Voters in all 254 counties in the State of Texas will make their choices known on Tuesday in the various party primaries. Franklin County voters will choose between the Republican and Democratic parties.
Republican Party voters will likely determine the next winners in three local county races who will take office in January 2027, since there are no democratic opposition candidates to face off against Republican primary winners for local county offices.
The county-wide office of district clerk pits Kathy Lovier Johnson against incumbent Ellen Jaggers.
Two sets of candidates are seeking office as county commissioners. Robert Summerlin is challenging one-term incumbent Scott Smith for the Pct. 4 Commissioner’s seat. Republican voters in Voting Pct. 401 and 402 will make that choice.
Four men are vying for an unexpired term as Pct. 1 County Commissioner after long-time commissioner Jerry Cooper lost his battle with cancer earlier this year. Candidates for the Commissioner Pct. 1 seat are Billy Williams, Joe Dan (Jody) Stanley, Donny J. Richards, and Ricky Steed. Only Republican voters in Voting Precincts 101 and 102 can vote in this race.
Because there are four candidates in the race, a runoff may be required in May to determine the winner. A single candidate must garner over 50 percent of the votes cast in that race on March 3 to cinch the win. If that does not occur, the two candidates with the top two vote totals will be in a runoff on May 26, 2026. Runoffs in any state-wide race would also take place on that date.
Three countywide incumbents are unopposed in their bids for another term in office, and one incumbent commissioner, Toby Godfrey, is unopposed in his bid for reelection to the Commissioner Pct. 2 seat. Countywide unopposed candidates and offices for which they see reelection are county judge Scott Lee, county clerk Brook Emerson Bussell, and justice of the peace Robert Zinn.
