DALLAS — The far-right Republican threat to primary incumbent opponents is very real, with many races promising to be competitive affairs between opposing wings of the Texas GOP.
Turns out, Democrats will have their own primary battles, with one of the most visible races involving Texas’s Senate District 16 in Dallas County.
State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado announced hours before the filing deadline that she would be running against incumbent, and fellow Dallas Democrat, state Senator Nathan Johnson for that seat.
Senator Johnson told us he welcomes the challenge.
“I’m excited, actually, to have a challenger in a primary, because for the first time we’re going to have a focus on this race, so we can see what people really have done, what I’ve been able to do in the Legislature. And I think when people see that, they will put me back in office,” Sen. Johnson said on Y’all-itics.
We also asked Rep. Neave Criado why she would walk away from a safe House seat for a gamble that could leave her on the sideline.
“Let me share with you my record in the House is one of fighting for issues that disproportionately impact women, making big changes like passing the Lavinia Masters Act which tackled a longstanding issue that had been ignored, which is the backlog of thousands of untested rape kits,” she told us proudly on Y’all-itics.
Rep. Neave Criado currently represents Texas House District 107, which includes parts of Dallas, Mesquite and Garland.
She was first elected in 2016.
The Democrat is chair of the House County Affairs Committee. And she’s also a member of the Business & Industry Committee.
And she is Chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
The Democrat argues Sen. Johnson has been too timid and hasn’t fought hard enough against the Republican agenda.
“And this is really also about a bigger issue and the threat of Democracy that’s being posed by Donald Trump, Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott,” Neave Criado said. “Like we don’t need somebody who’s not going to be standing up to fight. We don’t need somebody who’s going to buckle under pressure to Dan Patrick.”
Sen. Johnson was first elected in District 16 in 2018 when he shocked Republican Don Huffines. Since that election, the district has become solidly Democratic thanks to redistricting.
He is Vice-Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Jurisprudence. And he’s also a member of three other committees: Administration, Business & Commerce, and Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs.
Sen. Johnson is also considered one of the Democrats’ leading experts on fixing the state’s power grid.
He says any suggestion that he’s been too timid is laughable.
“Every day I’m on the floor, I am in the face of the Governor, of the Lieutenant Governor, calling out the bad stuff that pulls us down, clearly, effectively, but at the same time, my constituents and the people of this state need more than just words, they need results,” he said. “I get in trouble in the Senate for being too outspoken. There’s a reason Ken Paxton’s legal team tried to kick me off the jury. I go after them. And I’m good at it. And I’m consistent with it. That’s just something people say to get elected.”
The primary election in Texas will be held Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Your last day to register to vote will be Monday, February 5, 2024.
Early voting will run from February 20, 2024 – March 1, 2024.