Three candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot for Texas House District 57, a seat that represents part of Denton County in the state Legislature.
Republican Richard Hayes, the incumbent, faces Libertarian Darren Hamilton and Democrat Ray Stith. Each was unopposed in the March primary, according to the Cross Timbers Gazette, which asked all three candidates to describe their priorities. The district runs across Denton County from its western edge to its eastern edge and includes a large share of the county's central area, the Gazette reported.
State House members serve two-year terms.
Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, and ends Friday, Oct. 30, with 54 polling sites open across the county. Voter information is posted by the Denton County Elections Administration at votedenton.gov.
Below, in the order they appeared in the Gazette's guide, is how each candidate described his goals.
Darren Hamilton (Libertarian)
Hamilton, 61, lives in Little Elm. He said lawmakers should ask what happens after a bill passes: whether it fixed the problem, what new problems it caused and how it might play out years later. He also said legislators should consider whether they would still want a given power in the hands of the opposing party.
He said he favors more transparency, stronger protection of property rights and individual rights, and fewer new laws written just because officials felt they had to "do something."
Ray Stith (Democrat)
Stith, 42, lives in Argyle. He said he wants to represent the district with integrity and to focus on results rather than political rhetoric and culture wars.
