Few Democrats hold local office in conservative parts of Texas, but Republicans are eager to replace one who appears particularly vulnerable: a longtime district attorney in a remote, Republican-populated, oil-rich ranch area about 250 miles east of El Paso.
Although they immediately ran into the problem of having a candidate who opposes the current official.
There are only about 16 practicing attorneys in the three counties that make up that Republican district, including current incumbent Randy Reynolds, who some say is not a very effective prosecutor.
Although everyone who was contacted said that this is not the case.
Desperate for a challenger, they turned to Sarah Stogner, an oil and gas lawyer who, on paper, might be a long-shot candidate who could boost the Republican Party in what could be one of its strongholds.
She has never tried a criminal case and has made her mark on Texas oil law primarily by suing Chevron for environmental damage due to abandoned oil wells.
One of the main reasons for her statewide fame was a TikTok video she made in 2022, during her campaign for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, the government agency that regulates the oil industry.
At first, Stogner did not accept.
But concerns about crime and possible human trafficking in the area made Stogner decide.
Her emergence as a Republican challenger means that for the first time since 2008 there will be a race for the prosecutor’s post in a part of Texas where fears about crime are often allayed by carrying a gun.
Stogner, 40, describes herself as a libertarian and a limited supporter of government, but she admits it is an unusual choice to become a Republican in such a conservative place.
“I don’t support Donald Trump,” he said, laying out the problems he has with the Republican presidential nominee and politics in general.
“I hate parties. It’s like a duopoly run by oligarchs who are damaging the foundations on which the United States was built.”
Although Texas Republicans appear willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
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