Cedar Hill City Councilman Wade Emmert running for Dallas County Judge

by Brian Allen of Best Southwest Citizen

One of the biggest political moves we’ve been speculating on around here is speculation no longer, as Cedar Hill Councilman Wade Emmert will seek the Republican nomination for county judge.

Emmert will hold a formal campaign announcement event June 4, with former County Judge Margaret Keliher and State Sen. John Corona expected to attend.

Emmert has lined up some strong support including his campaign treasurer, local real estate icon Ebby Halliday, Republican leaders including Dallas County Commissioner Ken Mayfield and Congressman Kenny Marchant and Pete Sessions.

If the Dallas County Republicans can present a unified front, they’ll likely have some advantages over embattled incumbent Jim Foster. The current county judge was a golden boy for Dallas County Democrats after his unlikely victory over Keliher.

But he has butted heads with party leaders including Commissioner John Wiley Price, who has said he won’t support Foster’s re-election campaign. That’s a stunning departure from typical party politics.

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, for example, had a rough first-term amid continuing concerns about the county jail. She still received the support of party leaders and squeaked through the Democratic primary, winning re-election in another big year for Democrats. Whatever happens, the 2010 election slate is looking more and more interesting.