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Early voting for the primaries is underway in Collin County ahead of election day on March 5. and both have several races on the ballot.

Collin County is known for being a Republican stronghold 鈥� it's Attorney General Ken Paxton's home base. But the GOP is facing inner turmoil over Paxton's impeachment. Democrats, who've had some success in the region at the local level, say the dissonance in the Republican Party will be their gain.

The Associated Press

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The Associated Press

Incumbent has to get past four opponents in his Republican primary if he鈥檚 going to be on the ballot in November. He was first elected to Congressional District 3 in 2022.

Self won the Republican primary runoff after the incumbent, Van Taylor, ended his reelection campaign. The that happened after the conservative media outlet published a story alleging that he had an affair with a woman he paid to keep quiet.

Self has a lot of support in Collin County. He was elected with almost 60% of the vote in the 2022 general election. He was also the county judge for 12 years.

The congressman is known for being conservative 鈥� he was one of the Republicans who held up the election of former Speaker of the House . He鈥檚 also part of a group that voted no on a recent to fund the federal government. He explained that decision at a candidate forum at the Collin College Plano campus.

鈥淲e will not vote to fund anything until we actually have behavior change on the border,鈥� Self said.

The Congressman said he Governor Greg Abbott鈥檚 efforts to secure the Texas border.

The Collin County Conservative Republicans hosted. The candidates at the debate vied to claim they had the most solid conservative values by hitting talking points about things like the border and the budget.

came in third in the 2022 Republican primary for the Congressional District 3 and is running a second time. She said the nation needs to curb its spending.

鈥淚f America isn't real careful, we're going to go the way of the Communist Soviet Union,鈥� Harp said.

Election fraud also came up. That鈥檚 a frequent theme at commissioners court meetings in Collin County. Several Republican precinct chairs have shown up to court meetings regularly to repeat false claims that the 2020 election was stolen because of the voting machines.

another candidate running against Self, echoed those concerns at the forum. He said the country should go back to in person voting with paper ballots.

鈥淲e got those elections right,鈥� Porro said. 鈥淭hey couldn't be hacked. They could not be changed.鈥�

, who also ran in the district鈥檚 Republican primary in 2022, criticized the , a federal law that supporters praised for bringing about sweeping reforms to the nation鈥檚 voting process.

鈥淚 would repeal the HAVA act, which required states to purchase faulty machines without a paper trail with software made in foreign countries,鈥� Ivanovskis said.

, a Black police officer, talked about how Trump supported him when he sued Black Lives Matter and then President Barack Obama in 2017 for inciting violence against police.

鈥淚 did that by myself, not expecting anybody else to get behind me,鈥� Pennie said. 鈥淏ut you know who did? President Trump did call me.鈥�

Trump has for reelection on the social media site Truth Social.

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, a Collin County Realtor who immigrated from India to the United States 25 years ago, is the only candidate running for the Congressional District Three seat in the Democratic primary. He was the party鈥檚 nominee in 2022.

Collin County is known for being Republican. Attorney General Ken Paxton calls it home. But the area is the third fastest growing county in the nation 鈥� and it鈥檚 diversifying as it grows. Srivastava said at a Democratic candidate meet and greet in McKinney that Keith Self doesn鈥檛 represent the interests of the county鈥檚 diverse population.

鈥淜eith Self represents only very few, 10 or 12%,鈥� Srivastava said.

Collin County is about 20% Asian, 16% Hispanic and 12% Black according to

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AP

State Senator who鈥檚 married to embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton, is running unopposed in the senate district鈥檚 Republican primary. Her husband once held the same seat.

Before she ran for the first time in 2018, Angela Paxton was a math teacher and school counselor for 20 years. that Paxton鈥檚 husband loaned her $2 million from his campaign to help fund her first race.

The Texas Tribune has reported multiple instances where Angela Paxton has stood by her husband despite his controversies. Those include his alleged extramarital affair, his impeachment and a number of criminal and civil investigations. The Tribune also reported when Paxton ducked a subpoena for an abortion case last year in McKinney.

She introduced legislation that would鈥檝e legalized her husband鈥檚 securities fraud actions. The trial for that case is in a Harris County court despite the Attorney General鈥檚 attempts to have the charges

Sen. Paxton announced her intention to run for reelection at a Labor Day picnic hosted by the Collin County GOP. She attended the picnic with her husband, who was suspended at the time pending his impeachment trial.

At the picnic, she voiced outrage over the pornography industry, abortion laws and the border. She also signaled her support for her husband.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that there鈥檚 really anyone, that I know, that has more experience with having a target on their back,鈥� Angela Paxton. 鈥淏ut more importantly, experience in successfully overcoming having a target on their back.鈥�

AG Paxton was later acquitted of all charges in his impeachment trial.

Sen. Paxton was at her husband鈥檚 impeachment trial 鈥� but after, she was banned from participating or having any say in the trial鈥檚 outcome. There was no indication that she had plans to recuse herself before the senate vote on the impeachment trial鈥檚 rules made that decision for her.

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is the only Democrat running for the seat in the Democratic primary. Her website lists endorsements from the Texas AFL-CIO, Texas Progressive Caucus and Texas Democrats with Disabilities.

Mello said at a hosted by the Collin County chapter of the League of Women Voters that she has worked as a teacher for 15 years. She said she plans to prioritize education if elected.

鈥淚t needs to be funded at an adequate level,鈥� Mello said.

She suggested the state expand Medicaid to help pay for more special education services. She also touted other Democratic talking points, including her support for abortion rights.

鈥淭he state of women鈥檚 reproductive healthcare currently is absolutely unacceptable,鈥� Mello said.

is facing two challengers, and

Frazier, along with the other four Republican statehouse representatives from Collin County, voted to impeach Paxton. At a debate hosted by the Collin County Patriots, Richardson and Branch said the impeachment pointed out issues that compelled them to run.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what made me aware of the bigger challenges, and that's what got me in the race,鈥� Branch said.

The attorney general and his wife have endorsed Richardson and Branch and several other primary candidates who are challenging statehouse members that voted to impeach Paxton. Branch and Richardson said the fact that they both the endorsement of Ken and Angela Paxton isn鈥檛 an issue because choosing the party鈥檚 nominee is up to the voters.

Richardson said the impeachment highlighted a need for change at the legislature.

鈥淚 definitely believe the Paxton impeachment brought dysfunction and corruption to light,鈥� Richardson said.

Frazier wasn鈥檛 at the debate hosted by the Collin County Patriots, but he did come up indirectly. Frazier recently pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges and guilty to a criminal mischief charge for allegedly impersonating a McKinney city code enforcement officer during the Republican primary runoff last election cycle.

Stephen Kallas, the debate moderator, asked an audience question that appeared to reference Frazier鈥檚 legal troubles.

鈥淒o you believe somebody鈥�who has been convicted of a crime, not a speeding ticket, should be eligible to run and hold office as a public servant?鈥� Kallas said.

Audience members chuckled at the question.

鈥淲e know what this is about,鈥� he said.

Branch and Richardson both said no to the question.

Frazier technically wasn鈥檛 convicted of a crime 鈥� he accepted a deferred adjudication plea, of which means he will have no convictions if he successfully completes a probationary period. And he paid some fines. He was also dishonorably discharged from the Dallas Police force after he resigned while he was being investigated for the charges. But he is still eligible to run for and hold office.

The Collin County Conservative Republicans also hosted a debate a few weeks after the Collin County Patriots. Frazier was at the debate, along with Branch and Richardson.

Frazier鈥檚 charges didn鈥檛 come up during the debate. The moderator asked about other issues, including the border and Democratic committee chairs. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has faced criticism from other Republicans for appointing Democrat committee chairs. When asked if Democrats should be allowed to chair committees, Frazier said that working alongside the opposition is a part of getting things done at the state legislature.

鈥淲e have to have bipartisan bills to work, and you have to have a group effort on certain issues to get across the finish line,鈥� he said.

Richardson and Branch both said they wouldn鈥檛 support allowing Democrats to chair committees.

, a local businessman, is the only candidate running for Texas House District 61 in the Democratic primary.

Adams also participated in the League of Women Voters candidate forum. He his top legislative priorities are women鈥檚 health, mental health and public education. Adams said he opposes school vouchers.

鈥淚 believe that education vouchers benefits only the rich and not the low and middle class families,鈥�

Gov. Greg Abbott failed to pass a program that would have used state funding to pay for private school vouchers. Abbott has endorsed several incumbents who have supported his vouchers initiative, including Frazier for House District 61. Both Branch and Richardson list their support for school choice as an issue on their campaign websites.

Matt Shaheen has represented this statehouse district since 2015. Before that, he was a Collin County commissioner.

Like Branch and Richardson, Shaheen鈥檚 challenger, Wayne Richard was inspired to run because of Paxton鈥檚 impeachment.

鈥淭he House is a mess,鈥� Richard told The Texas Newsroom. 鈥淚 was not happy with the fact that our current rep, my opponent, voted to impeach knowing the information was probably not legitimate 鈥� rumors and innuendos 鈥� so I made a decision to run.鈥�

Paxton has endorsed Richard. Abbott has endorsed Shaheen, who supported his failed school vouchers program. A from the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs found that 64% of Republican primary voters said they are more likely to support a candidate backed by Abbott, compared to 40% who said the same about Paxton.

Shaheen told the Texas Newsroom that Paxton鈥檚 support for his opponent won鈥檛 affect him.

鈥淜en Paxton is pretty irrelevant when it comes to these campaigns. He鈥檚 somebody that鈥檚 had a mistress. He鈥檚 been accused of taking bribes,鈥� Shaheen told The Texas Newsroom. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 really not an endorsement that you want, if anything that probably hurts you.鈥�

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is the sole candidate in the Texas House District 66 Democratic primary. Carstens, who鈥檚 from Collin County, is in his final semester of graduate school at Miami University of Ohio. He said he finishes his graduate teaching commitments soon.

Carstens is 25, one of the youngest candidates on the ballot in Collin County. He said his youth is an advantage because voters are concerned about older politicians鈥� age.

鈥淗aving exclusively people in their 40s, 50s, 60s at a mid to high state level inevitably results in presidents who are 80 years old,鈥� Carstens said.

Shaheen is 58. Carstens said he thinks Shaheen is looking to run for higher office, causing him to focus on national issues instead of things that impact his constituents.

鈥淗e talks a lot about anything that's being talked about on cable news networks,鈥� Carstens said.

Representative Jeff Leach has held this seat for six terms. Known for being conservative, he coauthored the bill that would later become the state鈥檚 permitless carry law. He also wrote the that banned COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

But Leach has faced backlash for his role as an impeachment manager. He quoted Martin Luther King Jr. in his closing arguments at Paxton鈥檚 trial in the state senate.

鈥淭here comes a time when one must take a stand that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular,鈥� Leach said. 鈥淏ut one must take it because it鈥檚 right.鈥�

Leach has been called a RINO 鈥� a Republican in Name Only 鈥� for his involvement with Paxton鈥檚 impeachment.

Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said RINO once referred to Republicans who weren鈥檛 conservative enough. But he said the meaning has changed as allegiance to certain Republican politicians 鈥� like Paxton or President Donald Trump 鈥� has become more important to the party than loyalty to policy or ideology.

鈥淭he way that many people use it now is as an accusation of disloyalty,鈥� Wilson said.

Paxton has endorsed Daren Meis, a former Allen city council member who is running against Leach. Meis has shared footage on from America, Can we Talk?, a conservative talk show, where he accused Leach of going against the will of the voters who elected Paxton. The Attorney General was elected with about 53% of the vote in Collin County in 2022.

鈥淧eople aren鈥檛 going to sit back and just accept people trying to overthrow the will of the people,鈥� Meis said. 鈥淐ollin County鈥檚 not going to sit back. I鈥檓 not sitting back.鈥�

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Texas House District 67 is the only statehouse seat in Collin County with more than one Democrat on the ballot, and .

Neither candidate has run for office. Nunn, who has written for , is the of a science fiction series called 鈥淏urning Mold鈥� 鈥� and 鈥淎 Crypto Currency Carol,鈥� a retelling of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" originally published in Forbes in 2018 that's about cryptocurrency. Washington is the owner of a private bartending service, according to her LinkedIn page.

The only Democratic nominees from Collin County who鈥檝e run for office before are Sandeep Srivastava, who ran against Congressman Keith Self in 2022, and from Texas House District 70. She was the first Democrat elected from Collin County to the statehouse in 30 years when she won in 2022.

Plesa worked as a legislative director at the statehouse before she ran for office. The other Democrats running in Collin County don鈥檛 have Plesa鈥檚 resume. But Liz Michel, the candidate recruiter for the Collin County Democratic Party, said that鈥檚 an asset, not a hindrance.

鈥淭hey want to represent the people of this county and not political interest groups,鈥� Michel said. 鈥淚 know because I recruited them. These are everyday people.鈥�

Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said there have been instances where a candidate who doesn鈥檛 fit the political mold has prevailed.

But Jillson said candidates who lack campaign experience need more help 鈥� and getting that advice isn鈥檛 cheap.

鈥淯nless you've worked in elections before鈥�you don't know how it's done,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd so, you got to hire that kind of expertise. And to do that, you need money.鈥�

Jillson said money buys visibility. And the higher the race, the more it costs.

Most of the Republicans in Collin County are outpacing Democrats with their fundraising. Michel said she鈥檚 not worried.

鈥淲e want them to spend all their money in the primaries so they don鈥檛 have any left in November,鈥� she said.

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No other Democrats are challenging Plesa for her seat. She was named Freshman of the Year and authored 141 pieces of legislation according to her That includes legislation to reform the state鈥檚 school finance system. Plano ISD, which is in Plesa鈥檚 district, has run a budget deficit for years.

Texas House District 70 was drawn during 2020 redistricting to favor Democrats. The race was close 鈥� Plesa won by less than a thousand votes.

But progressive politicians like Plesa are gaining momentum in the county. She was one of three Democratic candidates who won Collin County in 2022. Democrats in the region also won seats on city councils and school boards last May.

That came up at the Collin County Patriot鈥檚 Republican Party Chair debate. Shelby Williams, one of the three candidates for party chair, said Republicans need to get more involved in local elections. He鈥檚 a Plano city council member.

鈥淚 was the only GOP endorsed candidate who won, and I was not the only incumbent,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚t wasn't just being an incumbent. We got completely skunked.鈥�

Collin County is diversifying as it grows. Jillson said that could benefit Democrats 鈥� but it may be a while before that leads to success at a higher level.

鈥淚t's more in terms of decades than it is in terms of election cycles,鈥� he said.

Plesa said Collin County flipping blue will cause a ripple effect.

鈥淲hen Collin County goes blue, the rest of Texas will go blue,鈥� she said.

and are running as Republicans for the House District 70 seat. Both are very conservative 鈥� Kinard鈥檚 campaign website lists endorsements from Young Conservatives of Texas and Senator Ted Cruz. Collins, who ran for Congress in California in 2020 and 2022 as a Republican according to his campaign website, has taken a according to the Take Texas Back Political Action Committee鈥檚 website. The pledge includes a promise to vote for legislation that would put Texas secession on the ballot and working toward establishing the state as an independent nation if passed. The Texas GOP rejected an attempt to put secession on the Republican primary ballot.

Jamee Jolly, who ran for the seat as a Republican in 2022, lost by 859 votes. She was endorsed by Abbott and other members of the Republican establishment. Abbott hasn鈥檛 endorsed either candidate in the current race. Senator Paxton has endorsed Kinard.

Jolly鈥檚 past roles before running for office were nonpartisan. She served as the executive director of Plano ISD鈥檚 education foundation and also was president of the local chamber of commerce for ten years.

In an interview with 四虎影院 during her campaign, Jolly said her history in nonpartisan roles is an advantage.

鈥淧eople have seen me as Jamee and not as, you know, Jamee, the Republican,鈥� Jolly said.

Abraham George stepped down as Collin County Republican Party Chair to challenge Representative Candy Noble for her seat.

Paxton has endorsed George. When he was the Collin County GOP chair, George praised Paxton鈥檚 acquittal in the senate impeachment trial. He said the trial was a waste of time and resources that distracted GOP members from priorities like the border and economy. He also called to 鈥渃lean鈥� the Texas House. George said in a previous statement when the impeachment was first announced that the House impeachment lacked due process.

鈥淩eal corruption is when you won鈥檛 allow fair and due process,鈥� he said.

George suggested in a that Jeff Leach, who was an impeachment manager during Paxton鈥檚 trial, should register with the Collin County Democratic Party when he runs for reelection. He said Leach has aligned himself with Democrats too much, putting Republican objectives on the backburner.

George immigrated from legally India as a teen. At the Collin County Conservative Republicans Debate, he suggested that the governor was slow to act on the border security issue.

鈥淥ur citizens here in Texas have been asking Governor Abbott and the legislature to declare invasion and stop this issue for a pretty long time,鈥� he said.

He also suggested the state should bus migrants back to Mexico, where many are entering from, instead of to sanctuary cities.

Noble praised the state鈥檚 border security efforts, pointing to the $6 billion spent on the issue and the number of people bussed out of Texas. Abbott has endorsed Noble for re-election.

鈥淲e are winning this war in the minds of Americans, and they are now calling the Biden administration to step up and do their job,鈥� she said.

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, who works in sales, is the sole candidate running as a Democrat for the Texas House District 89 seat. He said the dissonance amongst Republicans benefit the Democrats.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e just busy fighting amongst themselves,鈥� Evans said.

He said while the Republicans are arguing over who did and didn鈥檛 support Paxton, Democrats are focusing on policy.

鈥淚f you look and if you listen, anything that's coming out of this Democratic Party in Collin County is about issues,鈥� Evans said.

Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.

Caroline Love is a Corps member for 四虎影院.

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