February 4, 2016 5:02 PM

Despite initial hype, Chairman Geren and French face off in low-key contest

“Geren’s biggest detractors actually live outside his district. And they are somewhat distracted by their races now.”

FORT WORTH – The Republican primary for House District 99 could’ve been nasty by now. After all, two scions of prominent Fort Worth families are facing off and third-party groups have made the contest a priority.

But so far the campaign pitting local businessman and Tim Dunn-backed Bo French against House Administration Committee Chairman Charlie Geren has yet to emerge as a competitive race, according to veteran political observers.

“It’s truly the classic mash up of establishment versus insurgent. Because Geren’s more tied to the establishment, he’s a prime target,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, professor of political science at the University of Houston.

One thing is clear: The defeats of former Senators John Carona of Dallas and Bob Deuell of Greenville in 2014 have taught incumbent Republicans not to be caught flat-footed this time around.

French boasts family connections spanning from Midland to Dallas as the son of the late oil and gas executive L.R. “Bob” French and wife Marcia. That fact was shown in his first campaign finance report. Donors included billionaire Dallas banker Gerald Ford, who donated $5,000 and Walmart heiress Alice Walton, who donated $1,000.

But the majority of French’s haul comes from a more familiar Midland resident: Chairman Dunn.

By James Russell