Who's on the ballot in Denton County?

Texas has voted reliably Republican, particularly in presidential races, for decades. In 2016, President Donald Trump won by nine points in Texas. But for the previous 20 years, Republican presidential candidates have won by double digits. In 2012, Mitt Romney won Texas by 17 points. 

Democrats believe Texas has turned into a battleground state, and some Republicans agree.

U.S. President

The last one-term president was George H.W. Bush, who lost in 1992 to Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. Donald Trump is running for re-election.

Republican candidate: Donald J. Trump 

Democratic candidate: Joseph R. Biden 

Libertarian candidate: Jo Jorgensen 

Green Party candidate: Howie Hawkins

U.S. Senate

Republicans now hold the Senate 53-47. Democrats must gain at least three seats to win control, or four if President Donald Trump is reelected and Vice President Mike Pence can break a tie.

Republican candidate: Sen. John Cornyn

John Cornyn is running for a fourth term on the U.S. Senate. Cornyn is a former Texas attorney general and a former justice on the Texas Supreme Court. He was first elected to statewide office in 1990 and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002. Among Cornyn’s priorities is ending human trafficking. He has sponsored several anti-trafficking acts in the Senate. Click here to learn more about Cornyn’s campaign.  

RELATED: John Cornyn leads MJ Hegar by 8 points in U.S. Senate race, UT/TT Poll finds

Democratic candidate: MJ Hegar 

Hegar is a veteran who served three tours in Afghanistan as a combat search and rescue and medevac pilot for the U.S. Air Force, her campaign website explains. She received a Purple Heart after she was injured by enemy gunfire when her helicopter was destroyed by the Taliban. Among her platforms, Hegar believes the country needs a "public health insurance option" to make Medicare available to all, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to learn more about Hegar's campaign.

RELATED: Meet Mary 'MJ' Hegar, a candidate for US Senate race

U.S. House

There are one of two different U.S. House races on the ballots of Denton County voters.

U.S. House District 24

This district, which includes DFW Airport, includes parts of Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. All of Addison, Bedford, Carrollton, Colleyville, Coppell, Farmers Branch, Grapevine, Hebron, Hurst and Southlake are in District 24. Republican incumbent Kenny Marchant is not running for re-election.

Republican candidate: Beth Van Duyne

Van Duyne is the former mayor of Irving. She endorsed Trump during the 2016 election and was appointed as a regional administrator for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development. Van Duyne says she wants to combat a rise in socialism and curb illegal immigration. Click here to learn more about Van Duyne's campaign. 

RELATED: Irving mayor: Full story not out in clock incident

Democratic Candidate: Candace Valenzuela 

Valenzuela is a trustee on the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District board. She hopes to flip the Republican seat and become the first Black Latina in Congress. Valenzuela says she would expand the Affordable Car Act, implement a public health care option and lower the cost of prescription drugs. Click here to learn more about Valenzuela's campaign. 

Libertarian candidate: Darren Hamilton 

Independent candidate: Steve Kuzmich 

Independent candidate: Mark Bauer

U.S. House District 26

The incumbent, Michael Burgess, is running for re-election in this district, which includes most of Denton County and part of Tarrant County. The district incudes Denton, Flower Mound, Lewisville, and Keller. 

Republican candidate: Rep. Michael Burgess

Burgess has represented District 26 since 2003. A Denton native, he was most recently re-elected to the seat in 2018 with 59.4% of the vote. According to his website, Burgess is the most senior medical doctor in the House. He said he has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act more than 50 times. He supports a flat tax. "As a fiscal conservative, I believe Americans deserve a federal government that is more efficient, more effective, less costly, and always transparent," his website said. Click here to learn more about Burgess' campaign. 

Democratic candidate: Carol Iannuzzi

Iannuzi has lived in Lewisville for the past 22 years, her website says. She worked in the energy, electric utility and information technology industries on commercial contracts and agreements before she retired in 2012. She supports strengthening health care, Medicare and Social Security "in conjunction with tax reform legislation." She wants to raise the minimum wage and invest in vocational training. Click here to learn more about Iannuzzi's campaign. 

Libertarian candidate: Mark Boler

There is no longer straight-ticket voting in Texas, meaning voters will have to make a selection in each race if they choose. Texas Republicans and Democrats are encouraging voters to look at all the down-ballot races, including the Texas Railroad Commission and judicial races.

Texas Railroad Commission

The Texas Railroad Commission regulates the oil, gas and mining industries in the state. The three-member board has not regulated railroads since 2005. One seat is up for election. 

RELATED: Inside Texas Politics: What is the Texas Railroad Commission? A look at who's running

Republican candidate: James "Jim" Wright 

Wright upset Republican incumbent Ryan Sitton during the primary. He is a self-described "lifelong South Texan, solid conservative and strong pro-business advocate," according to his website. He is a fifth-generation Texas rancher who has worked as an oil and gas operator in the industry for more than 30 years with four of his own oil field services companies. He believes the commission needs to be more transparent and build more trust both with the public and the industry it regulates. Click here to learn more about Wright's campaign. 

Democratic candidate: Chrysta Castañeda 

Castañeda is a Dallas-based lawyer and engineer who practices oil and gas litigation. She was a founding partner of her Dallas law firm and graduated from Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law. While she recognizes the oil and gas industry is a vital part of the Texas economy, Castañeda said on her website she feels the commission is not currently enforcing the laws on the books that regulate the industry and protect Texans. If elected, she would be the first Democrat to sit on the commission in decades. Click here to learn more about Castañeda's campaign. 

Libertarian candidate: Matt Sterett 

Green Party candidate: Katija "Kat" Gruene

Texas Supreme Court

Chief Justice

Republican candidate: Nathan Hecht

Hecht is running for re-election. He was appointed to chief justice in 2013. He was first elected to the state's Supreme Court in 1988 and has been re-elected every term since. After he became responsible for the court's work to provide the poor with basic legal services in 2010, his website says he "worked to secure congressional and legislative support for legal aid to veterans and their families, victims of domestic abuse and families in jeopardy of losing their homes."

Democratic candidate: Amy Clark Meachum

Meachum has been the presiding judge of the 201st District Court of Travis County since 2011, her website said. She also currently serves as the civil presiding judge for all civil and family courts in the county. She worked at several law firms before that, including one in Dallas. "Texans want to elect judges with integrity and common sense who will interpret the law fairly with the goal of obtaining the most just result," her website said.

RELATED: In Democrats’ low-information judicial primaries, gender and ballot names may drive voters’ decisions

Libertarian Candidate: Mark Ash

While Ash has a campaign Facebook page, he does not have a description for his campaign. He spoke with Texas Lawyer about the race, which described him as a solo practitioner from Houston. In the article, he emphasized protecting the civil liberties and property rights of all.

Justice Place 6, Unexpired Term

Republican candidate: Jane Bland

Bland is running for election to Place 6 after she was appointed to the position by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2019. She had previously served as a justice on the First Court of Appeals for 15 years and as a state district judge in Houston for six years, according to her campaign website.

Democratic candidate: Kathy Cheng

Cheng has about two decades of private practice experience, which she says has allowed her to witness the "real flaws in the Texas judiciary." She has experience in commercial litigation, family law, probate, tax law and real estate. "Fairness and justice are important to me because my family fled an oppressive regime to come to the United States when I was a little girl," Cheng says on her website. 

Justice Place 7

Republican candidate: Jeff Boyd

Boyd is running for re-election to Place 7 after he was appointed to the court in 2012 by then Gov. Rick Perry and won the bench in 2014. He was previously the state's deputy attorney general, his website says. "I firmly believe that our constitutional system only works when judges accept that their role is to interpret and apply the law as written — not to create it or rewrite it," he said on his website. 

Democratic candidate: Staci Williams

Williams has been a two-term judge for the 101st District Court in Dallas County, which primarily oversees cases involving commercial, personal injury, medical malpractice, real estate, oil and gas and consumer disputes. She is running because she believes the state's Supreme Court should be more reflective of the "rich diversity of our state" to ensure the Court makes decisions "with the fairness and balance we all deserve."

Libertarian candidate: William Bryan Strange III

Strange does not appear to have a campaign website.

Justice Place 8

Republican candidate: Brett Busby

Busby was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Greg Abbott in February 2019, with a unanimous confirmation in the Texas Senate, according to his campaign website. Before that, he served on the 14th Court of Appeals for six years and was a law clerk at the Supreme Court of the United States before he went on to gain experience as an appellate litigator. 

Democratic candidate: Gisela D. Triana

Triana has more than 24 years of experience on the bench and would be the first justice to have served at every level of the trial courts as well as the Court of Appeals, according to her website. She is currently a justice on the state's Third Court of Appeals and says Texas needs judges who make decisions "based on the rule of law and the Constitution."

Libertarian candidate: Tom Oxford

Oxford does not appear to have a campaign website but told Texas Lawyer that his experience managing a for-profit law firm and nonprofit legal aid office helps qualify him for the position. He believes in relying on jury decisions for factual issues, according to the article.

Court of Criminal Appeals

Judge Place 3

Republican candidate: Bert Richardson 

Richardson is running for re-election to the third place on Texas' Court of Criminal Appeals. He has 30 years of trial experience as a lawyer and judge in a number of positions, his website said. He describes himself as a "conservative-minded jurist."

Democratic Candidate: Elizabeth Davis Frizell

Frizell has 20 years of experience as a judge on municipal and criminal courts, according to her website. She wants to reduce wrongful convictions and mass incarceration, as well as addressing disparate sentencing for the same offenses across the state. She previously ran in the Democratic primary for Dallas County District Attorney but lost. 

Judge Place 4

Republican candidate: Kevin Patrick Yeary

Yeary describes himself on his website as an "originalist judge who refuses to legislate from the bench." He is running for re-election to the fourth place of the court and has about 20 years of experience as an appellate prosecutor.

Democratic candidate: Tina Clinton

Clinton currently presides over the Criminal District Court 1 in Dallas County and previously served as a judge for Dallas County's Criminal Court 8 for eight years, according to the Texas Democrats' website. During her time at the county court, she reduced the docket backlog by 50%, the website said.

Judge Place 9

Republican candidate: David Newell 

Newell is running for re-election. He has more than 20 years of criminal appellate experience as both an appellate practitioner and a judge, according to his website. He says he will "continue to interpret the law as it is written, exercise judicial restraint, provide thoughtful, reasoned opinions, and maintain fundamental fairness in all judicial proceedings."

Democratic candidate: Brandon Birmingham

Birmingham has practiced trial work for about 20 years as a judge and prosecutor, his website said. He currently serves as the judge for 292nd Judicial District Court. He describes Dallas County's history leading the country in exonerations as having a major impact on his approach to the criminal justice system.

State Board of Education

District 14 member

District 14 covers Bosque, Brown, Comanche, Coryell, Denton, Eastland, Ellis, Erath, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Lampasas, McLennan, Mills, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Somervell, Stephens and Wise counties. Sue Melton-Malone is the incumbent. 

Republican candidate: Sue Melton-Malone

Melton-Malone taught in Texas public schools for 36 years before she was first elected to the state board in 2012. During her time as a teacher, she was awarded the Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence and twice named to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, according to her state bio. She also was the president of the Association of Texas Professional Educators from 2007-08.

Democratic candidate: Greg Alvord

Alvord is a scientist and educator who has worked as a NASA investigator, a high school science and math teacher, college professor, elected school board member and computer scientist, according to his campaign website. He believes public education in Texas is threatened by underfunding and overregulation but is key for improving the lives of students.

Democrats picked up 12 seats in 2018 but remain nine seats short of the majority in the 150-member House, according to The Texas Tribune. Texas Republicans are campaigning to get voters to cast votes in down-ballot races.

There are four state House races on the ballots in Denton County and one state Senate race.

State Senate

District 12

This district covers parts of Denton and Tarrant counties, including Argyle, Azle, Bartonville, Copper Canyon, Corral City, Cross Roads, Double Oak, Flower Mound, Hickory Creek, Highland Village, Krugerville, Lake Dallas, Lewisville, Roanoke, Saginaw and Sansom Park. Jane Nelson is the incumbent seeking re-election. She took office in 1993.  

Republican candidate: Jane Nelson

Democratic candidate: Shadi Zitoon

State House

District 63

The district covers part of Denton County and includes Argyle, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Highland Village, Lewisville and Trophy Club, among other cities. Tan Parker is the incumbent and seeking re-election. He first took office in 2007.

Republican candidate: Tan Parker

Democratic candidate: Leslie Peeler

District 64

This district covers part of Denton County and includes Corinth, Denton, Krum and Lake Dallas, among other cities. Lynn Stucky was first elected to represent the district in 2016 and is seeking re-election this year.

Republican candidate: Lynn Stucky

Democratic candidate: Angela Brewer

District 65

The district includes parts of Carrollton, Dallas, Highland Village and Lewisville, among other cities. Michelle Beckley was elected to the seat in 2018 and is seeking re-election.

Republican candidate: Kronda Thimesch

Democratic candidate: Michelle Beckley

District 106

The district covers part of Denton County and includes Frisco, Little Elm, Sanger and The Colony. Jared Patterson was elected to represent the district in 2018 and is seeking re-election.

Republican candidate: Jared Patterson

Democratic candidate: Jennifer Skidonenko

There are two county commissioner spots with two candidates on Denton County ballots. 

County Commissioner Precinct 1

This precinct covers northern Denton County. Incumbent Hugh Coleman lost the Republican primary. 

Republican candidate: Ryan Williams

Democratic candidate: Sandy Swan

County Commissioner Precinct 3

This precinct covers the southeastern portion of Denton County, including Lewisville. Bobbie J. Mitchell is running for re-election. She has been the commissioner since 2000. 

Republican Candidate:Bobbie J. Mitchell

Democratic Candidate: Delia Parker-Mims