North Texas Democrats are lining up for a chance to take a swing at Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne, as three candidates compete in the March 3 primary for Texas’ 24th Congressional District. Early voting is already underway and runs through Friday, with the winner of the Democratic contest set to face Van Duyne, who is unopposed on the GOP side, in November.
Who’s on the ballot
Voters in TX-24 will see three Democratic names on the March 3 ballot: Jon Buchwald, Kevin Burge and T.J. Ware. As Community Impact notes, whoever emerges from this three-way primary will go head-to-head with Van Duyne in the general election, and early voting in the primary continues through Friday.
Money and the map
The fundraising gap is not subtle. Campaign finance reports show Van Duyne’s committee reported roughly $1.78 million in receipts and about $2.6 million in cash on hand through Feb. 11, a war chest that gives the incumbent a sizable edge. Those totals appear in FEC filings. By contrast, none of the Democratic hopefuls had cracked the $200,000 mark at the same reporting cutoff. According to KERA, Buchwald’s totals are padded by a large personal loan, Burge has raised about $120,000 and Ware just over $95,000, a financial gap that will shape how loudly each campaign can speak in the closing stretch.
Different resumes, different pitches
The Democratic field brings three very different backstories to the same GOP-leaning district. Buchwald is a Dallas entrepreneur who has also taught entrepreneurship at local universities. Burge is a former intelligence civilian and adviser with experience at the White House. Ware is a Fort Worth-born businessman with years in construction and insurance adjusting.
At a recent forum, Ware confronted and denied allegations of domestic violence and has continued to push back on those claims, as reported by the Fort Worth Report. On policy, the contrasts are just as sharp. Burge is leaning into themes like artificial intelligence oversight, education and health care reforms. Buchwald is running on his business credentials and a more moderate message. Ware is centering his pitch on fighting corruption, supporting veterans and tackling a grab bag of local concerns.
Why the race matters here
TX-24 is one of North Texas’ more affluent suburban districts and still leans Republican, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of roughly R+7 that further bolsters Van Duyne’s incumbency advantage. The district stretches across parts of Tarrant and Dallas counties and covers Grapevine, Colleyville, Keller, Southlake and portions of Fort Worth and Dallas, according to The Texas Tribune. That mix of suburbs means independents and swing voters will likely decide whether Democrats can overcome both the money gap and Van Duyne’s name recognition this cycle.
What to watch next
Early-vote numbers in key suburban precincts will be the first tell on how competitive this primary really is, with county returns expected to roll in after next Tuesday’s election night. Local outlets such as KERA and community papers plan to update results and turnout figures as they come in. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will then have to quickly pivot from a relatively low-dollar primary to a high-cost showdown with a well-funded incumbent in November. Voters can find official polling locations and certified results on their county election websites.
