Dallas Democrats Accuse Republican Party Candidate of Submitting Fraudulent Application for Office

Dallas County Democrats are claiming fraud involving the Dallas County Republicans’ acceptance of Mark Hajdu’s application to run for State Representative House District 114. 

A lawyer wrote the district attorney’s office on behalf of Dallas County’s Democratic Party Chair, Kristy Noble. The Democratic Party alleged that Mark did not live in District 114 at the time of filing. They also claim that Hajdu’s wife, Jennifer Stoddard-Hajdu, who also is the Dallas County Republican Party Chair, signed off on this application.

The letter to the district attorney says the application constitutes tampering with a government document under Texas Penal Code § 37.10(a)(1). This tampering gives Republicans time to wait until the primary was decided to pick a Republican to replace Mark on the November ballot, Noble told People Newspapers.

When asked about this, Hajdu’s lawyer Daniel Hagood said that saying there is a criminal violation at hand is without merit because it’s seen as a crime and not a mistake. When asked if Hajdu filing in the wrong district was a mistake, Hagood responded by saying the “allegation of violation is criminal laws is absolutely without merit.” He also said earlier in the conversation that “there’s been no criminal violation here.”

The Democratic Party has published a copy of the Hajdu’s filing, an event timeline, and a legal memo stating the Hajdus should be charged for a state jail felony for making a false entry. 

“Any politically-minded person, as soon as redistricting came out and the lines were drawn, would check what districts they were in, especially if they were going to run,” Noble said.

Noble also released a statement saying that Republicans can’t win elections on issues such as abortion, gun violence, healthcare, and jobs, so they gerrymander, making Texas a difficult state to vote in.

“For years Republicans have been screaming about election fraud,” she wrote. “This is just one example of how that talk is all projection.”

Stoddard-Hajdu told People Newspapers in an email that the allegations are “without merit” and that it’s “political harassment pure and simple.”

“The Democrats are clearly concerned about losing ground in Dallas County,” she wrote. “The referral is not based on fact. Rather, it is an attempt to intimidate me as the chairwoman of the DCRP and tarnish both Mark and my reputations based on falsehoods and speculations. You will notice there is no affidavit or sworn statements.”

This was the only statement the couple said they could provide at the time being. They referred us to Hagood, who said he doesn’t “litigate matters with the paper.”

When asked if it’s true that Hajdu didn’t live in District 114 at the time of filing, Hagood said he doesn’t “want to get in the merits of the matter, at least not in a public setting.”

“I’ll address the issues with the appropriate authorities at the appropriate time,” Hagood said.