Jenkins Draws New Challenger for County Judge Seat
You might have just gotten your Christmas tree set up, but the primary season for state and local elections is gearing up, and potential candidates have until Dec. 13 to file.
After a recent term that has included managing a pandemic and tornado response, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins will potentially face a challenger, a perusal of candidate filing forms revealed this week.
Dallas ISD District 1 Trustee Edwin Flores has filed paperwork to run for the county judge seat as well. Flores, who ran unopposed for his seat in May 2021, confirmed via email that he is indeed running, and would have a formal announcement after the Dec. 13 filing deadline.
Jenkins, a Democrat, announced in November that he would run for a fourth term.
“I am filing for re-election because there is still a lot of work that needs to be accomplished in Dallas County,” he said in a statement. “From fighting back against COVID-19 to making sure our children have access to quality education and health care, I am ready to continue this fight alongside the people of Dallas County.
Flores has served two stints on the Dallas ISD school board, first from 2005 to 2012, and again from 2015 until now. He was recently appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Texas School Safety Center Board of Directors. He is an attorney, and also has a Ph.D. in molecular immunology.
In an op-ed encouraging voters to get behind the 2020 Dallas ISD bond election, he identified himself as a fiscal conservative, adding that he “would never support any measure that resulted in higher taxes for my constituents before exhausting all possible savings and cuts.”
The listed campaign treasurer for Flores’ county judge campaign is Highland Park resident Orlando Salazar, who has served as the national vice-chair of the Republican Hispanic National Assembly.
Candidates have until 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 to file. The last day to register to vote in time to vote in the primary elections will be Jan. 31, 2022. Early voting will begin on Feb. 14 and last until Feb. 25. Primary elections will be held on March 1. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Edwin and Bethany….plz post ur campaign websites. I will support either of u to replace jenkins !