October 22, 2014 5:45 PM

Republican Rep. Sheets faces tough reelection bid in blue Dallas County

Sheets isn’t taking anything for granted; Democrats see an opening in marginally GOP district

In our effort at Buzz Central to give you some perspective on the very few truly competitive Texas House races, we thought now would be a good time to take you to Dallas County. Voters in one of the areas of Texas now difficult for Republicans have, of course, the potential to come out big for Sen. Wendy Davis in her bid for governor, complicating things for Republicans running in down ballot races like Rep. Kenneth Sheets.

His district, HD 107, takes in parts of Dallas – the upscale “M Streets” part of town – along with parts of Garland and Mesquite. It was carried by Mitt Romney in 2012 with 52 percent and Democrats think they see an opening to pick off that seat with attorney Carol Donovan. She was endorsed by the Dallas Morning News over Sheets and has a number of grassroots groups working on her behalf. Battleground Texas is among them.

In their endorsement, the DMN Editorial Board said they believe Donovan "would advocate more assertively on education funding than her Republican opponent, Rep. Kenneth Sheets. She would be a more consistent supporter of local control for municipal gas drilling and payday-loan operations.” The endorsement reads like it was a close call for the paper. They also gave credit to Sheets, saying he’s become “less ideology-focused in his two terms in office and displayed more effective lawmaking.”

There are some in Dallas who told us that the district is “Republican enough” that the DMN endorsement of his opponent actually helps Sheets, who has had some trouble shoring up support in the base of his party.

And that’s where things get really interesting.

By Scott Braddock