Jace Yarbrough is GOP nominee in North Texas congressional district after second-place finisher bows out
By Gabby Birenbaum, The Texas Tribune
Richardson businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley on Tuesday withdrew from the GOP primary runoff for a North Texas congressional district redrawn for Republicans, leaving conservative attorney Jace Yarbrough as the GOP nominee and presumptive next congressman.
Binkley, who ran a quixotic presidential campaign in 2024, finished second in the March 3 Republican primary for Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. He received 22% of the vote to Yarbrough’s 49%, narrowly forcing a runoff.
But hours before the deadline for candidates to withdraw from the May 26 runoff ballot, Binkley announced he would drop out of the race and back Yarbrough.
“Now it is time to come together,” Binkley said. “Our party is strongest when we stand united, and I am committed to doing my part to help us secure a strong showing in November.”
Binkley, an independently wealthy CEO, had loaned his campaign over $2.6 million.
Last summer, the state Legislature redrew the 32nd District, previously based in Dallas and its northern suburbs, to include areas east of the Metroplex, stretching out to East Texas’ Upshur County. Currently represented by Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, the district went from one that voted for Kamala Harris by a nearly 24-point margin to one that would have favored President Donald Trump by about 18 percentage points. It is one of five Democratic-controlled seats that Republicans hope to flip under the new map.
The rare opening for a Dallas-area Republican attracted a field of nine candidates in the GOP primary. But Yarbrough secured the endorsement of Trump and received quiet support from the well-heeled conservative group Club for Growth. The attorney, who previously ran for state Senate and has taken on high-profile constitutional law cases over vaccine mandates and religious freedom, also secured endorsements from House Speaker Mike Johnson and some of the more hardline members of the Texas congressional delegation, including Republican Reps. Brandon Gill, Lance Gooden and Keith Self.
“President Trump-endorsed Jace Yarbrough is now the official Republican nominee, underscoring a strong appetite for bold, forward-looking conservative leadership,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez said in a statement. “As an Air Force veteran, he’s ready to fight for safer communities, a stronger economy, and policies that put Texas families first.
Yarbrough is also endorsed by Freedom Caucus Fund, the political arm of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus. With Binkley’s decision to withdraw, Freedom Caucus Fund-endorsed candidates are now the Republican nominees in all three Texas races the group engaged in.
On Monday, Yarbrough announced endorsements from the other seven Republican candidates in the race.
With Binkley’s endorsement, he now has the support of the entire Republican field.
“[Yarbrough] and his team ran a disciplined campaign, and I am genuinely excited to see what he will accomplish for the people of District 32,” Binkley said. “Jace has my full support moving forward, and I look forward to seeing him win in November.”
Yarbrough will face Richardson City Councilmember Dan Berrios, a Democrat, in the general election.
Initially, six of the 30 Trump-won House seats in Texas went to runoffs after the Republican primary. But after the withdrawals of Binkley and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, in the 23rd Congressional District, there are now only four Republican-leaning seats where the party will have runoffs.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
