Three Democrats are running for Texas House District 97 in the March 3 primary election that will decide who faces incumbent John McQueeney in November.
Democrats Beth Llewellyn McLaughlin, Ryan Ray and Diane Symons will face off in the primary. McLaughlin did not respond to the Fort Worth Report’s multiple requests for an interview.
McQueeney is running uncontested in the Republican Party.
House District 97 encompasses White Settlement, Benbrook, most of Crowley and western and southern portions of Fort Worth. House members are elected for two-year terms.
McQueeney is seeking his second term. In 2024, he replaced U.S. Rep. Craig Goldman, who held the seat since 2013 before running for federal office.
The March primary marks a second attempt for both Ray and Symons to represent the Fort Worth area.
Ray, an Azle native, unsuccessfully challenged Republican Bill Zedler in 2018 in the race for House District 96, now represented by David Cook.
He said his background in education, property tax and finance — areas he plans to prioritize if elected — will best serve the residents of House District 97.
Critical of Gov. Greg Abbott’s proposal to eliminate school property taxes, Ray is concerned the plan would have significant and negative impacts on schools, local governments and the housing market.
“I think it would be a great value to the community to provide some expertise and hopefully guide policy in a way that we can provide tax relief that’s fair and doesn’t create more problems,” Ray said.
Ray, who owns a tax firm, holds 16 years working in property tax consulting and served on the Crowley ISD board for 10 years.
If elected, Ray plans to bring bipartisan solutions to the Texas Capitol.
Like Ray, Symons aims to reform property tax laws.
A self-employed photographer, Symons was raised in various parts of District 97. She lost her race for Texas House District 97 against Democratic candidate Carlos Walker by a slim margin in a May 2024 runoff.
She proposes specific demographics, such as low-income households and recipients of social security, be exempt from paying property taxes to create more affordable living.
To help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box, the Fort Worth Report asked Tarrant County candidates to share their platforms and address key issues through an online questionnaire. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and grammar.
If you have a question about local elections or experience an issue casting your ballot, email us at news@fortworthreport.org.
She wants to prioritize funding higher education opportunities for students and increase minimum wage.
Critical of private school vouchers, Symons believes lawmakers need to introduce legislation “that gives everybody a fair chance.”
“I want to make sure that when I’m faced with a vote, that y’all get a poll because I want to see what y’all want and not what I want,” Symons said. “That’s really important, that people really let the people decide.”
While McQueeney is not set to run against a Democrat until November he is already thinking about the work he hopes to see in the 2027 legislative session.
The legislator — a business owner and fast food franchisee — considers eliminating school property taxes realistic but eliminating property taxes as a whole unsustainable.
“You can’t eliminate property taxes without a means to provide,” McQueeney said. “My office will be doing everything we can to lead on that.”
He wants Texas to become the most economically competitive state by not overregulating business and investing in workforce. Industries such as data centers have been at the center of conversations between local and state officials regarding the state’s growth, economy and power demands.
Infrastructure is one of the biggest focuses for the Texas Committee on State Affairs, said McQueeney, who makes up one of its 15 members.
The public can expect lawmakers to continue identifying a balance between economic growth and responsibly managing the state’s power grid, McQueeney said.
“I don’t think there’s anybody better equipped in this district than myself to go down and continue to fight for that balance of pro-business policies as well as infrastructure investment and having an understanding of what that actually means,” McQueeney added.
Aside from running his own business and franchises, McQueeney is a local business leader and remains closely tied to his alma mater, Texas Christian University, through board and committees.
Ahead of the November election, McQueeney reflected on the successes that came out of the 2025 legislative session, including investments in public education.
“It was important to me … to leadership that we were able to deliver on all fronts there. As we go into this (next) session, we’re going to need to make sure that we continue to double down on that,” he said.
Early voting for the primary election runs until Feb. 27. Election Day is March 3.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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Great Job Nicole Lopez & the Team @ Fort Worth Report for sharing this story.
