in Harris County to advance the eventual flip. Between the GOP taking over Harris County elections or destroying Houston ISD, Space City is ripe for a massive voter turnout in 2024. But we need the candidates on the ballot to vote for.

If you are in the Harris County Democratic Party, you need to ask leadership what they are doing about recruitment efforts. If you aren’t in the Harris County Democratic Party, they always need more precinct chairs and volunteers. Please get involved.

Unopposed Republicans in Dallas County:

Dallas County is incredibly blue, and they haven’t struggled. The Dallas County Democratic Party has new leadership, just like several other North Texas County Parties. SD12 is Tan Parker. This district covers Dallas, Denton, Tarrant, and Wise. So, any of them could find a candidate in SD12.

But since that’s the only unopposed seat in Dallas and other counties are struggling with multiple seats, perhaps Dallas can help them with a strong progressive from the Carrollton area.

Unopposed Republicans in Tarrant County:

Tarrant County Democratic Party has new leadership, and there are a ton of unopposed Republicans in Tarrant County. It’s not time to panic yet. However, far-right Christian Nationalists have made Tarrant County their biggest target.

The Defend Texas Liberty PAC, recently caught meeting with white supremacist Nick Fuentes, is headquartered in Tarrant County. Many Tarrant County Republicans regularly take money from the Defend Texas Liberty PAC and have refused to denounce white supremacy and Nazism in the wake of the scandal. This includes Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and candidate for County Commissioner Matt Krause.

Tarrant County residents are in real danger of losing civil rights and civil liberties from these people. We need a big voter turnout in Tarrant County in 2024, but first, we need candidates on the ballot. Like Harris County, it’s also extremely urgent in Tarrant County.

Unopposed Republicans in Bexar County:

I wish I could tell you what’s happening with the Bexar County Democratic Party. They’ve got several candidates running already, which is excellent. Still, when I contacted a few people I knew in the area about how Barbara Gervin-Hawkins said in an interview she didn’t see anything wrong with vouchers. Discussions of giving her a primary challenger came up, and there was a lot of negativity around it. Like “Why try?” and “It won’t make a difference.”

Bexar County is blue and can flip most of these seats. Texas has had some hard hits, but giving up should be out of the question. We should be optimistic and forward-looking because we can beat the GOP and we will flip this state by 2030, but we need to keep our heads up and get candidates on the ballot.

Unopposed Republicans in Travis County:

The Congressional and State Senate seats overlap with plenty of counties, and the candidates can come from anywhere. But Travis County is the bluest county in Texas, and the Travis County Democratic Party should be ready and willing to pick up the slack from other counties they share districts with.

Unopposed Republicans in Collin County:

Over the last decade, Collin County has had one of the highest voter turnouts in the state. They finally flipped a seat blue last election and can flip other seats this election, but they need the candidates to run. The Collin County Democratic Party also has new leadership. That’s hard so close to the filing deadline because they have to hit the ground running, hire staff, figure out the lay of the land, and find candidates quickly. It’s not time to panic yet. There’s still plenty of time, but finding candidates should be a top priority.

Pat Fallon in TX04 is a district that covers multiple counties; any of them may be able to find the right candidate. We’re all in this together, including recruitment efforts.

Unopposed Republicans in Denton County:

I have total faith in the Denton County Democratic Party. Their chair, Delia Parker-Mims, has proven over the last few election cycles she has the leadership ability to get candidates, GoTV, and ultimately move the county left. Several HD seats here are unopposed and need a Democratic challenger by December 11.

Unopposed Republicans in Fort Bend County:

Fort Bend County is the most diverse county in Texas. Since exit polls show us that the Black, brown, and AAPI votes all go blue in Texas, there is no reason why any Republican seats here should go unopposed.

I don’t know anyone in the Fort Bend Democratic Party, but they have open seats that can be flipped before 2030, but they need Democrats in them to push the county further left.

Unopposed Republicans in Williamson County:

Williamson County went blue in 2020 and can go blue in 2024. In fact, I believe Williamson County will be blue this next election. Quote me on that. The Williamson County Democratic Party has done a great job keeping its voter base engaged and could probably easily find candidates to run against these unopposed Republicans.

Unopposed Republicans in Bell County:

It’s a tragedy what Republicans have done regarding gerrymandering in Bell County. They’ve also done it to the Port Arthur and Longview areas. Anywhere there has been a large area of Black voters, they’ve almost ensured that these voters cannot pick their representation.

After decades of disenfranchisement, it’s easy to understand why Bell County has such a low voter turnout, but the ugly truth is that with a high voter turnout, both of their House seats could be flipped. There are a lot of civil activist grassroots organizations in Bell County. Hopefully, the Bell County Democratic Party will partner with them to make fundamental changes in this area.

Unopposed Republicans in Brazoria County:

In conjunction with several political clubs in the Brazoria County area, the Brazoria County Democratic Party has done an excellent job getting candidates over the last few elections. Their congressional and State Senate seats cover multiple counties; perhaps they can pick up the slack for some of their neighbors and find candidates for those seats, too.

Unopposed Republicans in Nueces County:

Nueces County has had so much political drama in the last few years. If you know, you know. But otherwise, the Democrats and progressives in this area are fierce and active. Able Herrera’s seat has two Democrats running for it. Todd Hunter’s seat may be more rural, but there’s no reason why it should go unopposed. Hunter’s district is 56% non-Anglo and should also be a target of the Nueces County Democratic Party.

Unopposed Republicans in Hayes County:

Hays County is blue and will remain blue. The Hays County Democratic Party has done an excellent job here over the last several years. They need to keep it up and find candidates for these unopposed seats.

Here are resources to help you get started:

• The Texas Democratic Party’s new program for training and candidate resources - Lone Star Rising.

• If you’re young and progressive (I love you), but also Run For Something will help you with all stages of your campaign.

• Blue Horizons Texas will help you every step of the way if you're considering running in a red or rural district.

• If you’re a member of the LGBTQ community, make sure to reach out to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.

• Are you a woman? You can get help running for office from Emily’s List.

• And as soon as possible, contact your County Party to get them on board with your campaign.

Even if running for office isn’t something for you, share this because perhaps someone you know was considering this. We can flip Texas, but it will take all of us. Voter turnout is the most important thing, but we have to have the candidates for voters to vote for in the first place.

If you are considering running or know someone who is and needs more information on open seats or how to get started, feel free to contact me. I’d be glad to help.