Navarro County Races Heat Up; DA Withdraws from Race – NAVGOP Extends Filing to Monday, December 15

By Kris Smith

Beginning November 8, Navarro County GOP candidates began the process of signing up for various offices up for election in March.

Navarro County Judge

With the forthcoming retirement of Navarro County Judge H.M. Davenport, who has served the citizens of Navarro County for nearly two decades, three candidates have completed the required documentation and paid the necessary filing fees for the esteemed position.

Darrell Cobb (left), a retired Corsicana Firefighter and current Assistant Coordinator with the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management, declared his candidacy on November 8, marking the opening day for filings.

Colby Karhan (right), owner of Karhan Law in Corsicana and an attorney with 15 years of experience, filed for County Judge on day one. He is licensed in four states, including Texas, and previously served as General Counsel to State Senator Mike Jackson.

On the following Wednesday, Navarro County Assistant District Attorney Enoch Basnett officially filed and announced his candidacy for County Judge. Basnett has previously served under two District Attorneys: Will Dixon, and the current Criminal District Attorney, Will Thompson.

County Clerk
Sandy Davis, who is the Chief Deputy County Clerk working with veteran County Clerk Sherry Dowd, is running for the position of Navarro County Clerk.

Rachel Young (Right) from Blooming Grove has also submitted her paperwork to campaign for this role; she currently works as a deputy in the Navarro County Clerk’s office.

Criminal District Attorney

Late afternoon on Monday, the final day of the filing deadline, Waxahachie based attorney Joseph Aguilar filed for the office of District Attorney. Aguilar has previously vied for District Judge against long time incumbent James Lagomarsino in the 2024 Primary.

With only minutes remaining in the filing window, current First Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wolf  filed documents to challenge for the position of Criminal District Attorney.

On Tuesday morning, Navarro County District Attorney Will Thompson, officially withdrew from the race, according to NAVGOP Chairman Steven Jessup.

UPDATE:  On Friday, December 12, Kerri Anderson Donica, Corsicana attorney, has filed her notice of Treasurer to the Navarro County Elections Department, at the Navarro County Courthouse Annex.

See announcement here.

Due to Thompson’s withdrawing from the race, Secretary of State rules direct the NAVGOP to extend the GOP filing deadline 5 days – which will extend to Monday, December 15th at 6:00 PM.

OTHER RACES

Other competitive races include the Navarro County Republican Party Chairperson and several Precinct Chair positions.

Retired Justice of the Peace Connie Hickman is running against Corsicana ISD educator Rheann Ivie. Hickman aims to strengthen the Republican Party by leveraging her background as an elected official and candidate to energize voters. She lives in Navarro Mills with her husband, former Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman.

Navarro County native  has also announced her candidacy, focusing on building the party from within. Expressing her appreciation for community involvement, Rheann said, “The interest in our local offices and precinct chair positions has been incredibly inspiring. We’re fortunate to have so many people willing to step up and serve.”

Uncontested Races

Jackie ‘JJ’ Freeland will be sworn in as the new Justice of the Peace for Precinct 3. He is the son of the current Justice of Peace, Jackie Freeland, and currently works for Navarro County Commissioner Eddie Moore in Precinct 3. Freeland has previously served as a deputy with both the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office and the Hill County Sheriff’s Office.

Meanwhile, incumbents Greta Jordan (Precinct 1), Darrell Waller (Precinct 2), and John Cabano (Precinct 4) are all running unopposed in the March primary for their respective Justice of the Peace positions.

District Clerk Josh Tackett and several precinct chair candidates will also face no opposition.

Also, unchallenged in this primary will be the offices of County Treasurer and the two County Commissioners up for re-election.

Ryan Douglas, the current Treasurer, will not seek re-election and the seat will be filled by Jane McCollum, who has served as Chief Deputy Treasurer for Douglas as well as former Treasurer Frank Hull and Ruby Coker.

Commissioners David Brewer and Eddie Perry will run unopposed on the March primary ballot.

The NavCo Chronicle plans to release its annual Voter’s Guide in February, ahead of Early Voting.

About Author

navcochron

See author's posts