February 18, 2016 4:13 PM

Ratliff and Rinaldi grudge match enters final phase

One undecided Republican leader in the area says of Rinaldi: “Sometimes elected officials forget they must represent everyone,” Ratliff fends off attacks about school finance

DALLAS – Texas House District 115 covers parts of Irving, Coppell, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Grapevine, Addison and Dallas. But in many ways the Republican primary in northwest Dallas County pitting Rep. Matt Rinaldi of Irving against former Rep. Bennett Ratliff of Coppell represents the Tea Party versus establishment divide playing out in GOP contests statewide.

Rinaldi, who is a priority candidate of Empower Texans Chairman Tim Dunn, beat Ratliff by only 92 votes in the 2014 primary. He is running as the self-proclaimed true conservative in the race, touting perfect scores from Dunn-aligned groups like Empower Texans, Texas Right to Life, the Texas Eagle Forum and others. He has also bragged that he is the “conservative consultant” on the House floor, often advising other Republicans on how to vote in line with Tea Party interests.

By James Russell