The tussle over Texas Senate hopeful Brent Hagenbuch's candidacy rumbles on, with a Denton County judge giving him the green light to keep his campaign motor running. Despite residency qualms, the court kicked a request to park Hagenbuch's bid to the curb, allowing him to stay in the fast lane for a Senate seat.
With the Republican primary on the horizon, Hagenbuch's camp revved up their defense, comparing their courtroom showdown to political skirmishes faced by former President Donald Trump. "Just like Donald Trump’s opponents, our opponents thought they could win this election at the courthouse," Hagenbuch spokesman Allen Blakemore proclaimed, in a statement obtained by NBC DFW. Texas law, it seems, is primed to let the voters steer the course of this election.
Dragging Hagenbuch's eligibility out into the sunlight is the other side's game plan. Dr. Carrie de Moor, one of Hagenbuch's GOP rivals, is charging forward with the legal challenge, backed by no less than Attorney General Ken Paxton's endorsement. To shine a spotlight on Hagenbuch’s claimed address — a supposed corporate apartment at his trucking company — questioning its legitimacy as a true residence in the district.
While Hagenbuch's detractors tried to apply the brakes to his campaign, Judge Lee Gabriel's ruling ensures Hagenbuch will not only need to navigate the smear of the campaign trail but also survive being put under oath in a deposition about his residency – a winding road that his opponents hope will reveal a "tangled web of lies," as Mike Alfred, an attorney for De Moor, told NBC DFW.
Despite the legal barricades, key Texas political figures like Gov. Greg Abbott have dispensed their endorsements Hagenbuch's way, reflecting a sense of trust in his qualifications and perhaps a distinctive sway in Texan political tides. Nevertheless, Hagenbuch continues to cruise under scrutiny, with public records signaling inconsistencies in his residency tale – allegations that a resolution from the Denton County Republican Party fuels, branding him a "pathological" liar, according to a report by The Dallas Morning News.
The road to the March 5 primary promises to be rugged. No court dates are affixed on the calendar, but the local trial rules might permit Hagenbuch to gun for a trial date post-primary. Yet, if he grabs the primary by the victory flag, de Moor's team is ready to continue their pursuit of challenging his eligibility. This race seems geared to go down to the wire, with neither camp ready to put on the brakes.
