State of Texas
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
On ballot as
Jared Patterson
Joe Mayes
Current role
State Representative, Texas House District 106 (since January 8, 2019; fourth term, per campaign)
Retired; writer and co-owner of a Denton bookstore
Background
- Graduate, Texas A&M University (per campaign)
- Executive vice president (per Community Impact)
- Former director of energy services, Rapid Power Management (per Ballotpedia)
- Lives in Frisco with his family (per campaign)
- Family are members of Frisco First Baptist Church (per campaign)
- Bachelor's degree in Legal Administration (per campaign)
- U.S. Air Force, 20 years; Master Sergeant (per campaign)
- Later Director of Cybersecurity Strategy, global tech firm (per campaign)
- Co-owner with his wife, independent bookstore in Denton (opened 2021) (per campaign)
- Bookstore: Patchouli Joe's (per Denton Record-Chronicle)
Experience
- Chair, Local & Consent Calendars Committee (per campaign)
- Member, Transportation and Licensing & Administrative Procedures committees (per campaign)
- Passed HB 900, the READER Act (2023) (per campaign)
- Republican primary (March 3, 2026): won
- Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
Top priorities
- Authored legislation "to increase border security funding, lower property taxes, protect children from radical indoctrination, support first responders, and safeguard our pets" (per campaign)
- "SB 2, in combination with HB 2, makes clear that families deserve options and schools deserve resources."
- "I supported SB 4 and SJR 2 to increase the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000."
- "Fully-fund public education for all Texas students and develop a roadmap to establish a world-class education."
- "Create economic opportunities for all Texans and require new developments and businesses to pay their fair share of infrastructure costs."
- "Protect and defend the constitutionally assured rights of all Texans from government overreach"
- "Restrict purchase of residential property to those with residential interests."
Tidbits
- Abortion: "I coauthored and helped pass landmark legislation in 2021 to protect the unborn once a heartbeat was detected."
- Border and immigration: Says he supported SB 8, which "requires counties with a population of over 100,000 to participate in the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) immigration program"
- Guns: On HB 1927 (Constitutional Carry), which he coauthored: "Texans no longer have to ask the government's permission to protect themselves, their families and their property."
- Public schools and vouchers: "SB 2, in combination with HB 2, makes clear that families deserve options and schools deserve resources."
- Property taxes: "I supported SB 4 and SJR 2 to increase the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000."
Claims and the record
- Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
- Abortion: At an April 2026 candidate event: "There's absolutely nothing moral about having a different set of standards for your health care than there is for mine."
- Border and immigration: No public statement found
- Guns: No public statement found
- Public schools and vouchers: "Fully fund Texas public schools, including banning public funds to private schools."
- Property taxes: "Property taxes continue to grow, largely to fill the public school funding void."
Claims and the record
- Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
Endorsements
- Texas Home School Coalition
- Texas Alliance for Life (primary)
- Texas AFL-CIO COPE
- Rep. Gene Wu, Texas HD137, Chair, Texas House Democratic Caucus (listed by campaign)
- Eric H. Holder, 82nd US Attorney General (listed by campaign)
- VoteVets (listed by campaign)
- Mothers Against Greg Abbott (listed by campaign)
Show all 7
- Texas Progressive Caucus (listed by campaign)
- National Democratic Redistricting Committee (listed by campaign)
- On ballot as
- Jared Patterson
- Current role
- State Representative, Texas House District 106 (since January 8, 2019; fourth term, per campaign)
- Background
- Graduate, Texas A&M University (per campaign)
- Executive vice president (per Community Impact)
- Former director of energy services, Rapid Power Management (per Ballotpedia)
- Lives in Frisco with his family (per campaign)
- Family are members of Frisco First Baptist Church (per campaign)
- Experience
- Chair, Local & Consent Calendars Committee (per campaign)
- Member, Transportation and Licensing & Administrative Procedures committees (per campaign)
- Passed HB 900, the READER Act (2023) (per campaign)
- Republican primary (March 3, 2026): won
- Top priorities
- Authored legislation "to increase border security funding, lower property taxes, protect children from radical indoctrination, support first responders, and safeguard our pets" (per campaign)
- "SB 2, in combination with HB 2, makes clear that families deserve options and schools deserve resources."
- "I supported SB 4 and SJR 2 to increase the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000."
- Tidbits
- Abortion: "I coauthored and helped pass landmark legislation in 2021 to protect the unborn once a heartbeat was detected."
- Border and immigration: Says he supported SB 8, which "requires counties with a population of over 100,000 to participate in the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) immigration program"
- Guns: On HB 1927 (Constitutional Carry), which he coauthored: "Texans no longer have to ask the government's permission to protect themselves, their families and their property."
- Public schools and vouchers: "SB 2, in combination with HB 2, makes clear that families deserve options and schools deserve resources."
- Property taxes: "I supported SB 4 and SJR 2 to increase the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000."
Claims and the record- Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
- Endorsements
- Texas Home School Coalition
- Texas Alliance for Life (primary)
- Campaign website
- jaredpatterson.net
- On ballot as
- Joe Mayes
- Current role
- Retired; writer and co-owner of a Denton bookstore
- Background
- Bachelor's degree in Legal Administration (per campaign)
- U.S. Air Force, 20 years; Master Sergeant (per campaign)
- Later Director of Cybersecurity Strategy, global tech firm (per campaign)
- Co-owner with his wife, independent bookstore in Denton (opened 2021) (per campaign)
- Bookstore: Patchouli Joe's (per Denton Record-Chronicle)
- Experience
- Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
- Top priorities
- "Fully-fund public education for all Texas students and develop a roadmap to establish a world-class education."
- "Create economic opportunities for all Texans and require new developments and businesses to pay their fair share of infrastructure costs."
- "Protect and defend the constitutionally assured rights of all Texans from government overreach"
- "Restrict purchase of residential property to those with residential interests."
- Tidbits
- Abortion: At an April 2026 candidate event: "There's absolutely nothing moral about having a different set of standards for your health care than there is for mine."
- Border and immigration: No public statement found
- Guns: No public statement found
- Public schools and vouchers: "Fully fund Texas public schools, including banning public funds to private schools."
- Property taxes: "Property taxes continue to grow, largely to fill the public school funding void."
Claims and the record- Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
- Endorsements
- Texas AFL-CIO COPE
- Rep. Gene Wu, Texas HD137, Chair, Texas House Democratic Caucus (listed by campaign)
- Eric H. Holder, 82nd US Attorney General (listed by campaign)
- VoteVets (listed by campaign)
- Mothers Against Greg Abbott (listed by campaign)
Show all 7
- Texas Progressive Caucus (listed by campaign)
- National Democratic Redistricting Committee (listed by campaign)
- Campaign website
- joemayesfortexas.com
Open in the full comparison: Denton County

