{"id":790195,"date":"2026-05-12T03:38:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T03:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/790195\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T03:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T03:38:23","slug":"republican-officials-urge-unity-voter-mobilization-in-tarrant-ahead-of-primary-runoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/790195\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican officials urge unity, voter mobilization in Tarrant ahead of primary runoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Marissa Greene and Cecilia Lenzen, Fort Worth Report
May 11, 2026<\/p>\n

With a little more than a week until early voting opens for the primary runoffs, Tarrant County Republicans and GOP candidates at the top of the ballot urged party unity ahead of the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n

Through party unity, prayer and mass mobilization of conservative voters, the local GOP can not only maintain control of the county\u2019s highest elected offices but also drive a spiritual revival, speakers said at a May 9 \u201cnight of action\u201d event hosted at Mercy Culture Church in Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can win if you just mobilize the people who think like you to get out and vote,\u201d said Bo French<\/a>, former chairman of the Tarrant County GOP. He faces incumbent Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright<\/a> in a runoff for the GOP nomination for a seat on the commission that oversees the state\u2019s oil and gas industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

French took the stage Saturday afternoon with other candidates slated to appear on the May 26 runoff ballot: Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/a>, who is running for U.S. senator, and Texas Sen. Mayes Middleton<\/a>, who is running for attorney general.<\/p>\n

The March 3 primaries determined Republican and Democratic nominees for county, state and federal offices before the November midterms. In races where no candidate drew more than 50% of votes, the top two vote-getters face off again May 26. Early voting opens May 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hosted by Mercy Culture\u2019s political wing, For Liberty & Justice, the event\u2019s lineup of speakers also included outgoing state Rep. Nate Schatzline, a founder of the host group; Nate Sheets<\/a>, GOP nominee for Texas agriculture commissioner; Kambree Nelson, a Christian activist and influencer; and Kyle Rittenhouse, a conservative gun rights activist who gained fame after being acquitted for killing two people during a 2020 racial justice protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

YouTube personality Alex Stein, who gained online notoriety for disrupting North Texas local government meetings, was planned as the event\u2019s emcee but was removed from the program after making jokes about women\u2019s body parts, race and marijuana \u2014 which Schatzline later described as \u201cwildly inappropriate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs believers in the room, we do not believe in the things that Alex Stein just said on this stage,\u201d Schatzline said, addressing the room. \u201cWe do not engage with that type of rhetoric.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Liberty & Justice also posted a statement<\/a> to its social media page, disavowing Stein\u2019s comments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Attendees gather at Mercy Culture Church on May 9, 2026 for a \u201cnight of action\u201d event hosted by the church\u2019s political nonprofit, For Liberty & Justice. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report) <\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s event marked For Liberty & Justice\u2019s second \u201cnight of action\u201d event of the year, following a February meeting that featured remarks from Paxton<\/a> and other Republican candidates such as Tarrant County Judge Tim O\u2019Hare<\/a> and former state Sen. Don Huffines<\/a>, who is running for the Texas comptroller\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Founded by Schatzline in 2021, For Liberty & Justice aims to equip Christian conservatives to run for public office<\/a> and get engaged in local government through its online training academy called Campaign University, which is offered to churches across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Schatzline, also a pastor at Mercy Culture, is stepping down from his seat in the Texas House after accepting a position<\/a> on President Donald Trump\u2019s national faith advisory board last year. Schatzline previously told the Fort Worth Report he hopes his appointment to oversee pastoral relations on the board will help empower pastors across the country to mobilize their congregants with resources such as Campaign University.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Christian conservatives must take action to mass mobilize voters in order for the GOP to be successful in November, said Carlos Turcios, a Republican precinct chair and director of For Liberty & Justice\u2019s Tarrant County chapter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want everyone here to be discouraged,\u201d Turcios told about 100 attendees. \u201cI want everyone here to be energized, to be fired up, because we got a country to save, we got a state to save, we got a city to save, we got a county to save, we got America to save.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"For Liberty & Justice, a political nonprofit organization of Mercy Culture Church, began its \u201cnight of action\u201d event in worship on May 9, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report) <\/p>\n

\"\"Attendees of For Liberty & Justice\u2019s \u201cnight of action\u201d take communion on May 9, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report) <\/p>\n

Republican elected officials across the state and county have framed the midterm elections as \u201cthe most important of our lifetime,\u201d<\/a> as historically red Tarrant County shows signs of trending purple and after a Democrat pulled off an upset victory in a historically Republican-held Senate district in January. The March 3 primaries drew unusually high voter turnout<\/a> shortly after the high-profile Senate election, which political scientists took as a strong indicator of voter interest and momentum come November.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever been to any type of rally or \u2018get out the vote\u2019 effort, you know that you\u2019ll hear politicians say it specifically, that \u2018this is the most important election of our lifetime,\u2019\u201d Schatzline told attendees Saturday. \u201cThe reality is, every time we say that, we mean it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Texas Rep. Nate Schatzline speaks at a May 9 For Liberty & Justice event. Schatzline founded the nonprofit in 2021. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report) <\/p>\n

Speakers during the event framed the primary runoffs and following midterms as a spiritual battle, urging attendees to support candidates with biblical values.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Half of the battle is showing up, Mayes Middleton said. Texas voters need to elect \u201cprincipled Christian conservatives who do not waver,\u201d in their faith or political stance, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t show up to vote, it will destroy our state and destroy this entire country,\u201d the state senator from Galveston said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In March, Middleton earned nearly 40% of votes statewide and about 46% in Tarrant during the four-way race to win the nomination for attorney general. He faces U.S. Rep. Chip Roy<\/a>, R-Fredericksburg, in the runoff.<\/p>\n

Rittenhouse used the president and Paxton as examples of candidates who \u201cfight for America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see the headlines every day of President Trump getting attacked, but he doesn\u2019t stop fighting,\u201d Rittenhouse said. \u201cThose are the leaders we should aspire to elect when we go to vote, who is going to put America first and who is going to help save this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the primary race for the GOP nomination for U.S. senator, 45% of Tarrant voters favored Paxton\u2019s opponent, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn<\/a>, while 38% chose Paxton. Statewide, each candidate won about 41% of votes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of division in the Republican Party, Sheets, the railroad commissioner candidate, said, adding that voters need to be united regardless of which GOP candidates win their races.<\/p>\n

Sheets won his primary race against incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller with about 53% of statewide votes and nearly 58% in Tarrant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce the runoffs are done, whether it\u2019s your guy or not your guy, get behind whoever the nominees are, and let\u2019s go in together,\u201d Sheets said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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