Democrat incumbent to face Republican state legislator, Arlington lawyer in Texas Senate District 10 race

State Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Burleson, was betting a lawsuit over Texas Senate District 10’s new lines would give her a fighting chance to win a second term. But the latest decision from three federal judges to not block the reconfigured map likely means that the seat will flip red. Her Republican contenders never waited on the lawsuit. State Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, and Arlington lawyer Warren Norred are actively campaigning for the Republican primary nomination for the seat and drawing big local and statewide names to support them. With the backing of officials such as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and former Gov. Rick Perry, King, widely considered Powell’s main challenger, has raised over $57,000 just between Jan. 1 and Jan. 20, 2022, according to campaign finance reports. Norred raised $2,960 during that same period of time. In comparison, Powell raised nearly $30,000 between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2021. Her campaign finance report for 2022 is not available.

The ongoing litigation over redistricting changes to Texas Senate District 10 is not the first time the seat’s lines have been challenged in court. In 2011 and 2013, the district’s newly drawn lines were challenged by then-Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, on the same accusation — the new lines cracked communities of color apart to ensure a Republican win for that district. Plaintiffs could appeal the recent decision to the U.S Supreme Court. Until then, the redistricted map will remain in place for the March 1 primaries. “It would have been really extraordinary for the court to have granted that injunction (to delay the primary until the lawsuit was settled),” said Rebecca Deen, interim associate dean of the college of liberal arts and associate professor of political science at the University of Texas at Arlington. Another trial is expected later this year for a series of challenges to the new maps for the state House and Senate, the State Board of Education and congressional districts.