FROM LEFT: Dan Rogers, Jeff Raef, Blanca Schaffer, Blair Schaffer
Some minor drama unfolded at the Potter County Republican Party primary election ballot order drawing Thursday night.
Candidates, campaign representatives, and volunteers convened at the Potter County GOP headquarters to draw from a deck of cards. The rules of the drawing gave higher ballot placement to those drawing lower cards. Things ran smoothly until it became time to draw for Potter County Commissioner, Precinct 2.
The race features blue-collar businessman Jeff Raef, who is seeking to unseat incumbent Blair Schaffer. Though both are running in the Republican Primary, Schaffer has often been at odds with Potter County Republican Party Chairman Dan Rogers.
Rogers, who has long advocated for using hand-marked paper ballots for elections, has regularly pushed for the Potter County Commissioners to ditch electronic voting machines. Thus far, the Republican-majority body has declined to make the change.
Rogers asked Schaffer if he wanted to do the drawing for the Commissioner race using cards, or if he wanted to do the drawing "electronic.”
Rogers was referring to the 2024 primary ballot drawing, where he used cards for all but the commissioner races. For the two commissioners seeking re-election, Rogers used what he called an “electronic” means to draw the ballot order. The opaque “electronic” drawing in 2024 was disputed by both incumbents, who were each given the bottom spots in their races. Rogers stated he was making a point about the nature of electronic voting machines.
During this year’s ballot drawing, Schaffer, who has also declined to support a move to hand-marked paper ballots, said “let’s do the cards, let’s keep it fair.”
“Why do you want to do the cards?” asked Rogers. “Because it’s transparent, right?”
Rogers then got more pointed. “You agreed to get rid of the machines, and then you stabbed us in the back.”
“You never heard me say that,” Shaffer replied. “I said bring me the data so I can understand it.”
Ultimately, citing time constraints, Rogers went with using the cards for the drawing. Blair Schaffer drew a Jack of Hearts and Raef draw a Queen of Clubs. With Schaffer’s Jack being the lower card, he got the top of the ballot.
The order for all races in Potter County is as follows:
Senate:
John Cornyn
Ken Paxton
Wesley Hunt
Anna Bender
Sara Canady
Virgil John Bierschwale
Gulrez “Gus” Khan
John O. Adefope
US House District 13:
Ronny Jackson
Chasity Wedgeworth
Governor
Ronnie Tullos
Arturo Espinosa
Nathaniel Welch
Greg Abbott
Charles Andrew Crouch
Kenneth Hyde
Evelyn Brooks
Pete “Doc” Chambers
Mark V. Goloby
Stephen Samuelson
Bob Achgill
Lt. Governor:
Perla Muñoz Hopkins
Timothy Mabry
Dan Patrick
Esala Wueschner
Attorney General:
Chip Roy
Mayes Middleton
Joan Huffman
Aaron Reitz
Comptroller:
Michael Berlanga
Kelly Hancock
Don Huffines
Christi Craddick
Agriculture Commissioner:
Nate Sheets
Sid Miller
Railroad Commissioner:
Jim Wright
James (Jim) Matlock
Hawk Dunlap
Bo French
Katherine Culbert
Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court:
Jimmy Blacklock
Steve Smith
Texas Supreme Court Place 8:
David Rogers
Brett Busby
Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3:
Brent Coffee
Alison Fox
Lesli Fitzpatrick
Thomas Smith
Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9:
John Messinger
Jennifer Balido
Potter County Commissioner Precinct 2:
Blair Schaffer
Jeff Raef
Potter County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1:
Bryan Tackett
Lisa DeVries
Amanda Mayfield
Potter County Justice of the Peace Precinct 2:
Robert Taylor
Alex “AJ” Casias
Potter County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3:
Gary Jackson
Zach Harvey
Primary Election Day is March 3rd.