Primed after the primaries: Barton and Cobb to vie for County Judge

Pct. 2 Commissioner Jeff Barton accepts the Democratic nomination for county judge at his Tuesday night victory party. Barton defeated incumbent Liz Sumter. PHOTO by JASON GORDON

by BRAD ROLLINS

Hays County Democrats took the rare step of deposing a countywide incumbent officeholder, replacing County Judge Elizabeth Sumter on the ticket with Pct. 2 Commissioner Jeff Barton in Tuesday’s primary election.

Carrying 25 of 36 boxes, Barton won 3,109 votes (56.3 percent) to Sumter’s 2,416 (43.7 percent). In the Nov. 2 general election, Barton faces San Marcos physician Bert Cobb, who took 4,544 votes (55.8 percent) in the Republican Party primary to businesswoman Peggy Jones’ 3,599 (44.2 percent).

“It’s time now to start building bridges and building unity not just in the Democratic Party but in the larger community,” Barton said. “We have a lot of challenges to take on in Hays County and we have to find ways to grow, and grow with grace in a way that doesn’t harm the place that so many of us love.”

San Marcos physician Bert Cobb took the GOP nomination for county judge over Peggy Jones. PHOTO by JEN BIUNDO

Cobb said, “I think the issues are a fresh vision for Hays County, to prioritize the wants and needs of the people of Hays County, to get a handle on spending, and use our money wisely. I think one thing we need to do is have civility at court, and have a courteous attitude of teamwork where we don’t play politics. I don’t care what party someone is in, I care that they have a vision for Hays County.”

The race broke down, as observers had predicted, along geographic lines with Barton dominating in the population centers in the eastern part of the county, winning every precinct in his native Kyle and Buda strongholds and all but one in the San Marcos area. In Buda, where Sumter had hoped opposition to the U.S. Foods warehouse would give her a foothold, Barton won 634 votes to Sumter’s 228. He won 565 votes to 290 in the Kyle area and 1,267 in and around San Marcos.

Sumter meanwhile won 11 precincts in the less urbanized west, taking every Wimberley and Dripping Springs box as well as picking off by six votes the mostly rural Precinct 447 in the Lime Kiln Road area near San Marcos. Sumter collected 554 in her hometown, Wimberley, to Barton’s 239; in the Dripping Springs vicinity, she won 655 to Barton’s 404.

For all the drama of the Sumter-Barton matchup, Tuesday’s returns were a reminder of the Republican Party’s strength in the county. Jones, for example, won more votes in her defeat than Barton won in his victory.

Total Votes

Democratic Primary
Jeff Barton 3,109 56.27%
Liz Sumter 2,416 43.73 %

Republican Primary
Bert Cobb 4,544 55.80%
Peggy Jones 3,599 44.20%