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Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom (TURF) compiled this Voter Guide to gauge candidates positions on toll roads, transportation policy (including accountability and transparency), and property rights. Based on each candidates answers to our survey, they received a grade.
NOTE: This guide only includes contested primary races (so those with no opponent do not appear in this guide).* It also only includes candidates who returned our survey in writing (filled out by the candidate him or herself). If you do not see a candidate here, they did NOT return our candidate survey in writing. Do NOT cast your vote until you know where they stand on tolls. You can’t trust what they tell you until they’re willing to put it in writing (and even then we have trouble holding them to it!). Have them contact us immediately. The below candidates will appear on the GOP Primary Ballot. Not a single Democrat returned our candidate survey.
See the Texas TURF Report Card for the grade of every incumbent state legislator.
* For example, Chip Roy is consistently an A+ rated candidate and officially endorsed by Texans for Toll-free Highways, however he does not have a primary opponent so he does not appear in this Primary Voter Guide. He will appear in the General Election Voter Guide in the fall when he does face a very pro-toll, Democrat opponent.
TURF Voter Guide - 2020 Primary Election
Texans for Toll-free Highways Endorsements - 2020 Primary Election
U.S. Congress
House -
CD 12 -
Chris Putnam ***
Texas State
House -
HD 2 -
Bryan Slaton ***
HD 92 -
Jeff Cason
U.S. Congress
Senate -
Dwayne Stovall
A
John Cornyn (I) - F
House -
CD 12 -
Chris Putnam - A+
CD 12-
Kay Granger (I) - F
CD 26 -
Jason Mrochek - A
Texas State
House -
HD 2 -
Bryan Slaton - A+
HD 2 -
Dan Flynn (I) - F ***
HD 9 -
Mark Williams - A
HD 25 -
Rhonda Seth - A
HD 47 -
Jennifer Fleck B+
HD 60 -
Job Francis - A
HD 92 -
Jeff Cason - A
HD 106 -
James Trombley - A+
HD 106 -
Jared Patterson - ***
HD 115 -
Karyn Brownlee - A-
HD 138 -
Claver Kamau-Imani - A+
Local Office -
Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 3 -
Celeste Brown - A
Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 3 -
Trish DeBerry - *** Caution!
Race Notes —
*** HD 2 - Dan Flynn, the incumbent, is pro-toll and earned an F on TURF”s Report Card for the legislative session. Now we know why. His campaign records show he’s used campaign funds to pay for his toll tag — and he doesn’t even have a toll road in his house district!
We support Bryan Slaton in this race. Bryan helped lead the fight to stop the Blacklands-Northeast Gateway private toll road from Garland to Greenville. We know he’ll be an ardent anti-toll warrior in the Texas House.
*** HD 12 - Chris Putnam has a rock solid record of fighting BAD transportation projects when he fought TEXRail as a Colleyville Councilmen. It shouldn’t surprise us to find out that the majority of elected officials rammed TEXRail through over the loud objections of taxpayers and its ridership has proven anemic. Another boondoggle! We know we can count on Putnam to fight to keep Texas toll-free and be a champion for taxpayers on transportation issues across the board.
*** HD 106 - Jared Patterson While his grade from session turned out to be an A, we think voters should know he co-authored HB 1951, that would have authorized UNLIMITED private toll road contracts forever, and did not remove his name from the bill even after we pleaded with him multiple times until after it was clear it lacked the votes to pass the House at the very end of the session. Read more here.
*** Bexar County Commissioner Precinct 3 - Trish DeBerry DeBerry is the establishment, pro-toll candidate. Her company, Guerra DeBerry Coody, was part of the team that won the bid to do the 281 tollway (BEFORE WE STOPPED THE TOLL ROAD, watch the announcement. In another contract her firm got from the toll authority, it prepared a Powerpoint to train TxDOT employees and elected officials how to slap down arguments of anti-toll spokespeople and how to discredit them with misleading talking points. A vote for Trish DeBerry is a vote for toll roads in Bexar County. Not only does she have a conflict of interest if she were to be an elected officials and be in position to profit from public contracts, she’s guaranteed to be tone deaf to the taxpayers who don’t want toll taxes since she’s already joined at the hip with the toll proliferators financially.
We support Celeste Brown in this race.