Tarrant County GOP chair challenges 7 Democratic candidates, removes Republican House candidate

by Drew Shaw, Fort Worth Report
January 9, 2026

Tarrant County Republican Chairman Tim Davis wants seven Democratic judicial candidates running in the March 3 primary election removed from the ballot, saying their candidate filings had several errors. 

Davis formally challenged the ballot applications and petition filings on Wednesday, asking the Tarrant County Democratic Party to review the candidates and declare them ineligible to run. 

Davis also deemed Republican candidate Zee Wilcox ineligible to run for the Texas House. Late Friday, she filed a lawsuit challenging his decision.

Under state law, local parties are responsible for reviewing applications for compliance. They have the authority to reject filings that do not meet procedural requirements.

All seven judicial candidates are running unopposed in the Democratic primary, meaning if they are not removed from the ballot, they will be on the ballot in the November general elections.

However, if they are removed, the judicial seat likely will go to the Republican nominee by default.

“We are committed to reviewing (Davis’) concerns carefully and in accordance with the Texas Election Code,” read a statement from the Tarrant County Democratic Party. “Additionally, we question many of the assertions made, and in those cases, we will be standing strong to keep our candidates on the ballot.”

Davis said he challenged the Democratic candidates’ applications because the Republican Party has judges in important positions across Tarrant County. Protecting their positions is important to preserve “the rule of law,” he said.

“We really protect our judges in this party because it’s important to our community,” Davis said.

The candidates are all seeking judicial seats currently held by Republicans. Five would be up against incumbents in November.

Davis’ challenges allege that the candidates’ applications and petitions are missing the required number of signatures and information, including professional courtroom experience. 

If the candidates are deemed ineligible, they couldn’t refile for election as the deadline was Dec. 8. The deadline to challenge candidates’ place on the ballot is Jan. 12.

The candidates are among 17 Democrats running for the 39 judicial and justice of the peace positions in Tarrant County up for grabs in November — all but three of which are held by Republican incumbents.

Democratic Party officials said in the statement they’ve assembled a “near-record, deeply qualified slate of candidates” this year, so they weren’t surprised by the challenges from the GOP.

Allison Campolo, the Tarrant County Democratic chair, said they will soon submit a challenge letter to some Republican candidates’ positions. At the time of publishing, those challenges had not been publicly filed.

Early voting for the primary begins Feb. 17.

Davis removes Republican from ballot

Earlier this week, Davis notified Republican candidate Zee Wilcox that she was ineligible to appear on the ballot in the race for Texas House District 98. That district includes Keller, Grapevine and parts of Southlake and is currently represented by Giovanni Capriglione, who isn’t seeking reelection.

Two other Republicans are also vying for the GOP nomination — Keller Mayor Armin Mizani and Colleyville businessman Fred Tate.

Wilcox has also asked the Secretary of State’s office to provide an opinion on her eligibility. Her lawsuit against Davis accuses him of making false and damaging statements about her campaign, she said. 

When Wilcox filed for election on Dec. 8, the day of the filing deadline, she filled out the form for federal office instead of for a Texas office. Wilcox, who has never run for public office, said she trusted the Tarrant County Elections Office to tell her if the form was wrong or if anything was filed incorrectly.

“I drove down to the office and spoke to the lady who was accepting my application, and I said, ‘Hey, I’ve never done this before. I want to make sure everything is correct. Can you please guide me with this?’” Wilcox said. 

Her $750 filing fee went through. On Dec. 16, she received an email from Davis saying the Texas Secretary of State flagged her application as incorrectly filed. 

She attempted to correct the issue but heard no response, she said. On Dec. 18, she was given a place on the HD 98 ballot, and she assumed the issue was resolved, she said. 

Then, on Jan. 7, a few hours after she appeared on her first candidate forum, she received an email from Davis saying she’d been removed from the ballot, according to emails reviewed by the Report.

Wilcox said she didn’t understand why she couldn’t correct the issue in December. She feels the action amounts to retaliation from Davis for running against his candidate of choice and for not falling in line with the local GOP, she said. 

“I’ve ordered campaign material. I’ve collected money from donors. I’ve been running a campaign,” Wilcox said. “Then, after my first forum, all of a sudden, I struck a note. And they decided to go back on something the state already certified.”

Davis acknowledged Wilcox’s removal in a Facebook post but did not respond to requests for comment on her filing. 

“This was not the result of some vast conspiracy, despite whatever Mrs. Wilcox wants to allege. Instead, it’s the outcome of choices she made with her filing,” Davis wrote. “The rule of law matters in the TCGOP, and we believe election integrity begins with the very first step in the process: when our candidates file for office.”

Davis, a lawyer who was tapped to be GOP chair in November, responded to Wilcox’s initial cease and desist letter in an email saying he hadn’t made any false statements and that her demands were baseless, according to copies of the emails reviewed by the Report.

Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601. 

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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