Bell County
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
Beatrice "Bea" CoxRepublican
Jessica A. GonzalezDemocraticOn ballot as
Beatrice "Bea" Cox
Jessica A. Gonzalez
Current role
Bell County Truancy Master
Killeen City Council member and mayor pro tem
Background
- Killeen resident
- Moved there at age 2 when her father was active-duty military (per candidate, to Killeen Daily Herald)
- Bilingual, with Spanish as her first language (per candidate)
- Involved in Killeen branch, League of United Latin American Citizens
- Grew up in the Killeen area; her father served in the military
- Property manager
Experience
- Truancy Master duties: juvenile truancy cases for all school districts in Bell County
- Clerk, then chief clerk, local justice of the peace office (24 years; per candidate)
- County employee almost 37 years (per candidate)
- Staff, Killeen Police Department records department and the vehicle registration office (earlier; per candidate)
- Killeen City Council member (since 2021); elected to the District 1 seat
- Work experience: contracts, lease enforcement and landlord/tenant disputes (per candidate)
- Democratic primary runoff (May 26, 2026): won, 1,233 votes (51.3%) to 1,171 (48.7%)
Top priorities
- Says she can "hit the ground running on the first day"
- "I am ready to be available for the general public at any time"
- "Magistration is a critical first step in the justice process."
- "Efficient warrant review"
- "Streamlining court processes"
- Pledged "a fair, balanced and impartial voice to our local justice system"
Tidbits
- Judicial philosophy: On setting bonds, at an October 2026 forum, she spoke of "looking at safety and security for any victims that may have been involved"
- Court administration: "I am ready to be available for the general public at any time"
- Judicial philosophy: On magistration and bond decisions, in a March 2026 questionnaire: "Justice must be both fair and firm."
- Court administration: In a March 2026 questionnaire: "prioritize efficient docket management, reduce unnecessary backlogs"
Endorsements
None found in our research
None found in our research
Campaign website
Not found
Not found
Beatrice "Bea" Cox
Republican- On ballot as
- Beatrice "Bea" Cox
- Current role
- Bell County Truancy Master
- Background
- Killeen resident
- Moved there at age 2 when her father was active-duty military (per candidate, to Killeen Daily Herald)
- Bilingual, with Spanish as her first language (per candidate)
- Involved in Killeen branch, League of United Latin American Citizens
- Experience
- Truancy Master duties: juvenile truancy cases for all school districts in Bell County
- Clerk, then chief clerk, local justice of the peace office (24 years; per candidate)
- County employee almost 37 years (per candidate)
- Staff, Killeen Police Department records department and the vehicle registration office (earlier; per candidate)
- Top priorities
- Says she can "hit the ground running on the first day"
- "I am ready to be available for the general public at any time"
- Tidbits
- Judicial philosophy: On setting bonds, at an October 2026 forum, she spoke of "looking at safety and security for any victims that may have been involved"
- Court administration: "I am ready to be available for the general public at any time"
- Endorsements
- None found in our research
- Campaign website
- Not found
Jessica A. Gonzalez
Democratic- On ballot as
- Jessica A. Gonzalez
- Current role
- Killeen City Council member and mayor pro tem
- Background
- Grew up in the Killeen area; her father served in the military
- Property manager
- Experience
- Killeen City Council member (since 2021); elected to the District 1 seat
- Work experience: contracts, lease enforcement and landlord/tenant disputes (per candidate)
- Democratic primary runoff (May 26, 2026): won, 1,233 votes (51.3%) to 1,171 (48.7%)
- Top priorities
- "Magistration is a critical first step in the justice process."
- "Efficient warrant review"
- "Streamlining court processes"
- Pledged "a fair, balanced and impartial voice to our local justice system"
- Tidbits
- Judicial philosophy: On magistration and bond decisions, in a March 2026 questionnaire: "Justice must be both fair and firm."
- Court administration: In a March 2026 questionnaire: "prioritize efficient docket management, reduce unnecessary backlogs"
- Endorsements
- None found in our research
- Campaign website
- Not found
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