Ten Repubs file for county office

Dave Rogers

For The Record

Seven incumbents were among the first double handful of candidates to file for the November 6, 2018 Orange County elections – all of them Republicans.

No Democrats had filed for office as of Tuesday night.

Among those who signed up with the Republicans at a Monday gathering in Bridge City was County Treasurer Christy Khoury.

A county employee since 2002, she was first elected Treasurer in 2010 and again in 2014, both times as a Democrat.

Other incumbents who filed for re-election this week with new County Republican Party Chairman David Covey include County Judge Stephen Brint Carlton; County Commissioner, Precinct 2, Barry Burton; County Clerk Brandy Robertson; and three of the four Justices of the Peace.

Hershel Stagner, Jr., of Precinct 1; Joy Dubose-Simonton of Precinct 3; and Rodney Price of Precinct 4 are seeking to keep their spots on the bench. Chad Jenkins, Ag Science teacher at Orangefield, filed for the Precinct 2 bench being vacated by a retiring Derry Dunn.

Two others filed to oppose an incumbent office-holder in the March 6, 2018 GOP party primary. They are Theresa Beauchamp for Precinct 2 County Commissioner and Robert Viator for Precinct 4 County Commissioner.

Viator, the Vidor mayor, is taking on two-term Precinct 4 Commissioner Jody Crump.

Beauchamp, the daughter of Orange’s first female county commissioner, Marcelle Adams, is one of two announced candidates gunning for the Precinct 2 seat held by Burton.

The other is county Democratic Party chairman Deborah Mitchell, who, like Beauchamp, is a former Orange city council member.

Mitchell said Tuesday night she hasn’t resigned her party chairmanship yet, but will before she officially files to run next week.

She said several people plan to file as Democratic candidates next week.

The official filing period runs from Nov. 11 through Dec. 11. The paperwork and filing fees first go through the party’s county chairs and then on to the Texas Secretary of State.

Most office-seekers had already announced their intent to run months ago when they filed paperwork with the county elections office to designate a campaign treasurer, a must for fundraising.