By David Wilfong
NDG Contributing Writer
With early voting underway and the March 3 primary approaching fast, the contest for Texas’ newly redrawn 32nd Congressional District has emerged as one of the state’s most closely watched races, pitting two Democrats in an expected low-turnout primary against a crowded Republican field in what is now expected to be a solidly GOP-leaning seat.
Redistricting by the Republican-led Legislature transformed the 32nd from a compact, Democratic stronghold centered in Dallas into a sprawling district that stretches from northern Dallas County suburbs eastward through Rockwall, Rains, Wood, Camp and Upshur counties and parts of Collin and Hunt counties. The new map, which added conservative rural territory, flipped the district’s partisan balance.
Some analysts rate it as safely Republican, one of several targets in the GOP’s congressional gerrymander. No incumbent is running. Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Farmers Branch), who held District 32 under its old boundaries, is now seeking election in the neighboring 33rd District after the map changes where she faces Colin Allred, also a veteran congressman.
On the Democratic side this time, the primary features a matchup between two North Texas Democrats with contrasting backgrounds.
Dan Barrios, a Richardson City Council member elected in 2023, is a former teacher and longtime community volunteer who grew up in Brownsville and has lived in North Texas for more than 25 years. He frames his campaign around practical, local governance: lowering costs for groceries and housing through stronger consumer protections, expanding health care access amid rising premiums and restoring public trust by rejecting political extremism.
“I’ve seen what good government can deliver when it works for everyone, not just the few,” Barrios said in campaign materials.
His effort is grassroots-funded and emphasizes service over ideology.
Anthony Bridges, an Army veteran who served six years on active duty, works as an EMT and first responder and describes himself as a human rights activist and “one angry Texan.” He is sharply critical of both parties’ leadership, accusing Democrats of offering only “strongly worded letters and word salads on TV” while vowing to accept no donations from billionaires, corporations or super PACs.
Bridges says he entered the race to fight for single payer health care, against the rising cost of living and what he calls pointless foreign wars that benefit defense contractors.
“Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer are going to hate me as much as we hate them and their billionaire buddies,” he said on his campaign site, adding “Let’s make them cry together.”
Neither Democrat has raised a large amount of funds for the race, and the winner will enter the general election as a heavy underdog against whoever the Republican nominee turns out to be.
The Republican primary is quite crowded, with nine candidates on the ballot in a contest that is likely to force a May 26 runoff.
Attention has centered on three frontrunners who lead in fundraising, endorsements and media coverage: Jace Yarbrough, Ryan Binkley and Darrell Day.
Jace Yarbrough, a seventh-generation Texan, Air Force veteran and constitutional attorney, has secured former President Donald Trump’s endorsement and is running an “America First” campaign. A Stanford Law School graduate and former Federalist Society chapter president, Yarbrough has litigated against vaccine mandates, DEI initiatives and what he calls religious discrimination.
He founded a classical Christian academy in Denton; they have five children.Yarbrough says he is running to deliver reinforcements for Trump’s agenda and block “the radical left from taking us backwards.” His platform stresses election integrity, parental rights, border security and traditional values.
Ryan Binkley, CEO and co-founder of the Generational Group business brokerage and senior pastor of Create Church in Richardson, brings deep roots in the district and a large personal financial commitment. He self-funded a long-shot 2024 presidential bid and has poured substantial resources into this race, raising more than a million dollars so far.
Binkley, who has lived and worked in northern Dallas County for 35 years, emphasizes job creation, faith-based leadership and family values. His platform calls for securing the border, expanding domestic energy production, cutting federal spending and taxes, protecting girls’ sports from transgender athletes and ensuring election integrity. Binkley has proposed a seven-year plan to reduce the national debt, mandate health care price transparency and expand health savings accounts.
Darrell Day, a former Arlington City Council member and the Republican nominee in the old 32nd District in 2024, positions himself as the candidate with proven local elected experience and unwavering MAGA credentials.
A lifelong Texas business owner and former GOP precinct chair, Day stresses border security to stop illegal immigration, drugs and human trafficking; lower taxes and reduced regulation; pro-life policies; traditional family values; and strong Second Amendment protections.”I stand on the unshakable foundation of the Bible and the U.S. Constitution to deliver solid solutions for Texans,” Day says on his campaign site.
Other Republican candidates include Paul Bondar, who ran for Oklahoma’s 4th District in 2024; Gordon Heslop, who has gained some support from moderates for his “Make America Normal Again” message; oil-and-gas worker James Ussery; Gordon Heslop, Monty Montanez, Abteen Vaziri and Aimee Carrasco.
Democrats have tried to highlight health care costs and threats to democratic norms, but the redrawn district’s conservative tilt has definitely given Dems an uphill battle regardless of who wins the primary.
An independent candidate, Charles Harper, has also filed for the general election. He is a Navy veteran, a former construction worker and a mental health advocate.
