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Voters have begun the process of picking a successor to Eric Johnson, who left the Texas Legislature to become Dallas mayor.
But turnout in Dallas’ House District 100, where Johnson served for nearly 10 years, is expected to be light, as residents select between three contenders trying to win their first elected office and a former Dallas council member and mental health advocate who’s become a perennial candidate for an array of posts. The candidates on the ballot are James Armstrong Lorraine Birabil Daniel Clayton and former Dallas council member Sandra Crenshaw.
The winner of the November 5th contest will fill Johnson’s unexpired term, which ends in 2021. All of the candidates in the special election say they will also run in the March primary for District 100. The winner of that race will start a new term in 2021.
“It’s likely that this race and the propositions on the ballot won’t attract a lot of voters,” said Robert Ashley, a political observer who hosts a radio talk show aimed at black residents. “It’s going to be kind of a yawner.”
According to Dallas County election officials, just over 500 people had voted in person for the election. Another 328 had voter by mail.
That small turnout means the candidates will have to run effective campaigns that target reliable voters and coaxes them to the polls.
The candidates agree that the district needs solutions for better education, health care and other issues, including reducing crime and police violence.
In essence, the race comes down to qualifications for the job, and what district residents want in a leader.
Two of the candidates—Birabil and Clayton—are seasoned political operatives, along with their other qualifications. They have seen government work from the inside. Armstrong contends he has a unique perspective of the district’s needs and has worked on the ground with leaders trying to bring about change.
In 2018 Birabil, 38, was the Texas outreach director for the Senate campaign of former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso. The Buckner Terrance resident also played key roles in the campaigns of U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
She has been endorsed by Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, Veasey, Jenkins and other leaders and business owners in the area.
“I chose to run because House District 100 needs a fighter,” Birabil said. “I believe it is clear that we have and will continue to put in the work needed to go to Austin and go toe-to-toe with Republicans to fight for better health care, better schools and safer neighborhoods.”
Clayton, 42, was chief of staff for Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas. He was also an aide for state Sen. Royce West, also a Dallas Democrat. In 2012 Clayton lost a county commissioners race to Democrat Theresa Daniel.
“It is my legislative experience in the Senate and House that makes the difference,” Clayton said. “You don’t know ow to get things done in Austin unless you’ve been there.”
Clayton said he’s also led from the outside on issues related to education, health care and gun violence. He said he helped develop the anti-gun violence group called “Enough is Enough.”
“It’s going to come down to the mechanics of the campaign and the candidate connections to the community,” Clayton said.
Armstrong, 33, leads a company that builds affordable housing. He has touted his working relationship with Johnson.
He said it was important for Dallas to remain a vibrant city and avoid decline.
“For too long there has not been cohesion in Dallas on the city, county and state level,” said Armstrong, who’s also a West Dallas minister. “What we need is a champion for Dallas, someone who’s going to wave the flag higher than partisan politics.”
Crenshaw, 66, said that among other things, she would tackle mental illness and redistricting.
“I want to join a mature, seasoned, unencumbered black ladies of distinction,” she said in a candidate survey published in The Dallas Morning News. “I do not intend on going to Austin forever, but I do want to…get this gerrymandered District 100 back into shape and other critical issues like mental health, and criminal justice reform is (sic) needed.”
Birabil has significantly more resources than her rival. According to campaign finance disclosure reports filed earlier this month, she’s raised over $60,000 and had nearly $38,000 in the bank. She says she’s now raised over $95,000 for the campaign.
Reports show Clayton raised about $9,500 for the contest and had over $400 in the bank, while Armstrong raised about $15,000, with $6,000 of that total coming from loans. He had $2,000 cash on hand.
The November election will also feature school board contests in Richardson as that system moves from at-large to a more representative one as part of a legal settlement. And critical bond issues are on the ballot for the Arlington school district and Tarrant County College.
Voters will also decide on 10 Texas constitutional amendments, city, and county and school board races throughout North Texas.