Campaigning is ramping up for the Republican primary to fill the Texas Senate seat long held by Brian Birdwell.
State Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, touted his legislative experience and endorsements during a campaign “meet-and-greet” Tuesday in Waco, and Jon Gimble, who recently stepped down as McLennan County district clerk to seek the state Senate seat, will hold his first campaign event next week.
If the two-candidate field holds through the Nov. 8 to Dec. 8 filing period, the March 3 GOP primary would likely decide Waco’s representation in the state Senate, with no Democrats lined up to run. Senate District 22 extends from Tarrant County, taking in almost half of Arlington’s population, south to McLennan County. Birdwell has held the seat since 2010.
Cook told a packed room at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco he spent 12 years as Mansfield mayor and is in his third term in the House District 96 seat representing mostly southern and eastern Tarrant County. He said he will maintain open communication with voters, saying it is important to “be quick to listen, but slow to speak.”
“I will tell you that with me, what you will have is a person that you can communicate with, that you can approach and know that you can have a conversation with,” Cook told the crowd of supporters.
He also said his campaign has hefty political backing, including endorsements from President Donald Trump and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
In an interview after the event, Cook said the top issues voters have brought to his attention are property taxes, mental health and water.
On property taxes, he said, “We need to continue to provide property tax relief and get to the point where we can eliminate the M&O (maintenance and operations) property tax so that that portion of property taxes is eliminated.”
Cook also said mental health is a big issue in McLennan County, with impacts “across the spectrum,” from youth and housing to the criminal justice system. He said he wants to work with Rep. Pat Curry, along with city and county officials, to “come up with creative solutions” concerning mental health needs.
Cook reflected on his tenure in the House, saying, “In my second session, I (filed) 76 bills. I passed 41 of those bills out of the House, and 25 of those were passed into law by the governor.”
He said the role of a legislator is to represent residents and solve problems, whether by helping them navigate state agencies or by passing legislation.
“Most often the best way to problem solve is by passing a bill,” Cook said.
Curry, in his first full term representing roughly the western half of McLennan County in the House District 56 seat, endorsed Cook in July for the Senate primary and introduced him to during Tuesday’s event.
He said Cook is “an honorable man, a Christian man, a family man” and would be a strong voice for McLennan County and Waco.
Gimble
Gimble told Tribune-Herald last month that his 10-year tenure as McLennan County district clerk has prepared him to serve as a state senator. As district clerk, he managed millions of dollars in court-related funds, modernized records access through upgraded technology and kept pace with a growing caseload on a lean staff, Gimble said.
In a statement Thursday, Gimble said his campaign is about “securing the border, cutting property taxes, defending life, and protecting Texas families.”
He said these issues are “where the momentum is” and have helped him win support across the district.
He also highlighted his endorsement from former State Rep. Doc Anderson, who held the District 56 seat for two decades before stepping down last year.
Gimble said Anderson’s endorsement reflects trust from rural leaders who know the district.
“David Cook is the city candidate, backed by DFW insiders who want to control this seat even though most of them do not live in the district,” Gimble said. “I am the rural conservative in this race. I live here, I have served here and I have a record of answering to the people of Central Texas.”
AG candidates
Cook’s campaign event Tuesday doubled as a showcase for the four Republican attorney general candidates. State Sen. Joan Huffman; state Sen. Mayes Middleton; and Aaron Reitz, a former deputy Texas attorney general who served a brief stint this year in the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, each gave five-minute speeches. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who is also running for attorney general, did not attend but was represented by his deputy chief of staff and district director, John Fletcher.
Cook praised the field, saying Republicans are blessed to have strong contenders.
Two Democrats have lined up for the attorney general primary. State Sen. Nathan Johnson, a three-term lawmaker from Dallas and practicing business litigator, told The Texas Tribune he is running to restore public trust in an agency he believes has been tarnished by scandal and spectacle. He said his campaign will focus on making Texans feel they have an advocate in the AG’s office again.
Former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, who lost a Democratic runoff in 2022, is a candidate as well. Jaworski, an attorney with over three decades of practice, said his background fighting for constitutional and civil rights and his experience in city government prepared him for the role. He described the attorney general’s office as “the sweet spot in state government” for someone looking to make meaningful change, and said he would aim to serve as an advocate for Texans rather than a “general counsel for a political party.”
McLennan County Democratic Party Chair Mark Hays confirmed no Democrat has stepped forward to seek the Senate District 22 seat. But pointed to Johnson and Jaworski as “a big improvement” over Ken Paxton, who is not seeking reelection as attorney general as he challenges U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary. Hays said Paxton has been running the office “primarily for his own purposes” rather than focusing on enforcing the law.