By Juliana Vasquez | Staff Writer
From housing policies to public transportation, local leaders influence the everyday realities of college life, and primary elections are students’ first opportunity to weigh in.
This year’s McLennan County ballot includes five contested elections, with two Democratic candidates and 11 Republican candidates.
All candidate quotes in this guide were taken from the Feb. 5 McLennan County Republican Women’s State & Local Republican Candidate Meet and Greet, and the Feb. 7 Democrats at the PACC forum. Here’s a closer look at the contested races shaping this year’s ballot.
County Commissioner, Precinct No. 2
The quality of the roads and bridges students drive on to get to class can be attributed to their county commissioner.
“The county commissioner is responsible for roads and bridges within their precinct and makes policy-making budget decisions,” the Texas Association of Counties states on its website. Four commissioners per county are elected and serve on the commissioners court with the county judge, deciding the county’s budget and tax rate and setting the salaries and benefits of elected county officials.
The current county commissioner for Precinct No. 2, Donis “D.L.” Wilson, is running unopposed on the Republican ballot. However, the Democratic nominee is still undecided, with Jeremy Davis and Travis Gibson competing for the nomination.
(D) Jeremy Davis – Waco, Texas
Davis is hoping to get Democrats a seat at the table in McLennan County, bringing his experience in public policy and budget management into this election season.
“I bring experience managing and overseeing budgets from a few thousand [to] over $350 million,” Davis said. “I know how to use funds in a fiscally responsible way, but also how to invest so that we get the greatest possible gains for our community.”
Following his high school graduation, Davis jumped into the political sector as an intern with Black Men for Bernie before returning to Waco to work as a behavior specialist with Waco ISD.
Inspired by his work with students, he founded a non-profit mentorship program, Mentor Waco, and was eventually elected to the Waco ISD Board of Trustees in 2021.
“We built five brand new schools across the city of Waco, bringing equity into our secondary campuses,” Davis said. “Over 60% of those funds stay here, where they belong, right in McLennan County.”
Davis critiqued the current Republican Commissioners Court, stating that they closed polling locations, gerrymandered county maps and broke the trust of the community.
“We definitely need our seat back because when we’re at the table we can shape and help create the means for a prosperous future,” Davis said. “When we’re not at the table, then we all pay the price.”
(D) Travis Gibson – Waco, Texas
Gibson has been involved in local politics in Bellmead since 2015, serving as a councilman for Precinct 2 and as mayor of Bellmead.
Gibson is currently a special education teacher for Waco ISD. No publicly available information detailing Gibson’s plans for the office could be found at the time of publication.
District Clerk
The district clerk ensures that the district court runs efficiently.
“The District Clerk’s Office serves as registrar, recorder, and custodian of all court pleadings, instruments, and papers that are part of any legal cause of action,” the McLennan County website reads. The office also organizes the jury selection process.
Republican candidates Connley Litton and Rebecca Eubank are vying for the district clerk’s position, as the current interim district clerk, Ralph Strother, is not running.
(R) Connley Litton – Wellsville, Kan.
Litton has served as the chief deputy clerk in the McLennan County District Clerk’s Office for the last six years, and currently has his eye on the district clerk position.
“Our office started and worked over 8,000 cases last year. We begin every single case and work that case all the way through disposition,” Litton said. “We’ve got six district courts; those courts have anywhere between 7,000-8,000 cases that are open and pending at any time. We handle every single one of them, and we do it well.”
The chief deputy clerk serves as the right-hand man to the district clerk, with Litton utilizing his over 25 years of IT experience to manage the office. He hopes to continue to use these skills to save McLennan County taxpayers money.
“Our office has saved or benefited McLennan County taxpayers over $1.1 million savings this year, [and] we’re only beginning. I’m going to use my IT background and innovation to grow that … and to save you more,” Litton said. “And that’s my goal, that’s what me and my staff will continue to do, while still giving you the highest possible service that any office can give you.”
(R) Rebecca Eubank – McLennan County
Eubank has dedicated her life to public service, serving in the United States Air Force and local law enforcement, and hopes to continue serving the county as district clerk.
“I’ve seen firsthand how vital a strong and efficient criminal justice system is to the safety and well-being of our community,” her campaign website reads.
Eubank’s goal for the district clerk’s position is to improve the office’s transparency with taxpayers, taking their money into consideration in everything they do.
“I want to keep the office transparent, fair [and] efficient. All of the hardworking men and women over there need good support and a leader who can lead them,” Eubank said.
District Judge, 170th Judicial District
The district judge hears a broad range of cases, from felony criminal cases to civil disputes.
“District Courts sit at the center of the Texas court system because they oversee the widest variety of high-stakes cases,” The Texas Policy Research website reads. “Their rulings often set the stage for the legal reasoning that higher courts may later review.”
“The 170th Judicial District traditionally handles civil litigation and family law matters,” KWTX reported.
Barrett Thomas and Gina Long are currently competing for the 170th Judicial District Judge position, as the current judge, Honorable Jim Meyer, has reached the mandatory retirement age for judges.
(R) Barrett Thomas – Waco, Texas
Thomas hopes to bring his experience as a family law attorney to the district judge position, and claims to be the only candidate from Texas.
“Family law is toxic, and it has to change … I’ve spent 15 years watching as people go inside courtrooms and say the meanest things they can about each other … the only people that are hurt are the children,” Thomas said.
Thomas believes that McLennan County’s residents deserve a court focused on family well-being, an area his experience in family law can inform.
“If I’m not elected, there will be no practitioner that has ever done primarily family law in McLennan County, and our children deserve that,” Thomas said. “They deserve to have … somebody that knows family law to address those psychological challenges that come up.”
(R) Gina Long
Long has extensive experience as a civil litigator with Harrison Davis Morrison Jones P.C. and as an assistant criminal district attorney for McLennan County.
“I was a prosecutor for six years right here in McLennan County, prosecuted felonies for almost the entire time I was here,” Long said. “Now we’re looking at courts that are behind … Right now we have two courts of the six that are handling half of the docket, and half of that docket is criminal felony cases.”
As the docket remains backlogged, those awaiting trial remain in jail, costing taxpayers money each day they remain there.
“Whatever case comes in the 170th District Court, I can hear it from day one, and I can ensure that we are being efficient, that we are saving taxpayer money and that we are making sure that justice is swift and you are all protected along with that,” Long said.
Long believes in originalism, by “upholding the rule of law, not inventing one,” as stated on her campaign website.
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1, Place 1
Students hoping to have a quick courthouse marriage would be married by a justice of the peace, with marriage ceremonies being only one of the many duties of a JP.
“The justice of the peace presides over the justice court in cases involving misdemeanors, small civil disputes, landlord/tenant disputes and more,” the Texas Counties Deliver website reads.
Republican candidates Sterling Shepperd, Anthony Luevanos and Adriana Bost are running to unseat incumbent Dianne Hensley.
(R) Sterling Shepperd – Speegleville, Texas
Shepperd said he is running for justice of the peace because he feels called by God to run for the position.
“I was created to serve, and I will work harder than any JP you’ve ever had,” Shepperd said.
Shepperd served with the United States Marine Crops Reserve from 2004-2011, worked in law enforcement for about six years and is the owner of Western Roof Co., where he works as a roofing contractor.
He hopes to serve as a bridge between citizens and the court, helping those in court to better understand the process and trust the legal system.
(R) Anthony Luevanos
Luevanos is running on a campaign built around accountability and equality for all.
“Guided by faith, integrity, and respect for human dignity, I will decide cases carefully, consistently, and without favoritism,” Luevano’s campaign website reads. “My commitment is to serve this community with wisdom, compassion, and unwavering fairness.”
According to his LinkedIn, Luevanos currently holds five roles as a consultant and educator at universities like the University of Oklahoma, Texas A&M University and Rice University.
With the University of Oklahoma, his current research centers around “A data science approach to leadership practices within the context of changing demographics.”
(R) Adriana Bost
Bost is utilizing her personal experience to serve the Waco community as a justice of the peace.
“Serving the whole community with fair, unbiased justice – shaped by real-world experience in mental health, victim services, and justice-involved work,” reads the introduction to her campaign Facebook page.
(R) Honorable Dianne Hensley (Incumbent)
Hensley is the current JP for precinct one, a role she has held for the past 12 years.
“For 10 years now, I’ve had the busiest court in the country. We did almost 2,200 new civil cases last year, and an equal number of criminal cases,” Hensley said. “I have the best staff in the country that keeps that many cases flowing. Nobody waits longer than 90 days, at most, for a hearing in my courtroom.”
Hensley has made state headlines over the last few years, as she sued the Texas State Commission following a warning they issued due to her refusal to perform weddings for same-sex couples.
The Texas Supreme Court eventually ruled in Hensley’s favor, stating that “it is not a violation of these canons for a judge to publicly refrain from performing a wedding ceremony based upon a sincerely held religious belief.”
In December of 2025, Hensley filed a federal lawsuit asking “the courts to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges,” according to The Texas Tribune.
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1, Place 2
This position shares the same duties as the justice of the peace position above. Will Hutson and Aubrey “Robbie” Robertson III are hoping to unseat the incumbent, the Honorable Gary “Bull” Durham.
(R) Will Hutson
Hutson is a criminal defense attorney and amateur musician, producing musical parodies with legal advice for clients.
No publicly available information detailing Hutson’s policy plans could be found at the time of publication.
(R) Honorable Gary “Bull” Durham
Durham has brought over 37 years of law enforcement experience and hopes to continue his service as JP, a position which he was appointed to in December of 2025 following the previous justice’s retirement.
“I believe in being fair and impartial to everybody that comes into the courtroom and treating everybody the same,” Durham said. “I would love to continue to do the job.”
(R) Aubrey “Robbie” Robertson, III
Robertson claims to be the only attorney running for the justice of the peace position, and he says his over 15 years of experience is vital to the position.
“I’m the only attorney that is currently running for justice of the peace … That’s important because … these dockets are huge,” Robertson said.
Robertson believes the peace court should move quickly and efficiently, stating that Precinct 1 deserves an accessible, experienced JP.
“If you elect me, I’m going to do the damn job. That includes magistration, that includes all of our court dockets, civil dockets, criminal dockets, traffic dockets,” Robertson said. “I’ll be there, so I appreciate your vote.”
Primary elections will determine which candidates advance to the general election in November. Voters can find additional election information, including polling locations and voting hours, through the McLennan County Elections Office.
