Lone Star Left’s Picks For Texas City Elections
Because “nonpartisan” doesn’t mean apolitical.
These are recommendations, not endorsements.
Municipal races in Texas are technically nonpartisan, but anyone who’s been paying attention knows that doesn’t mean they’re apolitical. Party infrastructure, donor networks, and ideological alignment still shape who runs, who gets support, and how they govern once they’re in office. The difference is that voters are expected to figure that out on their own, often with very little information.
So that’s what I set out to do.
Over the past few weeks, I put out calls, dug through local coverage, cross-checked endorsements, looked at donation patterns where available, and leaned on input from activists and organizers on the ground. I did not cover every race across the state, and there are plenty I looked at where I could not confidently rule out Republican alignment. In some areas, that’s because information is scarce. In others, it’s because Republican networks are deeply embedded at the local level and candidates simply aren’t transparent about it.
That doesn’t mean skip those races. You should absolutely still vote all the way down your ballot, and vote in every single non-partisan race.
What this list represents is something more specific. Candidates I’ve been able to verify are not part of the MAGA ecosystem. In a few cases, more centrist candidates may be included, often at the recommendation of activists, because the alternative was significantly worse. That’s the reality of local politics right now. But overall, this is the strongest group of community-focused candidates I could identify across these municipal races.
I also didn’t include many ISD races unless they were specifically sent to me. School board elections are increasingly ground zero for far-right organizing, but they’re also highly localized, and I wanted to make sure anything I included was vetted.
And yes, this matters.
City councils, mayors, and local boards make decisions that shape everyday life far more directly than most statewide officials. This includes housing policy, policing, public health, infrastructure, and local economic development. These are the arenas where Republican governance models of deregulation for business, austerity for residents, and culture war distractions get implemented.
If we want different outcomes, we have to start at this level.
Each election cycle is an opportunity to push these local governments in a different direction. That happens when voters show up informed and intentional.
This list is meant to help with that.
Dallas County
Irving
City Council District 3: Kejal Patel
City Council District 6: Fahad Ahmed
ISD Place 1: Kelly Snapp
ISD Place 2: Mary Lewallen
Grand Prairie
City Council Place 3: Amber Timberlake
Place 7 At Large: Marketta Nimo
Carrollton
Mayor: Zul Mohamed
Place 4: Mike Song
Cedar Hill
City Council Place 2: Ty Coleman
City Council Place 6: Maranda Auzenne
DeSoto
City Council Place 2: Pierette Parker
City Council Place 4: David “DaWud” Edgerson
Carrollton/Farmers Branch ISD
Cynthia Noda
Tarrant County
Arlington
Mayor: Jim Ross
District 4: Rojo Meixueiro
District 5: Brittney Garcia-Dumas
District 8: Jason Shelton
North Richland Hills
Place 4: John Schleeter
Place 6: Laura Jenkins
Bedford
Place 4: Shelly Lemman
Kennedale
Place 4: Melissa Barrows
Collin County
Celina
Mayor: Erica Cornelius
Fairview
Seat 6: Lakia Works
Princeton
Place 4: Jaisen Rutledge
Murphy
Place 3: Andrew Chase
Place 5: Laura Deel, Manoj Varghese
Parker
Mayor: Marcos Arias
Sachse
Place 4: Gurvinder Singh
Denton County
Denton
Mayor: Angela Brewer
Place 1: Jordan E. Villarreal
Place 2: Nick Stevens
Place 5: George Ferrie
ISD: Vicki Byrd
Frisco
ISD Place 4: Dynette Davis
ISD Place 5: Sree Mouli Majji
Lewisville
Place 1: Erum Ali
ISD: Dr. Staci Barker
Flower Mound
Place 5: Clare Harris
Hidalgo County
McAllen
District 5: Felida Villarreal
Mercedes
Mayor: Velda J. Garcia
Commissioner Place 3: Joe Martinez
Fort Bend County
Katy
Ward A: J.R. Richardson
Candidate at Large: AJ Bailey
Williamson County
Round Rock
Mayor: Kelly Hall
Place 4: Frank Ortega
Cedar Park
Mayor: Jim Penniman-Morin
Place 4: Kevin O’Bryan
Place 6: Shweta Padmanabha
Hutto
Place 1: Sarosh Jafri
Place 4: Corina Zepeda
Brazoria County
Pearland
Mayor: Quentin Wiltz
Councilmember Position No. 3: Toshila McLean
Hillcrest Village
Alderman: Ramiro Mondragon
Bell County
Killeen
City Council At-Large: Sue “Neesy” Croft
Galveston County
Galveston
Mayor At-Large: William Boike
District 1: Sharon Lewis
District 3: Bob Brown
District 4: Alex Porretto
District 5: Michael Niebuhr
District 6: George R. Guajardo
Gregg County
Longview
District 3: Marlena Cooper
Harrison County
Marshall
District 6: Shereka Shantel Newson
District 7: LaQuinthia Wilbert
Comal County
New Braunfels
Mayor: Neal Linnartz
District 6: April Ryans
Taylor County
Abilene
Place 4: Rich Lyles
Local elections don’t get the attention they deserve. That’s by design.
It’s easier to reshape a state from the ground up when nobody’s watching city council meetings, when school boards fly under the radar, and when voters assume these races “aren’t political.” Meanwhile, the same ideology driving state and national policy shows up in zoning decisions, policing budgets, book bans, and who gets prioritized in economic development deals.
That’s how the pipeline works.
And it’s also where it can be interrupted.
You’re not going to fix everything in one election cycle. Some of these races are uphill fights. Some cities are still years away from real ideological shifts. But none of that changes the fact that every seat matters, and every time a non-MAGA candidate wins one of these positions, it changes the trajectory of that city, even if only a little at first.
That’s how this builds.
So use this list as a guide, not a limit. Check your ballot. Look into the races I didn’t cover. Talk to local organizers if you can. And most importantly, vote all the way down.
Because this is where it starts. Early voting starts on Monday.
April 20, 2026: Last day to apply to vote by mail (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
April 20, 2026: First day of early voting (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
April 27, 2026: Last day to register to vote (Democratic primary runoff elections)
April 28, 2026: Last day of early voting (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
May 2, 2026: Last day to receive ballot by mail (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
May 2, 2026: Election day! (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
May 15, 2026: Last day to apply to vote by mail (Democratic primary runoff elections)
May 18, 2026: First day of early voting (Democratic primary runoff elections)
May 22, 2026: Last day of early voting (Democratic primary runoff elections)
May 26, 2026: Last day to receive ballot by mail (Democratic primary runoff elections)
May 26, 2026: Election day! (Democratic primary runoff elections)
Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.
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April 20, 2026: Last day to apply to vote by mail (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
April 20, 2026: First day of early voting (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
April 27, 2026: Last day to register to vote (Democratic primary runoff elections)
April 28, 2026: Last day of early voting (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
May 2, 2026: Last day to receive ballot by mail (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
May 2, 2026: Election day! (City elections/SD04 Special Election)
May 15, 2026: Last day to apply to vote by mail (Democratic primary runoff elections)
May 18, 2026: First day of early voting (Democratic primary runoff elections)
May 22, 2026: Last day of early voting (Democratic primary runoff elections)
May 26, 2026: Last day to receive ballot by mail (Democratic primary runoff elections)
May 26, 2026: Election day! (Democratic primary runoff elections)
Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.
LoneStarLeft is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Agree local elections need more attention and City Councils that keep up with what the Gov, Lt. Gov and Attorney General are doing to take away local rights.
Ever since I read that Steve Bannon was working to build MAGA from the ground up. I got busy. Very Busy vetting all my candidates. I even check my HOA candidates. 95% of the time they are GOP so I vote against the MAGA candidate if possible. So when NEISD has school board. You bet I know who to vote for. Even if they are not on my ballot. I’m a retired teacher and I care about public education. You bet I know who the better candidate will be in that district. ☺️
And for Alamo Community Colleges too!