Diane Symons and Carlos Walker in runoff in Democratic primary for TX House District 97

Diane Symons and Carlos Walker are headed for a runoff in the Democrat primary for Texas House District 97, according to unofficial results from Tarrant County.

With all 200 vote centers reporting, Symons has 44.22% of the vote compared to 34.54% for Walker and 21.24% for William Thorburn. The runoff is May 28.

The three Democrats are running for the opportunity to replace outgoing Republican State Rep. Craig Goldman, who opted to leave Austin as part of a bid to replace longtime Fort Worth Republican Rep. Kay Granger.

Granger, who served as Fort Worth’s mayor before moving onto a nearly 30-year career in Washington, announced in November 2023 she would not seek reelection.

Symons has centered her campaign on improving education, helping small businesses, and creating more support for residents experiencing homelessness.

Arlington high school teacher Thorburn positioned himself as a more moderate Democrat to make the argument that the party needs to focus on winning races to chip away at the Republican majority in the State House.