With less than a month to sign up for March’s Texas primary, people pondering representing Lubbock and District 19 in Congress must ponder quickly.
LubbockLights.com reached out to sources with political connections to develop a list of candidates. We then asked Lubbock County Republican Party Chairman David Bruegel to confirm names and analyze the list.
The names are:
- Kody Bessent
- Ashley Cash
- Jason Corley
- Abraham Enriquez
- Donald May *
- Mark McBrayer
- McCrae McCormick
- Tom Sell
- Carl Tepper
And we were asking about candidates with Lubbock connections. The district also includes Abilene, which could produce candidates and others could come from a wide swath of rural areas.
But first, how did we get here?
Jodey Arrington of Lubbock, R-District 19, announced Tuesday he won’t seek re-election. First elected in 2016, he currently serves as chair of the House Budget Committee, a key leadership role in the House.
When Arrington’s name came up this summer as the potential next chancellor of Texas Tech, interested candidates for Congress had a chance to think about running. Then Brandon Creighton was named as the sole finalist.
Following Arrington’s announcement, that door is back open.
Qualifications and process
Candidates must be at least 25 with no felony conviction and be a Texas resident.
“You’d first file your financial documents with the Federal Election Commission, but then you would actually go to Republican Party of Texas headquarters in Austin to file your application,” Bruegel said.
“Interestingly – the United States Congress – it’s a seat where you don’t have to live in the district. You just have to be a Texas resident. So, hypothetically, someone from Tyler, Brownsville, or El Paso could run for Congress in Lubbock,” said Bruegel.
Some of the potential candidates cannot say anything before December 1 because Texas has a resign-to-run law, Bruegel said. Someone who announces with too much left in office automatically forfeits the current seat if announcing for a different office.
So back to our list in alphabetical order and what Bruegel said on almost all of them.
Kody Bessent is the CEO of Plains Cotton Growers in Lubbock. He previously held roles in legislative affairs and groundwater/producer relations.
“He’s well known in the ag community. Outside of the ag community, I don’t think as many people know who he is. Within that community, I think he could do very well on the fundraising side,” Bruegel said of Bessent.
Ashley Cash expressed interest in the summer and serves as president of CCC Capital Solutions, Inc. In 2022 she was appointed by Greg Abbott to the Texas Governor’s Commission for Women.
But Lubbock Lights understands Cash has chosen not to run this time.
“I think if she were to run, she’d be a formidable candidate,” Bruegel said.
Jason Corley currently serves as the county commissioner for Precinct 2 in Lubbock County (since 2019) and was re-elected in 2022 with about 71 percent support. He ran for Congress in 2016 in District 19.
“He has what it takes to be a strong contender. … He would be possibly the only person in the field that has run for the seat before.” Bruegel said.
“He probably has more name ID than most of them. I think he would be a viable A-tier candidate if he were to run,” Bruegel added.
Corley, without stating his intention one way or the other, released a statement Tuesday praising Arrington and saying in part, “We have all been blessed by his service and sacrifices.”
Corley on Wednesday announced an exploratory committee for the District 19 office.
Abraham Enriquez, founder and president of the Hispanic-conservative outreach group Bienvenido in Lubbock has built a national network. He appears from time to time on Fox News, giving him widespread name recognition.
“Some may say he’s perhaps a little too young for it, but he does have some contacts in Washington. And so it would be very interesting to see how that goes. … He’s a very charismatic young man. I think he could raise some money,” Bruegel said.
Mark McBrayer, Lubbock mayor, said he was approached Tuesday about running, but told LubbockLights.com he hasn’t given it much of a thought and is happy being mayor.
McCrae McCormick described his family as “five generations in Floyd County, farming and running cattle.” Farm policy is his top priority – both an “outdated” farm bill and trade policy.
“When you put it on paper, yeah, it looks good, but when you get it out and actually start the application of things, it doesn’t work as it should,” McCormick told LubbockLights.com and added everyone should serve in some capacity of public service.
Bruegel said, “I’ve not heard from him before today. He seems like a nice young guy.”
Tom Sell is a founder and managing partner of the lobbying and policy firm Combest, Sell & Associates. He has worked extensively on farm-bill and agricultural policy in Washington.
“Tom’s background is in government affairs in the ag industry. So, a number of my contacts and people I’ve spoken with expect that he would receive a favorable showing in the ag community,” Bruegel said.
Carl Tepper is currently the District 84 representative. He is an Air Force veteran, a Texas Tech University graduate and works in commercial real estate. He told LubbockLights.com he is “evaluating” the situation.
“I think Tepper would be pretty close to a front runner if he decided to step in – wonderful name ID in the district from not only his time in the state legislature, but from his time as Republican Party chair before me,” Bruegel said.
“He can raise the money. He’s got the name ID. Carl is going to be an A-tier candidate if he were to run,” Bruegel added.
Other names
A couple names from the Lubbock City Council have been floated but said they do not have an interest in running.
Gus Khan is also not on the list – saying he is already a candidate for U.S. Senate.
Kyle Rable, secretary of the Lubbock County Democratic Party, announced he’s running in the Democratic primary.
What’s next for Arrington?
The Arrington announcement came as a surprise to Brugel, adding, “I really anticipated, given Trump’s endorsement and not taking the chancellor job, that he would stick around another term.”
Bruegel pondered Arrington’s options if he wants to pursue anything in politics.
“There are a number of pathways if he decides to stay politically engaged. Personally, I think there’s a path to where he could run for the U.S. Senate, though I don’t know that he would be interested in that. However, I do think there’s an opening there if he would want it. He could run for any number of statewide offices. Or he could end up taking a job in the Trump administration, provided something opens up,” Bruegel said.
“Given his reputation in Washington as a level-headed deal broker, that opens up opportunities for him,” Bruegel said.
* On November 19, after this story was published, Donald May told a gathering of the Rotary Club of Lubbock that he intends to run.
