The presidential race has been fraught with mudslinging and division 鈥� and it鈥檚 trickling down to a city council race in Princeton, once a small town in Collin County that鈥檚 in the midst of a population boom.
The threat of political violence is a concern throughout Texas. Dallas police officers recently racked up 2,300 hours in overtime preparing for possible unrest after the election. A man wearing a Trump hat was arrested in Bexar County for assaulting an election worker. And David Kleiber recently resigned from his Princeton City Council seat after he made a controversial Facebook comment about shooting liberals.
Kleiber didn鈥檛 respond to 四虎影院鈥檚 request for comment via phone or email before this article was published. He apologized for his remarks in a public Facebook group, The Original Princeton TX Cares.
鈥淚 realize that the content of the post was inappropriate, poorly considered, and did not reflect the values and respect that I hold for our community,鈥� he wrote.
Terrance Johnson, who鈥檚 running to unseat Kleiber, said his comment politicized the race.
鈥淚t's supposed to be nonpartisan, but he's joking about shooting liberals,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淗e's also the council member for those people as well, so why would he even joke about that?鈥�
The Collin County Republican Party rescinded its endorsement of Kleiber because of his Facebook comment. He is still on the ballot for reelection.
Shelby Williams, the Collin County GOP Party Chair, said he鈥檚 concerned about the political discourse in the country leading to violence 鈥� something Williams said he wants to avoid.
鈥淎s a free society, we should always be prepared to do that as a last extreme,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e should exhaust all options before and unless it comes to that.鈥�
Princeton is in Collin County, which is known for being the home base of conservatives like Attorney General Ken Paxton. But the county is diversifying as it grows, and Democrats say that diversity is to their benefit. Rep. Mihaela Plesa was the first Democrat elected to the statehouse from the region when she won in 2022.
Texas House District 89 includes part of Princeton. Rep. Candy Noble, a Republican, has held the seat for four terms. Darrel Evans, who鈥檚 running against Noble, said some people in the district are scared to admit they鈥檙e Democrats.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e afraid to put signs out,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淚鈥檝e had my signs destroyed and taken down.鈥�
Johnson, who鈥檚 running as an Independent, said the population growth in Princeton has led to a change in political dynamics. Princeton is the third-fastest growing city in the country, according to
鈥淎 lot of older locals have noticed a shift,鈥� he said.
Before, Johnson said it was impossible for candidates that weren鈥檛 conservative to win in Princeton. But as the population grows, moderates, independents and even Democrats are calling Princeton home.
Williams said the Collin County GOP needs to take a more active role in local elections. He鈥檚 a current Plano City Council member. And he said the way to bring people into the Republican Party is to lead with respect and civility.
鈥淲hen you approach a discussion or even a question with an adversarial stance from the get-go, then you don't truly hear what somebody else is saying,鈥� Williams 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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