A Republican candidate running for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives has been declared ineligible for the primary ballot after submitting the wrong candidate filing form, a decision she claims is politically motivated.
Form Error Leads to Ballot Disqualification
Zee Wilcox, a mother-of-three and small business owner from Southlake, was ruled ineligible to run in the House District 98 race. The Tarrant County Republican Party chair, Tim Davis, informed her that her application failed to meet legal requirements because she used a federal candidate filing form instead of the mandatory state version.
Wilcox, one of three Republicans vying for the open seat, stated she completed her paperwork on December 8, the final day before the deadline. She paid the $750 fee and had her documents notarised and accepted at the time. "I've never done this before - my first time - but I assumed they'd tell me if the form was wrong when they accepted it," Wilcox told the Star-Telegram.
Allegations of Political Conspiracy and Legal Wrangling
Emails reviewed by the newspaper show Wilcox asked to correct the mistake but says she received no response. This led her to accuse local GOP leaders of orchestrating her removal from the ballot. "I have a hard time believing this is happening in this country," she said. "These elections are now selections. They're not elections, and I wasn't selected by them, so therefore I need to be forcibly removed."
Wilcox has since appealed the decision and contacted the Texas Secretary of State, which told her it lacks the authority to overturn a county party ruling. She also sent Davis a cease-and-desist letter, accusing him of spreading false information about her candidacy, a claim he dismissed as baseless.
Party Official Cites Rule of Law
Davis, a lawyer elected as chairman in November, rejected claims of a political conspiracy. He stated the issue was straightforward and rooted in election law. "Given the matter, I will keep the details to a minimum, but the issue is pretty simple. Mrs Wilcox filed for a state office using a federal form," he explained in a Facebook post. "The forms are different, and the duty is on the candidate to ensure her filing complies with the law."
He added that Wilcox was given adequate time to challenge the decision and that the ruling was "the outcome of choices she made with her filing." Davis emphasised, "The rule of law matters in the TCGOP, and we believe election integrity begins with the very first step in the process."
House District 98 is currently represented by Giovanni Capriglione, who is not seeking re-election. The other Republican candidates are Armin Mizani, the mayor of Keller, and Fred Tate, a Colleyville businessman. Two Democrats are also running for the seat.
Texas' primary elections are scheduled for March 3, with the winners advancing to the November 3 general election ballot. Wilcox is weighing further legal action as the primary date approaches.
