Maga's Very Bad Night In Texas

Texas Voters to Far-Right: Bless your heart, now pack it up.

It was a tough night for MAGA-aligned candidates in Texas. In the May 3, 2025, local elections, voters across the state decisively rejected far-right candidates, particularly in school board and city council races. From Tarrant County to Collin County, and from San Antonio to Dallas, communities chose leaders who prioritize public education, inclusivity, and pragmatic governance over culture wars and partisan agendas. This widespread shift signals a growing resistance to extremist politics at the local level.

A statewide rejection of extremism.

Last night, voters across Texas sent a message loud enough to rattle the far-right out of their echo chambers: we’re done with your culture wars, your book bans, and your crusade against public schools. Voters chose community over chaos, educators over agitators, and progress over extremism.

The local elections weren’t just a series of wins but a sweep. MAGA-backed candidates got absolutely trounced across the state. This was the result of deep organizing, years of work by local Democrats, and voters who are fed up with the far-right hijacking of school boards and city councils to push their agenda.

Texas isn’t turning blue overnight, but make no mistake: the MAGA movement had a very bad night, and the momentum is shifting.

Tarrant County.

The Republican Party poured money, endorsements, and out-of-state personalities into these Tarrant County races, and they got wiped. Every single candidate backed by Patriot Mobile, the far-right Christian nationalist group trying to take over school boards, lost. That’s losses in Mansfield ISD, Keller ISD, and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. A clean sweep.

The Tarrant County GOP went 0-for-11 in the county’s three largest cities: Fort Worth, Arlington, and Mansfield. Let that sink in. They didn’t just lose a few races. They got shut out entirely. In Mansfield, Republican Rep. David Cook’s backyard, where Allen West himself came out to rally the troops, the GOP lost all five races they backed.

Meanwhile, Democrats made real gains on the Fort Worth City Council. One of the biggest victories was Debrah Peoples’s victory in her race. A longtime activist and former Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair, Peoples gave progressive voters a reason to celebrate in a city that’s often overlooked on the statewide map.

Huge, huge shout out to the Tarrant County Young Democrats. They didn’t just show up, they organized, knocked on doors, made calls, and fought for every single school board seat they were targeting. And guess what? They swept them all. That’s the kind of ground game that wins elections. That’s the kind of energy we need to keep building.

San Antonio meets progressive momentum.

The mayor’s race is heading to a runoff in San Antonio, but the momentum is clearly with Gina Ortiz Jones. A few weeks ago, I recommended her as the one to watch, and now she’s leading the pack by over 11,000 votes. That’s not a small gap. Rolando Pablos came in second with 17%, and unless something wild happens, it’s hard to see the MAGA crowd catching up to Gina’s lead.

But it’s not just the mayor’s race that’s worth watching. San Antonio’s City Council is shaping up to be the most progressive it’s been in years. Several strong progressive candidates made it into runoff spots or outright won their seats, and you can feel the shift in the air, people are organizing, voting, and demanding a city government that reflects the communities it serves.

Turnout was solid for a May municipal election, and if that holds through the runoff, Ortiz Jones’ chances are looking real good. But we can’t take anything for granted. The runoff will come down to who shows up, and early signs point to progressives being ready to finish what they started. So if you’re in San Antonio, mark your calendar, grab a friend, and get to the polls. Let’s seal this one.

Dallas County.

Dallas County had a solid night, not a wave, but a strong hold. Most of the city council races leaned liberal, with incumbents and challengers who support public infrastructure, housing, and responsive local government holding their ground. It wasn’t the clean sweep we saw in Tarrant or Collin, but it was steady, and that matters.

The one sour note? Cara Mendelsohn held onto her seat in Place 12. She’s been one of the more outspoken conservative voices on the council (and a nemesis of mine, since trying to kill the fast train to Arlington), and while her win was disappointing, it wasn’t unexpected. That district has leaned right in recent cycles, and she brought in a lot of outside support. But let’s be clear: we’re not done with her. Accountability doesn’t stop at election night.

Looking ahead, Places 8 and 11 are both headed to runoffs. Neither candidate cleared 50%, so there’s still more to fight for. Those races will be crucial in shaping the future direction of Dallas’s city council, and they’re winnable. If we show up. If we stay loud. If we stay organized.

So yes, Dallas held the line. And now we double down for the runoffs.

Democratic breakthroughs in Collin County.

Let’s take a minute to appreciate what just happened in Collin County, a place long written off as deep red, where Democrats were supposed to lose politely and keep quiet about it. Not this year. Up and down the ballot, Democrats broke through in a big way, flipping seats and shaking up school boards in cities that the GOP used to treat as safe territory. To be clear, Democrats in Collin County have been busting their humps for years and this year, it’s paying off.

In McKinney, Melissa, Murphy, Plano, and Richardson, Democrats won municipal races that would’ve been considered pipe dreams not that long ago. We’re talking city councils, school boards, and mayoral races. Richardson elected Amir Omar as mayor, and the new city council lineup includes Jennifer Justice, Dan Barrios, Joe Corcoran, and Arefin Shamsul, each one bringing a different kind of leadership than the good ol’ boy politics we’re used to seeing out there.

School board races also saw major victories. Allen ISD, Plano ISD, Frisco ISD, McKinney ISD, and Community ISD now have pro-public education candidates who ran on truth, inclusion, and putting kids first. These weren’t quiet wins, either. These were hard-fought, people-powered campaigns, many beating back MAGA-backed opponents with slick mailers and deep pockets.

The broader impact? Collin County is no longer a Republican stronghold. It’s a battleground. And Democrats are winning.

Other notable races across Texas.

The wins didn’t stop in the big metros. Change is happening all across Texas, and last night proved it.

In Katy ISD, voters chose James Cross over far-right incumbent Victor Perez. The race got heated, with Perez pushing conservative culture war talking points, but in the end, the community chose a more level-headed voice, someone focused on students, not headlines.

Over in Beaumont, LaDonna Sherwood made history with her victory in Ward III. Her win represents a mandate. People are hungry for change, and they’re choosing candidates who reflect their communities and their values.

And in Rowlett? They just elected a new Democratic mayor. Another flip in a suburb the GOP thought they had on lock.

Add it all up, and a clear picture emerges: this is happening everywhere. From suburbs to small towns, voters reject extremism and elect candidates who want to govern. Texas is shifting, and not in the direction the far-right expected.

The rise of local progressivism?

There were a lot of races on the ballot yesterday, and while I can’t cover every single one, a quick scroll through social media today tells you everything you need to know. Democrats are celebrating wins in every corner of the state. From small-town city councils to suburban school boards, folks fighting for years finally saw their work pay off.

This wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a lucky night. What we saw was the result of long-term organizing, coalition-building, and communities getting fed up with extremist candidates using local seats to launch national culture wars. Voters said: not here, not anymore. And they meant it.

Texas politics is shifting because progressives and moderates are stepping up in places where Democrats haven’t run in years and are winning. That’s how change starts.

These local races might not get the same headlines as a Senate seat or a governor’s race, but they matter. They shape the school curriculum. They set budgets. They decide how safe and inclusive your city is. And they build the bench for the next generation of statewide leaders.

Thank you if you knocked on doors, donated five bucks, talked to your neighbors, or showed up to vote. Let’s keep going because last night wasn’t the end of something. It was the beginning.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

• June 3: The beginning of the 2026 election season.

• 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.

Follow me on Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Instagram.