Denton County
County Judge
Nick Pappas
Democratic- On ballot as
- Nick Pappas
- Current role
- Retired U.S. Marine and small business owner
- Background
- Graduate, Humble High School
- U.S. Marine Corps (2005–2022)
- Describes himself as "a retired, disabled Marine Corps veteran of multiple combat deployments"
- In a Community Impact Q&A, says he "transcribes and summarizes Commissioners Court weekly"
- Experience
- Began a 2026 campaign for governor before, in his campaign's words, he "chose to focus on Denton County"
- Did not appear on the Democratic primary ballot for governor
- Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): advanced
- Top priorities
- "Three free meals a day for every child in Denton County."
- "A county health campus."
- "A foster care support system this county actually funds."
- "a reentry program so people leaving jail have somewhere to land besides back in it"
- "Homestead exemption at 20%, not the current 1%."
- Tidbits
- Property taxes and budget: "Homestead exemption at 20%, not the current 1%."
- Growth and infrastructure: "Infrastructure projects finish on time and on budget, with the numbers public."
- Flooding and drainage: Campaign site: "We need to strengthen disaster preparedness" and "fix transportation, drainage, and mobility gaps"
- Public safety: "Expand evidence based jail programs and improve reentry coordination."
Claims and the record- Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
- Endorsements
- VoteVets (listed by campaign)
- Lewisville Democratic Club (listed by campaign)
- Young Democrats of Denton County (listed by campaign)
- Campaign website
- pappasfordentoncounty.com
Open in the full comparison: Denton County