Rogers: Reasonable conservatives won in local elections

May 19

10:30 2026

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Keep the momentum going in runoffs against the far right.

Editor’s Note: This column originally appeared in The Dallas Morning News, where Glenn Rogers is a contributing columnist.

By Glenn Rogers

Results from the May 2 local elections are evidence that Texans are fed up with cult-like behavior and purity tests from hyper-partisan groups. Across the DFW area, voters decidedly rejected candidates backed by extremist organizations. These results should serve as a boost in morale to those who care about having limited yet efficient government and principled leaders who are not sold out to the highest bidder.

One of the activist groups licking its wounds right now is the True Texas Project, which was founded by Julie McCarty, who once wrote on social media that she sympathized with the gunman who murdered 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019. That attack, an act of domestic terrorism and the deadliest attack on Latinos in modern American history, was inspired by a far-right conspiracy theory known as the Great Replacement, according to the terrorist’s manifesto. On social media, McCarty wrote, “I don’t condone the actions, but I certainly understand where they came from.”

Her husband, Fred McCarty, also a True Texas Project leader, responded, “You’re not going to demographically replace a once proud, strong people without getting blow-back.”

True Texas Project has a history of vilifying people of different faiths, hosting white nationalist speakers and trashing traditional Republican state leaders.

In Arlington, incumbent Mayor Jim Ross rejected the support of the True Texas Project in this election and denounced the group definitively. Ross declared, “Transparency and integrity are paramount in my leadership, and I will not stand by any association that contradicts these principles.” He went on to win the race with just over half of the vote, avoiding a runoff.

Another far-right activist group supported by the wireless company Patriot Mobile has targeted school board elections in recent years. This cycle, in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, school board candidates backed by the Patriot Mobile group lost. This followed another loss by Leigh Wambsganss, one of the group’s leaders, in a Texas Senate District 9 special election a few months ago.

And in Willow Park, which I previously wrote about, three insurgent city council candidates backed by the Parker County Conservatives lost their bids. The three challengers each lost their races by about 20 percentage points. The Parker County Conservatives, with close ties to State Representative Mike Olcott, long has been connected with theo-oligarchs Tim Dunn, Farris Wilks and their acolytes.

Now, after these victories, reasonable candidates must not lose momentum. Early voting for the primary runoff began May 18 and will continue through May 22, and voting day is May 26. Voter fatigue and confusion created by multiple elections within an abbreviated time period could serve to decrease turnout. Conservatives that value candidate integrity should stay engaged and exercise their precious right to vote at every opportunity.

Voters will have several important decisions to make.

Ken Paxton, who I voted to impeach after the evidence presented by leaders in the Texas House revealed his morally corrupt behavior, is facing U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Since his political beginnings, Paxton has survived on the political donations from megadonors Dunn and Wilks and the activist groups they have funded such as the Defend Texas Liberty PAC. Regarding Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Senate, many questioned the integrity of the proceedings after Defend Texas Liberty gave the presiding judge of the trial, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a $3 million donation. Paxton was acquitted by gutless Texas senators.

Patrick later announced he would invest $3 million in Israeli bonds, which seemed to quell some of the gossip about far right antisemitism in the Texas GOP, but served as an empty defense of the impeachment process.

Defend Texas Liberty is now branded Texas Freedom Fund for the Advancement of Justice. This election cycle, it and myriad other shadowy organizations continue to support Paxton, including the True Texas Project and Parker County Conservatives.

Additionally, these groups are supporting Bo French in a runoff for Railroad Commissioner. In October of 2024, French used homophobic slurs and derogatory terms for people with disabilities in social media posts. In June 2025, while serving as Tarrant County GOP Chair, he posted a poll on X asking his followers if Muslims or Jews were bigger threats to America. This led to calls for his resignation from Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and even Lt. Gov. Patrick. In March of 2026, French called on Republicans to “openly embrace Islamophobia” and called for the deportation of 100 million people, including many U.S. citizens. What role the Railroad Commission plays in these topics is apparently irrelevant. French is a close ally of Dunn. His top donor this cycle is the Texas Freedom Fund for the Advancement of Justice PAC. He also received sizable donations from the Patriot Mobile PAC.

Texans face many serious challenges in our immediate future, including major water shortages, education deficits, health care access and affordability and a burgeoning state bureaucracy that continues to diminish government efficiency at the local level.

Texas cannot afford continued hyper-partisan grandstanding and corruption at the highest levels of elected office. Research your candidates. Follow the money. Ask them tough questions. And always vote.

Glenn Rogers is a rancher and veterinarian in Palo Pinto County. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025, representing Stephens County. He is a Dallas Morning News contributing columnist.