Republicans Goldman, O'Shea face runoff for U.S. Dist. 12 seat, will face Trey Hunt

Republicans Craig Goldman and John O'Shea will have one more race to determine who'll face Democrat Trey Hunt in the November election.

Goldman and O'Shea were the top two candidates out of a field of five Republicans hoping to fill the seat being vacated by longtime Fort Worth U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX, Dist. 12) next January.

The congresswoman announced in November 2023 that she would not seek a 15th, two-year term representing the 12th congressional district of Texas, which includes most of Parker County and the western half of Tarrant County.

Granger, 81, said at the time that it was "time for the next generation to step up and take the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative for the people."

Among the Republicans heeding Granger's call to step up were John O'Shea and State Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth, Dist. 97) along with Clint Dorris, Shellie Gardner, Anne Henley

O'Shea entered the race with the support of Ken Paxton, who was hoping to unseat any Republican who supported his impeachment last fall. As a member of the Texas House, Goldman voted to impeach the attorney general but has a long list of endorsements including Gov. Greg Abbott, former governor and Trump Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and several other legislators in his run for federal office.

O'Shea first entered the race before Granger announced her retirement, hoping to unseat her as a more conservative option. He said he thinks voters on both sides of the aisle are sick of the establishment and he sees himself as the outside candidate.

"I’m going up against one establishment person to now a—somebody who’s from the Texas House, has been in there for several terms, has name ID and kind of a track record, and he’s kind of more the establishment and I’m more of the America-first, grassroots candidate. I think we offer a very sharp contrast and dichotomy and that’s a choice I want to give to voters," O'Shea told NBC 5 on Tuesday.

He also acknowledged a financial hurdle in a runoff against Goldman.

“It won’t be mailers and commercials, it’ll be, again, going out and visiting with the voters and having the volunteers and just connecting with the people," O'Shea said.

Goldman also addressed the possibility of a runoff during his speech to supporters on Tuesday night, saying it would be full steam ahead in the race to Congress.

He thanked Kay Granger for her service, and voters for sending him back to the state capitol for over a decade.

"I've been so fortunate to represent House District 97," he said. "It truly has been the honor of a lifetime to represent southwest Tarrant County."

While District 12 has been solidly Republican since Granger took office in 1997, it was a Democratic district for decades before when the office was held by Pete Geren and Jim Wright. There will be a Democratic challenger in the fall with Trey Hunt beating out challenger Sebastian Gehrig for the party nomination.

A candidate must get 50% of the vote to avoid the runoff and proceed to the general election. If a candidate does not receive 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will have a runoff on Tuesday, May 28 with the winner moving on to the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.