By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — A 1,857-vote lead disappeared in House District 61. Another 1,145-vote advantage vanished in District 67. And in the race for Collin County judge, a 4,800-vote lead wasn’t enough.
By the time Collin County finished reporting Tuesday’s election results, Republican incumbents Keresa Richardson, Jeff Leach and Chris Hill had all overtaken their Democratic challengers.
Richardson finished just 134 votes ahead of Brittany Black in HD-61, while Leach edged Jordan Wheatley by 203 votes in HD-67. Hill overcame John R. Buster Brown’s early lead to finish ahead by 1,863 votes.
But Democrats also had significant results. Angie Carraway maintained her advantage over Republican incumbent Candy Noble in HD-89, finishing ahead by 1,392 votes. In the Collin County portion of Congressional District 3, Democrat Evan Hunt received 6,240 more votes than Republican incumbent Keith Self.
Collin County released its final election-night report at 1:02 a.m. Wednesday, with all 90 vote centers reporting.
The county recorded 460,900 ballots cast, representing 57.91% turnout. That included 374,676 early in-person ballots, 9,433 mail ballots and 76,791 Election Day ballots.
Richardson and Leach Overcome Early Deficits
House District 61 produced one of the night’s narrowest margins.
Republican incumbent Keresa Richardson received 44,760 votes (49.14%), compared with 44,626 (49%) for Democrat Brittany Black. Green Party candidate Anissa Chilmeran received 1,692 votes.
Just 134 votes separated Richardson and Black.
Black entered Election Day with a 1,857-vote advantage. Richardson received 8,555 Election Day votes compared with Black’s 6,564, enough to reverse the lead.
In House District 67, Republican incumbent Jeff Leach also trailed after early voting.
Democrat Jordan Wheatley began Election Day ahead by 1,145 votes. As results arrived Tuesday night, his advantage narrowed to 274 votes, then just 23.
The final election-night report put Leach at 42,566 votes (50.12%) and Wheatley at 42,363 (49.88%).
Leach finished ahead by 203 votes.
Carraway Maintains Lead in HD-89
Democrat Angie Carraway remained ahead of Republican incumbent Candy Noble in House District 89.
Carraway received 44,156 votes (50.80%), compared with Noble’s 42,764 (49.20%), a difference of 1,392 votes.
Carraway entered Election Day with a 2,511-vote advantage. Noble received more Election Day votes, narrowing the margin but not eliminating it.
In HD-66, Republican Matt Shaheen received 47,373 votes to Democrat Sandeep Srivastava’s 38,059.
Democratic incumbent Mihaela Plesa also maintained her lead in HD-70, receiving 37,948 votes against Republican George Flint’s 27,120.
Hunt Finishes Ahead of Self in Collin County
Democrat Evan Hunt received 134,580 votes (51.19%) in the Collin County portion of Congressional District 3.
Republican incumbent Keith Self received 128,340 (48.81%), leaving Hunt ahead by 6,240 votes.
Those numbers cover only Collin County. The congressional district extends into other counties, and their results must be included to determine the districtwide outcome.
Collin County voters also gave Democratic candidates more votes in two statewide contests.
In the U.S. Senate race, James Talarico received 252,403 votes, compared with Republican Ken Paxton’s 197,096. Libertarian Ted Brown received 7,914.
For governor, Democrat Gina Hinojosa received 236,034 votes, while Republican incumbent Greg Abbott received 215,566.
These are Collin County totals, not statewide results.
Chris Hill Moves Ahead in County Judge Race
Collin County Judge Chris Hill faced a 4,800-vote deficit following early voting.
By the end of Election Day, the Republican incumbent had received 217,401 votes (50.22%), compared with Democrat John R. Buster Brown’s 215,538 (49.78%).
Hill finished ahead by 1,863 votes.
Hill received 38,772 Election Day votes compared with Brown’s 32,109.
Republican County Clerk Stacey Kemp received 215,913 votes, finishing ahead of Democrat John Russell’s 205,598.
In the County Commissioner Precinct 4 race, Democrat Julie Holmer received 56,177 votes to Republican Shelby Williams’ 49,198.
Princeton City Council and School Board
In Princeton’s City Council Place 6 race, Sumbel “Susan” Zeb received 3,735 votes (53.44%), compared with Kenneth Seligman’s 3,254 (46.56%).
Zeb finished ahead by 481 votes.
Four candidates competed for two Princeton ISD school board seats.
Charlotte Wilson received 5,029 votes, followed by Starla Sharpe with 4,853. Cyndi Darland received 3,735, while Ricky Gillespie received 2,040.
Wilson and Sharpe finished in the top two positions.
Justice of the Peace Results
Republican Ellen Kinnebrew received 28,170 votes in the Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 race, compared with Democrat Darsell Johnson’s 25,633.
In Precinct 3, Democrat Irvin Lynn Barrett received 79,150 votes against Republican Mike Missildine’s 67,143.
Republican Stephen Kallas received 73,820 votes in Precinct 4, compared with Democrat Eli Worthy’s 70,326.
Results Await Certification
All 90 Collin County vote centers have reported, but the election-night totals remain unofficial.
The closest contests were HD-61 and HD-67, where Richardson and Leach finished ahead by 134 and 203 votes, respectively. The reported margins remain subject to the official canvass and any subsequent changes to the vote totals.
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